Visa is derived from a Latin word “Charta visa” meaning ‘paper that has to be seen’. It is an official grant given by the authorities – immigration officials to a foreigner to enter the territory, remain within the territory or to leave its territory. It includes the limit on duration of their stay, areas within the country they may enter, and dates they may enter, number of permitted visits, whether the individual has the ability to work in the country. In recent years, a visa is just a sticker or a stamp in the passport and all the other details will be present online, visitors have to take a printout of it before they visit. Visa will be granted for different durations for its specific reason to visit. Visa can be applied in different manner too – Visa on arrival, e-Visa, Visa and there also Visa-free entry.
When it comes to Indians visiting other countries, the Indian Government has allowed almost 59 countries since 2006 where Indians can visit for a short duration without a visa. With this the Indian passport has been made stronger and as a result Henley Passport Index ranks the Indian Passport to the 84th position.
Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without prior visa. The index is based on the exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest and the most accurate travel information database.
The list of countries which are added to visa-free entry for Indian to visit are –
OCEANIA
1. Cook Islands
2. Fiji
3. Marshall Islands
4. Micronesia
5. Niue
6. Palau Islands
7. Samoa
8. Tuvalu
9. Vanuatu
MIDDLE EAST
10. Iran
11. Jordan
12. Oman
13. Qatar
EUROPE
14. Albania
15. Serbia
CARIBBEAN
16. Barbados
17. British Virgin Islands
18. Dominica
19. Grenada
20. Haiti
21. Jamaica
22. Montserrat
23. St. Kitts and Nevis
24. St. Lucia
25. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
26. Trinidad and Tobago
ASIA
27. Bhutan
28. Cambodia
29. Indonesia
30. Laos
31. Macao (SAR China)
32. Maldives
33. Myanmar
34. Nepal
35. Sri Lanka
36. Thailand
37. Timor – Leste
AMERICAS
38. Botswana
39. Cape Verde Islands
40. Comoro Islands
41. Ethiopia
42. Gabon
43. Guinea-Bissau
44. Madagascar
45. Mauritius
46. Mozambique
47. Rwanda
48. Senegal
49. Seychelles
50. Sierra Leone
51. Somalia
52. Tanzania
53. Togo
54. Tunisia
55. Uganda
56. Zimbabwe
57. El Salvador
58. Gambia
It is also important for the visitors to have a check of the maximum period available for them to stay in the particular country without a visa. The maximum period of stay is different for each of the countries mentioned above.
