JOIN USOCI card holders from US, Germany, France, Kuwait can fly to India: Govt
In further relaxations on restrictions placed after the Covid-19 pandemic, the government on Friday allowed Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders from the United States, Germany, France and Kuwait to fly into India.
The decision came after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cleared the proposal to allow OCI card holders from countries with which India entered into an "air bubble" agreement.
So far, OCI card holders were not allowed to travel into India following restrictions placed on international flights.
Besides the four countries, an MHA office memorandum said, other countries may be included under this scheme in future.
Other foreigners have also been allowed to avail Indian visa facility for business, medical & employment purposes.
Indian citizens have also been allowed to travel to such countries on any type of visa provided there is no travel restriction there.
“It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter the country concerned with the particular visa category before the issue of tickets/boarding pass to the Indian passenger,” the MHA document said.
In June, the government had relaxed visa rules further to allow minor foreign nationals whose one of the parents is an Indian national or an OCI card holders and foreign nationals married to Indian citizens among others to fly into the country.
Foreign nationals who are single parents of minor children holding Indian passports or OCI cards and students who are foreign nationals with at least one of their parents is an Indian citizen or OCI card holders were also allowed to enter the country in June.
Earlier on May 22, India had allowed minor children born to Indian nationals abroad and holding OCI cards and OCI card holders who wish to come to India on account of family emergencies like a death in family were allowed to travel to India/
Similarly, couples where one spouse is an OCI card holders and the other is an Indian national and they have a permanent residence in India as well as university students who are OCI cardholders (not legally minors) but whose parents are Indian citizens living in India were also allowed.