Mangaluru port rolls out e-visa facility for cruise tourists

MANGALURU: In line with Union government’s policy on ‘ease of doing business’ in ports,

e-visa

stamping facility has been extended to cruise tourists calling at New Mangalore Port (NMP) on arrival. This facility has been made available to cruise passengers for the first time at major ports of India.

The Bureau of Immigration for the first time issued e-Visa to tourists from the UK, USA and Australia who have visited this coastal city on board the vessel M S Seabourn Encore on April 8.

The ministry of home affairs in conjunction with the ministry of external affairs had selected five seaports - Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai, Goa and Mangaluru – for the much touted e-visa facility in addition to 16 airport where this facility is already available. Separate immigration counters will be set up at all 16 major airports and the five seaports to facilitate medical tourists coming to India on e-visa, a home ministry official said while announcing the launch of this facility.

Tourists, businessmen, people coming for treatment or to attend conferences or even for film shoots, will be covered under the new category of visa, which was first mooted by the commerce ministry following a suggestion by the Prime Minister’s Office to boost services trade. India will also allow tourists coming under the e-visa to stay up to 60 days instead of 30 days now. Tourists can also apply for the e-Visa four months in advance instead of the 30 days now.

To facilitate the above arrangement, New Mangalore Port has set up LAN connection, work station, air-conditioning system,

CCTV

cameras, queue-managers, round-the-clock power supply and back up facilities and handed over the same to the bureau of immigration on March 14 itself. Accordingly, bureau of immigration established facilities to issue e-visa to the cruise guests arriving in the cruise vessels scheduled to call on New Mangalore Port.

P C Parida, chairman,

NMPT

, thanked

M/s GAC Shipping India Pvt Ltd

, Indian agent representing the vessel, and

M/s Holland America Group

, in rolling out e-visa facility for the first time in any

seaport

in India.