Visa on arrival for tourists at Hyderabad from Aug 15

The tourist visa on arrival scheme will be implemented for international passengers at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here from Thursday, airport officials said.

The immigration officials will issue tourist visa on arrival with a maximum validity of 30 days to citizens of 11 countries -- Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia.

The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Hyderabad communicated to the airport authorities Wednesday that the scheme would be implemented from the Independence Day.

According to FRRO, the passports of the applicants should be ordinary, should be valid for at least six months and should contain minimum two blank pages. Return or round ticket was also mandatory to avail the facility.

The foreigners will have to pay $60 (equivalent Indian currency) to avail the facility, the FRRO said.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited, which operates the international airport, hopes that the facility will enhance tourism opportunities.

The home ministry introduced the visa on arrival scheme Jan 1, 2010 at four metros for citizens of five countries. The number of countries has now been increased to 11 while the facility has also been extended to four new airports - Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Bangalore.