Home Ministry wants all visas to go online, anticipates foreign ministry’s resistance as the latter’s turf could be encroached

NEW DELHI: The home ministry plans to replicate the online ETourist Visa (ETV) model to over 30 kinds of visas offered by India, a proposal which could eliminate human interaction with visa-seekers unless a person with a particular profile requires an interview.

The power of granting visas is delegated to Indian missions abroad, which have outsourced it to private operators like VF Worldwide Holdings, Cox & Kings Global Services and VFS Global. However, the new ETV regime is handled by the government alone in a fully online process which requires a visaseeker to apply online, upload documents, pay through an internet gateway and also receive the visa within 72 hours online.

“We aim to issue 10 lakh ETVs annually after March 2016 when 150 countries will be covered. The point being debated is that when ETV can be totally online, why not the 30-odd other visa services? The Prime Minister has also given a call for Digital India and this could be the best example,” a senior government official told ET.

The home ministry however anticipates “resistance” from the foreign ministry as the latter’s turf could end up being encroached.