Hyderabad: The Shamshabad airport was notified as the six designated airports that can grant on-arrival visas to South Korean nationals. The move is expected to boost inflow of tourists in the city, especially to the Buddhist centres, as well as in the tech industry. Sources in the immigration section at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport said they had started issuing visas to South Korean visitors in the online and offline modes.
Hyderabad is a frequent host to K-pop bands and there is huge fan base for ‘Hallyu’ in the city. Getting on-arrival visas makes it easy for more of these bands to come to the city.
South Korea is the second country whose nationals are given visa on arrival by India after Japan in March 2016. According to an estimate, around two lakh Indian visas are issued to South Korean nationals every year, of which 80 per cent are tourists.
Like for the Japanese, the facility for South Korean nations includes double entry visit for a period not exceeding 60 days for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes for entry through Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru apart from Hyderabad.
Visa-on-arrival facility was earlier offered to citizens of 12 countries — Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea — it was discontinued in November 2014 after the launch of e-Tourist Visa scheme.
Under the e-visa scheme, which covers all the countries, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after the visa has been approved.
