To foster increased business exchanges, people-to-people contact, especially for students, India and Japan on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to simplify visa procedures for each other's citizens. The two sides signed a memorandum to facilitate increased presence of business persons from the two countries in the other country, besides making it more convenient for students, tourists and workers to obtain visas.
Under the memorandum, any Japanese coming to India for business or work will be straightway granted a three-year visa and similar procedures will be followed by Japan.
The MoU was signed after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan held bilateral talks and agreed on the importance of increasing people to people exchanges.
India has also relaxed its tough entry norm that requires a two-month interval between two visits to ensure that genuine tourists from Japan are not adversely affected.
The memorandum says that the two nations have confirmed their intentions to take or maintain the following measures to simplify their respective visa procedures subject to the laws and regulations of their respective countries.
Measures related to business visas in India and temporary visitor's visas for businessmen in Japan.
(a) Each side may issue multiple entry visas valid for up to 5 years to each other's businessmen who travel to the other country on a temporary visit for business:
(i) The stay in India during each visit does not exceed 180 consecutive days;
(ii) The stay in Japan during each visit does not exceed 90 consecutive days.
(b) Each side may issue entry visas to each other's businessmen who are not covered under (a) above as follows:
(i) India may issue multiple entry business visas valid for up to 6 months with the period of stay up to 180 consecutive days to nationals of Japan who travel to India on a temporary visit to establish industrial or business venture.
(ii) Japan may issue single entry temporary visitor's visas valid for 3 months with the period of stay up to 90 consecutive days to nationals of India who travel to Japan on a temporary visit for business purposes.
(c) Japan may issue multiple entry temporary visitor's visas valid for up to 3 years with the period of stay up to 90 consecutive days on each visit to family members (spouse and children) of the Indian businessmen mentioned in (a) above.
(d) Conversion of business visas to employment visas in India or change of immigration status of persons who enter Japan with temporary visitor's visas will not be permitted.
Measures related to employment visas
Each side may issue employment visas/entry visas for working as follows:
(a)(i) India may issue multiple-entry employment visas to Japanese experts coming to India in pursuance of bilateral arrangements between India and Japan for the duration stated in the arrangement or a period of 5 years, whichever is less.
(ii) For those Japanese applicants who are not covered under (a)(i) above, but are highly skilled and qualified professionals employed by a company, organisation or industry in the IT software and IT enabled sectors in India, India may grant multiple-entry employment visas valid for 3 years initially.
(iii) For highly skilled and qualified Japanese professionals coming to India for employment, India may grant multiple-entry employment visas valid for up to 3 years or the term of assignment whichever is less.
(b) (i) Japan may issue single entry visas for working valid for 3 months with the period of stay of 3 years or 1 year depending on the intended length of their stay in Japan to nationals of India.
(ii) Japan may issue to family members (spouse and children), who are dependent on the nationals of India mentioned in (b) (i) and forming part of the same household, single entry visas valid for 3 months.
(iv) In case of parents of the nationals of India mentioned in (b)(i)or parents of his or her spouse, Japan may issue single entry temporary visitor's visas valid for 3 months.
Measures related to tourist visas
Each side may issue tourist visas/temporary visitors visas for the purpose of sightseeing as follows:
(a) India may issue multiple entry tourist visas valid for up to 5 years with the period of stay up to 90 consecutive days to the nationals of Japan.
(b) (i) Japan may issue single entry temporary visitor's visas for the purpose of sightseeing valid for 3 months with the period of stay up to 90 consecutive days.
Measures related to student visas
Each side may issue student visas/entry visas for students as follows:
(a) India may issue student visas to Japanese applicants valid for up to 5 years, or duration of the course.
There will be no restriction with reference to the number of courses a Japanese student can attend in one institution or multiple institutions, provided the institutions are recognised.
(b) Japan may issue single entry visas valid for 3 months, with the period of stay up to 2 years and 3 months to Indian students to receive education at Japanese colleges, high schools or equivalent educational institutions.
Short-term visas
Each side may issue relevant entry visas to the nationals of one country travelling to the other country for conferences, seminars and other short-term academic exchanges in accordance with applicable procedures as set forth in laws and regulations of each side.
