（中央社記者何宏儒新德里6日專電）最快今年9月開始，台灣民眾赴印度旅遊可能不必跑1趟印度－台北協會遞件申請簽證。為促進觀光產業發展，印度政府昨天決定一口氣對180國觀光客實施落地簽證措施。
印度目前對芬蘭、日本、盧森堡、紐西蘭、新加坡、柬埔寨、越南、菲律賓、寮國、緬甸、印尼共11國的觀光客實施落地簽政策。
此間媒體今天報導，計畫委員會（Planning Commission）5日召集會議作成上述決定。報導引述國會事務與計畫部政務次長舒克拉（Rajiv Shukla）說，實施落地簽證的新增名單原先提案只開放40國，現在則決定一口氣增加到180國，「對我們的觀光業將是1項重大突破」。
目前台灣民眾申請印度旅遊簽證時，於線上填寫申請表後，須赴印度－台北協會（India-Taipei Association）遞交申請資料並繳費。
報導指出，相關國家的旅客未來只須在入境至少3天之前，線上申請電子旅遊授權（Electronic Travel Authorization, ETA）並繳費，入境時再經生物特徵辨識，就可取得30天效期的簽證。可能9月上路的這項措施將在26個機場實施，但這種簽證不可延簽。
報導說，包括巴基斯坦、蘇丹、阿富汗、伊朗、伊拉克、奈及利亞、索馬利亞、斯里蘭卡共8國的觀光客，仍須透過當地印度大使館申請簽證。
據估計，2017年印度觀光產業產值可達428億美元，較2007年增42%。
NEW DELHI: In a significant step towards liberalization of the visa regime, the government on Wednesday cleared two initiatives: visa on arrival and electronic travel authorization for all countries barring eight “prior reference” countries including Pakistan, Iran and Sri Lanka.
ETA will allow foreign travelers to apply for a visa from home and receive an online confirmation in five working days.
“We have decided to extend visa-on-arrival to tourists from 180 nations. It will take 5-6 months to put the infrastructure in place. We hope to implement this from the next tourist session beginning October,” planning minister Rajiv Shukla said.
Visa-on-arrival at 9 airports initially
The extension of visa-on-arrival and electronic travel authorization to citizens of 180 countries will be implemented initially at nine airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum. Both facilities are likely to be implemented by the end of the year.
India currently offers visa-on-arrival to tourists from 11 countries like Finland, the Philippines, Singapore and Japan. The decision was taken in a meeting convened by the Planning Commission that included representatives from the PMO, ministries of home affairs, external affairs and tourism.
ETA will be available for a 30-day period from the date of the tourist’s arrival in India while VoA will also be for the same period for a single entry.
The move, aimed at boosting the tourism sector, would not need the Cabinet’s nod, Shukla said, adding that the home ministry would notify the same at an appropriate time.
“The facility will provide a major boost to the country’s tourism sector. This is historic,” Shukla said.
A separate website would be set up for extending the facility to foreigners intending to visit India as tourists.
To get a visa, they would need to apply on the designated website along with the required fees. They would be granted an electronic version of the visa within three days.