India plans to extend visa-on-arrival facility to 40 more nationalities

India has proposed to extend visa-on-arrival facility to tourists from 40 more countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

A decision on this is expected to be made today - a move which would make the country a more tourist-friendly destination and improve foreign exchange earnings.

The Planning Commission has called a high-level meeting of different ministries and the National Security Advisor today to deliberate on the feasibility of the move.

The country currently offers visa on arrival to citizens of 11 countries, including Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar.

Indians, on the other hand, get visa-free or visa-on-arrival access in 52 countries, of which 28 countries and territories are accessible visa-free.

British citizens enjoy the widest range of visa-free travel in the world, being able to visit 173 countries with just a passport, according to Henley & Partners Visa Restriction Index.

The UK citizens are at par with those from Finland and Sweden for visa-free access while nine of the top 10 in the index are European Union countries, with the 10th being the US.

India figures 74th on the list, while Afghanistan comes at the bottom of the table, with only 28 countries available for entry without visa.

Iraqi passport holders can go to 31 countries while Pakistan and Somalia are tied at the third from the bottom with 32.

Indian citizens do not need a visa to travel and work in Nepal or Bhutan. Indian citizen residing in the US holding a permanent resident permit (Green Card) also does not need a visa to travel to Canada, Mexico and many countries and territories in the Caribbean since the country of residence is a factor in determining the visa requirements in some countries.

Indian citizens resident in Japan with valid Alien Registration Cards can also travel to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) for tourism and short business trips.

India has granted a total of 12,176 visas on arrival till August 2013, which shows a growth of 29.4 per cent compared to last year. India issued 9,412 visa on arrivals during the same period in 2012.

The extension of the via-on-arrival scheme is seen as one way of boosting the country's foreign exchange earnings, at a time when the current account deficit has hit a high of 4.8 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Government hopes to bring the current account deficit down to $70 billion or 3.8 per cent of the GDP during the current fiscal.