India launches e-visa on arrival for UAE and 42 other nations

With the launch of electronic visa (e-visa) facility on Thursday, tourists from 43 countries can apply for Indian visa in four simple steps.The step is aimed at boosting tourism sector and offer hassle-free travel to foreign nationals.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, along with Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma launched the Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) service enabled with electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme here.
Tourists from countries such as the US, the UAE, Brazil, Cambodia, Kenya, Oman, Singapore, Norway, Thailand, among others can avail this facility."India has a unique advantage in tourism sector owing to its geographical location and that no other country offers such abundance of diversity in weather conditions," said Singh.
This visa will allow entry of the tourists into India within 30 days from the date of approval of ETA and will be valid for 30 days stay in India from the date of arrival in India.
The facility will be extended to other nations in a phased manner.The tourists will be allowed to enter and depart from nine international airports - Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.
Tourists availing this facility would be able to go for usual sightseeing and recreational activities. The tourism ministry has included facilities like short duration medical visit and casual business visit with e-visa.Partial list of countries
The TVoA enabled with ETA Scheme will facilitate nationals of 43 countries including:

• Australia
•     Brazil
•     Cambodia
•     Cook Islands
•     Djibouti
•     Federated States of Micronesia
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     Germany
•     Indonesia
•     Israel
•     Japan
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kingdom of Tongo
•     Laos
•     Luxembourg
•     Mauritius
•     Mexico
•     Myanmar
•     New Zealand
•     Niue
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Palestine
•     Papua & New Guinea
•     Philippines
•     Republic of Kiribati
•     Republic of Korea (i.e. South Korea)
•     Republic of Marshall Islands
•     Republic of Nauru
•     Republic of Palau
•     Russia
•     Samoa
•     Singapore
•     Solomon Islands
•     Thailand
•     Tuvalu
•     UAE
•     Ukraine
•     USA
•     Vietnam
•     Vanuatu
•  

The pension scheme for Indian workers will be launched soon in the UAE

The UAE launch of a pension scheme being implemented by the Indian Ministry of Overseas Affairs was delayed due to certain technical reasons,
Now the [Indian] ministry has engaged two Indian banks — Bank of Baroda and State Bank of Travancore — to implement the scheme, M.K Lokesh, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, told

The banks have already approached the UAE Central Bank for necessary approval and the scheme will be launched soon, he said.
s Gulf News reported in July 2012, the Government of India planned to open a centre in Dubai to enrol thousands of Indian expatriate workers in its ambitious Pension and Life Insurance Fund (PLIF).

The voluntary scheme offering three important benefits will help skilled and unskilled workers to save money for their old age, to have financial means when they go back home and a life insurance cover for Rs100,000 (Dh6,600) during their work abroad.
About 65 per cent of more than two million Indians in the UAE are blue collar workers.
Workers between the age of 18 and 50 who hold Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) passports are eligible to enrol in the scheme. India issues ECR passports to those who have not passed a school leaving exam (Grade 10).
About 17,602 Indians availed of the recent amnesty declared by the UAE for illegal workers, the envoy said.

A total of 7,923 Indians left the UAE and 9,679 regularised their status according to figures given by the UAE authorities to the Indian Embassy.
Nearly 62,000 illegal workers had availed of the two-month-long amnesty from December 2, 2012 to February 2 this year according to the UAE authorities, which have not revealed nationality-wise figures of beneficiaries. More than 800,000 illegal residents availed of three similar amnesties between 1996 and 2007.

The embassy is still waiting for the approval from the UAE authorities to implement an online attestation of job contracts of Indian workers coming to the UAE , with Emigration Clearance Required – ECR category passports, he said. It will streamline the attestation of job contracts of ECR category workers by preventing fake contracts. The number of workers under ECR category coming to the UAE has witnessed a slight increase during the past four years, he said. Their number dropped from 349,000 in 2008 to 120,000 in 2009. Then it was 130,000 in 2010, 138,000 in 2011 and 141,000 in 2012, the envoy said.
Benefits:

Workers joining the pension scheme will get three benefits – a lump sum amount from the resettlement and rehabilitation fund when they go back home, monthly old age pension after the age of 60 and a free of cost life insurance cover during their stay abroad.

The workers under Emigration Clearance Required category [those who have not passed matriculation] have to open a bank account and co-contribute a minimum Rs4,000 (Dh 244) per annum towards the resettlement and rehabilitation fund.

The Indian Government will provide a contribution of up to Rs2,000 (Dh132) per year for male workers and Rs3,000 (Dh198) per year for women workers for up to either five years or until the worker returns home, whichever is earlier.

A worker contributing a minimum of Rs4,000 (Dh 244) per annum for at least five years towards this fund, could get at least Rs30,000 (Dh1,980) after going back home, according to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. The money from the fund will be invested in mutual funds so the benefit may go up depending on the profits earned from mutual funds.

The old age pension fund requires a contribution of between Rs1,000 (Dh66) and Rs12,000 (Dh792) per annum. They will derive corresponding benefits when they go back home and during their old age.

The worker will get a monthly pension when he/she is 60 years old. The amount of monthly pension depends on the amount deposited in the pension fund. The worker will get at least 9 to 10 per cent profit based on current estimates.

In this case also, the benefit may go up in proportion to the profits from the mutual funds, according to the Indian ministry.

Schedule of fees payable applications for passport and travel documents of Indians

Sl. No.	Particulars of application	Scale of fees
		Normal Fee			Tatkaal fee (inclusive of normal fee)
				AED			AED
1	2			3			4
I.  PASSPORT--
1.	For issue of ordinary fresh passport or reissue of Passport  containing 36 pages having validity of ten years (also applicable to minors in the age group of fifteen to eighteen years)			285			855
2.	For issue of ordinary fresh passport or reissue of passport  containing 60 pages having validity of ten years (also applicable to minors in the age group of fifteen to eighteen years)			380			950
3.	For issue of ordinary fresh passport or reissue of passport of 36 pages for minors below eighteen years of age with validity of five years or till the minor attains the age of eighteen years, whichever is earlier			190			760
4.	For issue of fresh or reissue of India-Bangladesh Passport or Passport for any other named foreign country with a maximum validity of ten years			190			NA
5.	Replacement of passport of 36 pages having validity of ten years for changes in personal particulars			285			855
6.	Replacement of passport of 60 pages having validity of ten years for changes in personal particulars			380			950
7.	Replacement of passport of 36 pages for changes in personal particulars for minors below the age of eighteen years with validity of five years or till the minor attains the age of eighteen years, whichever is earlier			190			760
8.	Replacement of passport of 36 pages having validity of ten years for deletion of Emigration Check Required stamp			285			NA
9.	Replacement of passport of 60 pages having validity of ten years for deletion of Emigration Check Required stamp			380			NA
II.  SPECIAL TRAVEL DOCUMENT--
10.	Emergency Certificate			60			NA
11.	Certificate of Identity			190			NA
12.	Additional ordinary passport containing 36 pages for any country with initial validity up to one year			285			NA
III.  MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES--
13.	Issue of Police Clearance Certificate or Surrender Certificate or any other miscellaneous certificates based on the Passport			95			NA
IV.  PASSPORTS IN LIEU OF LOST, DAMAGED OR STOLEN--
14.	For replacement of ordinary passport of 36 pages in lieu of lost, damaged or stolen passport			570			1140
15.	For replacement of ordinary passport of 60 pages in lieu of lost, damaged or stolen passport			665			1235

Fee for Indian passport renewal in UAE increases to Dh285

Dubai: Indian missions in the UAE have increased the fee for renewal of passport with effect from October 1.

According to a statement from Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Indian expatriates will have to pay Dh285 to renew their passport, an increase of Dh135. The earlier charge for renewal was Dh150.

The embassy said the Indian government has also increased the fee for Tatkal or urgent passport from Dh700 to Dh855.

Also, those applying for a 60-page Jumbo booklet will have to pay Dh95. The earlier fee for this category of passport was Dh40.

The fees for damaged or lost passport has been increased from Dh505 to Dh570.

The revised fee comes into effect from October 1.