Want to learn or practise yoga in India? Apply for a tourist or E-Tourist visa. Or.... Try the Indian medicine systems? Apply for a E- Tourist visa.

With an eye to make Indian yoga and its age-old medicine system accessible to all nationals, the Government of India has decided to include 'attending a short-term yoga programme' to its existing list of permissible activities under Tourist and E-Tourist visa. The Government has also included 'short duration medical treatment under Indian systems of medicine' thus expanding the list of permissible activities for E-Tourist visa.

Accordingly, a foreign national can apply for a tourist visa for the purposes of recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, attending a short-term yoga programme etc. And a foreign national whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, attending a short term yoga programme, short duration medical treatment including treatment under Indian Systems of medicine or casual business visit.

A reminder to our readers that the difference between the Tourist and the E-Tourist visa is that an E-tourist visa is a visa on arrival, has a validity of 30 days and can be used maximum twice in a calendar year.

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