India offers free e-visas to Filipino tourists

India will offer e-visas free of charge to Filipino tourists as part of "facilitating greater people-to-people exchanges."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the "gratis e-tourist visas for Filipinos" following his bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Marcos is in New Delhi for a state visit on the invitation of the Prime Minister.

"I reiterated the introduction of visa-free entry privileges and extended our invitation for more Indian tourists to visit the Philippines," Marcos said.

"I thank Prime Minister Modi in turn for the introduction of a scheme to grant visa free of charge to Filipino tourists traveling to India," he added.

The visa privileges were also mentioned in the Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the two countries, signed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

"Facilitating greater people-to-people exchanges. In this regard, the two leaders welcomed the grant of visa-free privileges to Indian tourists by the Philippines, and the extension of gratis e-tourist visa for Filipino nationals by India," the declaration read. –NB, GMA Integrated News