Centre generates Rs 1,400 cr revenue from e-visa scheme

New Delhi: The Centre has generated revenue of Rs 1,400 crore from its e-Visa scheme which is being provided to citizens of as many as 163 countries since its start in 2014.

According to home ministry officials, while last year 19 lakh tourists used the e-Visa scheme, the number is expected to touch 25 lakh this year. Fees for the scheme is divided into four categories of zero, US dollar 25, 50 and 75 which depends on the nationality and reciprocity.

The scheme was started by the home ministry in order to further enhance efficiency and transparency of various services being offered to foreign tourists. The service is currently available to tourists from 163 countries coming through 25 international airports and five sea ports.

As per the scheme the applicant has to file an online form following which an e-mail is sent authorising the concerned tourist to travel to India following approval from concerned authorities. The tourist can travel with a print-out of this authorisation and on arrival, the tourist has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who in turn allow entry into the country.

Apart from tourism, the scheme is also applicable to the business and medical categories. Visitors on e-Visa can stay in the country for a period of two months.

The duration for application under the Visa scheme has been extended from 30 days to 120 days while the duration of stay on e-Visa has been increased from 30 days to 60 days.