New Delhi: The government has introduced minor changes to the new visa guidelines in the face of concerns expressed by the US and the UK about their citizens being adversely affected by the sudden changes in the rules. 

The US had even pointed out that the new guidelines were being implemented inconsistently. The government has now decided to relax the two-month gap rule for tourists who enter India but plan to visit another country and then re-enter India. This particular category of tourists will be permitted by the Indian missions to re-enter India two or three times before their final exit from India, providing they submit a detailed itinerary and supporting documentation. 

Apart from the missions, immigration authorities have also been intimated about the changes and given the authority to allow tourists to travel to another country and back. 

“The immigration authorities in all the immigration check posts in India have also been authorised to allow tourists to make two or three entries, as the case may be, based on production of an itinerary and documentation (ticket bookings) substantiating the need for tourism-related travel,” MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said. 

The government had introduced new guidelines for tourist visas on November 4. According to the guidelines, a two-month gap between two visits is mandatory for foreigners holding long-term multi-entry tourist visas. The move had invited concern from the US and the UK. And the missions of the two countries had sought clarification over the rule saying that genuine tourists would be affected. The UK in particular was concerned with 6-7 lakh British tourists visiting India every year. 

But officials pointed out that the changes were aimed at facilitating genuine tourists and not to aid people who were using long-term tourist visas for residence purposes. The changes, they insisted, were for tourists who use India as a hub for travelling to other countries in the region. UK and US officials have been holding consultations with officials in MEA and home ministry over the matter.