It's really more like the Australian ETA required for issuance of a visa and admission for those proceeding from authorised nations, with some more onerous requirements thrown in (Australia doesn't much care where you've been in the last ten years, doesn't require you upload a passport and photo scan, etc.)

So what is a "casual business visit"?

This was a topic I was discussing with a friend just yesterday about how some of my colleagues go overboard in getting vaccinated before traveling on business to Bengaluru.

Sure - erring on the side of caution is always prudent but keeping up with the times is equally important. For example, I haven't heard of any case of Yellow Fever in the two years I have lived in the area. Also, many friends take malaria tablets in preparation of the trip and spend hundreds of dollars in vaccines.

Dengue, Chikungunya and a bad stomach are more likely problems for locals and visitors.

The best precaution - stay away from uncooked food (for example, the salads even in the best of restaurants) and drink only bottled water or RO filtered water. [RO - reverse osmosis - is the only form of filtration I would trust given the uncertainty of the source of the water].

Happy Travels. Coming back to the original topic - I too am looking forward to hearing about the first experiences for this new process.

Applicable to many (but not all) citizens of the following countries (as listed by the GoI):

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 and Vanuatu.

The number of countries noted above by the Indian government is greater than 28. Thread title revision. ;)

Let's avoid derailing this thread into a discourse on the past efficacies of the the Indian govt, and instead focus on the good news for travelers to India from many countries, and share experiences in using this new facility.

Thanks,
AJLondon
Mod

A friend of mine received his ETA within 12 hours of applying. US Citizen.

This is fantastic news. The prior visa process was the only thing keeping my wife and me from India, so this will certainly gain them at least two visitors.

I had requested VoA for my wife, and it was granted the next day. (She's a US citizen as well.) It was a little confusing at first, but that's because the normal visa website isn't the best. It's a huge step up from before!

I am trying to obtain information regarding whether the ETA and visa on arrival process also applies to seaports (in addition to airports).
The consular page of the embassy/consulate refers visa questions to the "paper" visa provider Cox and Kings.
Any suggestion will be much appreciated.

I asked this question via the visa email link and posted the answer on a more general Indian visa thread. The program is only valid for entering via the following airports:

Bangalore, Chennai/Madras, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata/Calcutta, Mumbai/Bombay and Trivandrum.

So, arrival by seaport still requires the old process. It would be accepted at a post upon departure, but not arrival.

The exact answer I received is:

Dear Milepig,

Thanks for writing to us!!!!!!

NO it will not be accepted at a cruise port.
However, you can only land at 9 Indian Airports where the TVOA
facilities are available such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi , Trivandrum,
Cochin, Bangalore, Goa, Hyderabad and depart from any of the 82 ICP’S.

With Regards
TVOA Support Centre

Thank you for your input.

Arrivals by land/sea ports don't qualify for evisa use. Departures by evisa users are fine from any controlled air/land/sea ports classified as immigration check posts.

[ Of those 82, it was interesting to see that less than half are managed by the Indian Bureau of Immigration while more of the ICPs are managed by the individual states in India.]

I applied for TVoA via ETA on the first day of operation, Nov 27th, for travel arriving in India on December 2nd. My application was approved within 24 hours. Upon check-in with Emirates at DFW, I was told I was the first person to check in with the new TVoA scheme. When I arrived at Delhi airport, the signs were all pointing to a new area under construction, but not yet opened, for processing the new TVoA. They obviously expect a lot of traffic with the program as 5-10 lanes were under construction to be used for it. Unfortunately, right now, the signage is all wrong and the location is in fact hidden underneath the escalators going down into the immigration area. The immigration agent's computer hung while processing mine and it took about 45 minutes to sort out, but ultimately my visa was granted.

Glad to hear this. ^

Has anyone tried this yet?
 

I was able to take advantage of Etihad error fare and I am headed to India in May... I was hoping to know if anyone has tried getting their visa upon arrival?? I would totally appreciate not going through that long visa process for a 1 week stay!! Let me know how it went!! Thanks