India did not inform of tightening visa regulations- Foreign Ministry

Foreign Ministry has stated that India did not inform the government about the recent change to the on arrival visa regulations for Maldivians.

Minister of State of Foreign Affairs, Hassan Saeed informed the media that Maldivian travelers can get tourist visa and free visa on arrival for ninety days.

Meanwhile, people intending to travel to India have been waiting in line near the Indian High Commission even last night. Indian High Commission announced that they have increased the token numbers allocated daily from 40 to 60.

Many have raised concern that the Air Indian flights which were used to full with Maldivian travelers might face some decrease in the number of Maldivian passengers as a result of India tightening the visa procedures for Maldivians.

Last year alone more than 60,000 Maldivian visited India. If the average expenditure of a Maldivian traveler to India per day is 500 US dollars, it is about 30,000,000 US dollars flowing into India.

According to Indian news agencies, Maldivians now intending to stay in India for more than 90 days for medical, study or any other purpose have to obtain appropriate visa otherwise they may face deportation as there is no provision in India for extending the visit visa or converting to any other type.

In a notice, the Indian High Commission in Male also said, “Due to technical reasons, the HCI will henceforth require one week’s processing time to issue visas for travel to India. The applicants are, therefore, advised to plan their travel and apply for visa well in time to avoid inconvenience.

“It is also informed to the general public that visa free travel facilities to India, available to Maldivian citizens, are valid for tourism purpose only. For any other purpose, people are advised to apply and obtain the appropriate visas before travelling to India,” the HCI said last week.