Coming on the heels of talks held between Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu, India has announced out a substantially more relaxed e-visa regime for Chinese nationals, reports ANI.
"October 2019 onwards, Chinese nationals can apply for an e-Tourist visa (e-TV) of a 5- year validity with multiple entries. The visa fee for this 5-year multiple entry e-TV will be $80," an official statement reads.
Prospective Chinese visitors will be able to get a single-entry 30-day e-TV for a reduced rate of $25, while the same visa between April to June will only cost $10 in fees.
The one-year multiple-entry e-TV can also still be availed by Chinese citizens, but at a reduced rate of $40. Other e-visa types such as the e-medical visa, e-conference visa, etc will continue to be available but with no changes in fees structure.
The fee reductions and relaxations are expected to help boost people-to-people connections between the two countries and help India’s rise as an international tourist destination.