India / MHA allows certain categories of foreigners, OCI cardholders to enter India

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health Affairs on Friday listed a set of guidelines pertaining to ‘Unlock 1’ or the phased easing of coronavirus lockdown, and permitted certain categories of foreigners who hold Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards to travel to India.

The announcement comes at a time when international flights are still restricted in the country. On the other hand, the central government resumed domestic flights last month, while ensuring strict safety protocols at airports and inside the aircraft.

Here are the exceptions of foreigners permitted to enter India:

1. Minor OCI cardholders whose parents are Indian nationals are permitted to enter India if they wish to.

2. OCI cardholders who wish to come to India on account of family medical emergencies/death.

3. Married couples where one spouse is OCI cardholder and the other is an Indian national.

4. Foreign nationals who are minor children with at least one Indian parent or an OCI cardholder.

5. Foreign nationals married to Indian citizens.

6. Dependent family members of foreign diplomats have been permitted to return to India.

7. Official/service passport holding service staff accredited to foreign diplomatic missions, consular offices or accredited international organisation in India.

Last month, the Centre had already permitted certain categories of Indians overseas to return to India if they wished to. The government has also been operating special Air India flights since April amid the pandemic and lockdown around the globe to rescue Indians stuck abroad.