Indians get visa-free entry to 27 countries, visa-on-arrival in 47, Centre tells Parliament
The Indian government on Friday informed Parliament that Indian passport holders can currently travel to 27 countries without a visa and avail the visa-on-arrival facility in 47 countries. Additionally, 66 countries offer e-Visa facilities to Indian citizens.
The details were provided in response to a query raised by Members of Parliament Manish Tewari and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, who sought information on the reported decline in India's global passport mobility and the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa. The MPs also asked whether the government had assessed the factors affecting passport mobility and what strategy it planned to adopt to improve India's global passport standing over the next five years.
Responding to the question, the government clarified that there is no universally accepted global passport ranking system. It noted that rankings published by private institutions are based on parameters unilaterally decided by them and cannot be treated as a standard benchmark for measuring passport strength.
“Government is aware of some such ratings which are published by certain private institutions based on parameters unilaterally decided by them. In the absence of universally acceptable criteria to rank passports, there is no ranking system for passports at global level that can be taken as a standard,” the reply stated.
The government also highlighted that visa-free entry and visa-on-arrival arrangements depend on factors such as bilateral relations and the principle of reciprocity, since visa issuance is a sovereign decision of each country. It said the government engages in regular dialogue with foreign countries on visa policies to improve ease of travel for Indian citizens, including visa-free travel opportunities, mobility and travel facilitation, visa overstay concerns, passport security, and immigration procedures.
These discussions are carried out through bilateral mechanisms such as Consular Dialogues, as well as Official and High-Level visits, the government said.
On the issue of passport standards, the Centre stated that sustained efforts have been made to align the Indian passport with the latest international specifications by incorporating updated security features in electronic travel documents, in line with the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The government further assured Parliament that it maintains continuous engagement with foreign governments to expand visa-free opportunities for Indian citizens, strengthen mobility arrangements, and facilitate smoother international travel through consular dialogues and high-level visits.
