Right before the start of the winter holidays, India is all set to restart the process of electronic visas (e-visa) for UK visitors. The decision was announced by the Indian High Commission in London looking at the recent surge of demand for visas to India. As per the official announcement, travelers can start applying for e-visas to India from this week onwards. Also, the system upgrade is currently in progress and the website for Indian visas would soon be ready to accept e-visa applications.
In a video tweeted by the High Commission of India in London, Vikram K Doraiswami the High Commissioner to the UK said: "We are rolling out e-visas once again and this service will be made available to you forthwith. (Dates will be announced shortly). That should enable friends from the UK far more easily to India. So welcome back, e-visas are up ahead and all our other services including visas at your doorstep remain available to you. We look forward to a good winter season in which everyone gets to celebrate their festivals in India which is the land of festivals."
In recent months, there has been a growing backlog for Indian visas as applicants complained about the lack of open appointments and protracted processing times.
Prior to the pandemic, about 1.7 crore international tourists visited India. The data for the year 2018 reveals that Bangladesh, the US, the UK, Sri Lanka, and Canada were the top five nations for international travelers arriving in India. The tourism industry has been requesting that e-visas be reinstated as they are now prohibited in some of these major source markets.