India has liberalised its visa regime for Afghan nationals to make their visit more convenient. The duration of Tourist Visa for Afghan nationals has been enhanced to one year now with continuous stay of 90 days during each visit instead of existing provision of stay of 30 days. The provision of a gap of 60 days between two Tourism visits, however, remains unchanged.
Afghan businessmen investing in India will be given Indian visas for 1-5 yrs, with continuous stay of up to 180 days during each business visit.
Welcoming the move, Afghanistan embassy officials said this will help in enhancing people to people contact. “We appreciate this move to liberalise the visas and we believe it will have a positive impact in enhancing people to people contact. It will give flexibility to Afghan nationals to plan their visit to India," said Abdul Haque Azad, Press Secretary of Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi.
Sources in the Centre said that extending visa duration has been a long standing demand of the Afghanistan Government. India and Afghanistan share a warm relationship.
The Indian Government had some time back announced that the Afghan nationals coming for treatment in India will be treated as par with Indians. This means that they will be paying the same amount for medical treatment as the Indians do. Other foreign nationals pay a different and higher rate for treatment in India
“The Government of India promoted and encouraged Afghan businessmen to visit India to further enhance Indo-Afghan trade ties. Henceforth, Afghan businessmen investing in India or having a large trade turnover with India, depending on volume of their investment/trade, shall be issued Indian visas for a duration of 1 to 5 years, with continuous stay of up to 180 days during each such business visit, subject to production of relevant business documents," a statement from Indian embassy in Kabul said.
The Indian Government added that it was confident that these changes in the visas regime would further strengthen the historic people to people and business ties between the two countries.