Wednesday 24 / April / 2024
Muscat: Medical visas enabling Omanis and other foreign nationals to travel to India for medical treatment can be applied for immediately, after the country resumed applications for short-term visits to the country.
A number of e-visa services for people who wish to visit the country for medical treatments, business, conferences, and as an attendant to those undergoing treatment, were reopened by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs. Tourist visas, however, remain suspended.
“These visa services have been resumed with immediate effect,” said a spokesperson of the Embassy of India in Muscat.
“There are few restrictions for Omani nationals and they can get a visa very easily. Once they apply, they should receive their visas within a matter of just two or three days.”
“Normally, there is also no need for people coming to India for medical treatment to first enter quarantine, but each state does have its own rules, so passengers are requested to check the requirements of the destination to which they are flying,” he added.
Passengers have also been advised to only travel and stay in those cities that have direct flight access from Oman, under the ongoing air bubble agreement between the two countries.
Flights from Oman are available to Bangalore, Mumbai, Kochi, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram. Operations to Kozhikode, Goa, Lucknow, and Jaipur are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks and months.
“I would not advise travelling between one state and the next right now, because each state has its own rules regarding quarantine during the pandemic,” added the embassy spokesperson. “Some states require you to take a PCR test if you are travelling between states.”
Nationals from 156 countries around the world are eligible to apply for an e-visa for the aforementioned purposes.
