India Mulls Relaxed Visa Norms for Iranian Citizens
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Indian government is seeking to facilitate its visa policies for Iranian citizens traveling to the Subcontinental country, Indian sources reported.
Months after Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval’s Iran visit, the government is all set to liberalize its visa policy for Iran, with deliberations now on to remove it from the Prior Referral Category (PRC), a senior government official said.
The move is being seen as a goodwill gesture from India to one of its most trusted allies in Asia, Indian Express reported.
Besides Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, there are a few other countries that have been put under the Prior Referral Category for granting visas to their residents, which means that visas are issued by the respective Indian missions and consulates after running a thorough background check on individual applicants.
“We are still contemplating whether to remove Iran from the PRC list or not. Deliberations are still on, but there is an inclination to exclude it from the list,” said a senior government official. A high-level meeting is planned in South Block later this week to discuss the matter.
The decision also comes in the wake of a potential agreement reached between the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, US, Britain, France, and Germany) and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
“The agreement, which is yet to be signed, could lift economic sanctions on Iran in the future and India does not want to be caught napping on this. We are making efforts to strengthen ties with the country even before the West does so,” said another official.
An official explained that not all categories of visas for Iran nationals were under the PRC category. “The idea is to bring in a liberalized visa regime for Iranians, as they have never been a threat to India’s national security,” said the official.
During his visit to Iran in February, NSA Doval had underlined the need for widening cooperation between the two countries in fighting terrorism. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is also likely to visit Iran later this year.
Tehran and New Delhi have agreed to facilitate development by promoting cooperation in various fields including ports, north-south corridor, petrochemicals, steel industries, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment.
