India has quietly but significantly upgraded its hospitality to travellers from the United Arab Emirates. On 20 November the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that Kochi, Calicut and Ahmedabad have been added to the list of airports that can issue a Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) to UAE passport-holders, taking the total number of Indian gateways offering the facility to nine alongside Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The VoA was first unveiled in 2017 as a goodwill gesture after the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE. Under the rules, Emirati nationals who have previously held an Indian e-visa or paper visa may obtain a double-entry VoA on landing, stay up to 60 days and make unlimited visits in a calendar year. A flat fee of ₹ 2,000 (about US$24) is payable at the counter, and normal documentary proofs—return ticket, accommodation and funds—still apply. Restrictions continue for applicants with Pakistani lineage, reflecting India’s standard security protocol.
![India widens Visa-on-Arrival access for UAE nationals to nine airports]()
Officials say the change is more than symbolic. The UAE has overtaken the United States as India’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment and is now the country’s top origin market for medical travellers. By cutting paperwork for short-notice visits, the expanded VoA is expected to help Middle-East headquartered multinationals move project teams into India faster and boost MICE (meetings-incentives-conferences-events) traffic to tier-II hubs such as Kochi’s new convention centre.
For mobility managers the practical upside is speed: arriving UAE executives can now clear immigration in minutes rather than wait weeks for pre-approved visas—useful when deploying engineers to refineries in Gujarat or bankers to Kerala’s fintech parks. However, companies should note that the VoA is not convertible or extendable; those who need multiple trips longer than 60 days must still opt for the regular e-business visa. Travel-policy teams are advised to update booking tools so that eligible employees are prompted to carry the required fee in cash or card and to retain proof of previous Indian visas.
The VoA was first unveiled in 2017 as a goodwill gesture after the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE. Under the rules, Emirati nationals who have previously held an Indian e-visa or paper visa may obtain a double-entry VoA on landing, stay up to 60 days and make unlimited visits in a calendar year. A flat fee of ₹ 2,000 (about US$24) is payable at the counter, and normal documentary proofs—return ticket, accommodation and funds—still apply. Restrictions continue for applicants with Pakistani lineage, reflecting India’s standard security protocol.
Officials say the change is more than symbolic. The UAE has overtaken the United States as India’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment and is now the country’s top origin market for medical travellers. By cutting paperwork for short-notice visits, the expanded VoA is expected to help Middle-East headquartered multinationals move project teams into India faster and boost MICE (meetings-incentives-conferences-events) traffic to tier-II hubs such as Kochi’s new convention centre.
For mobility managers the practical upside is speed: arriving UAE executives can now clear immigration in minutes rather than wait weeks for pre-approved visas—useful when deploying engineers to refineries in Gujarat or bankers to Kerala’s fintech parks. However, companies should note that the VoA is not convertible or extendable; those who need multiple trips longer than 60 days must still opt for the regular e-business visa. Travel-policy teams are advised to update booking tools so that eligible employees are prompted to carry the required fee in cash or card and to retain proof of previous Indian visas.
