Lok Sabha Question No. 759 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-07
Subject: AYUSH Visa for Foreign Nationals
Ministry: AYUSH
Asked by: Shri Jugal Kishore, Shri P C Mohan, Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Shri P P Chaudhary, Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan, Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana, Shri Praveen Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 759 ANSWERED ON 07.02.2025

## AYUSH Visa for Foreign Nationals

759. Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato:

Shri P P Chaudhary:

Shri P C Mohan:

Shri Dineshbhai Makwana:

Shri Praveen Patel:

Shri Jugal Kishore:

Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan:

Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  the  specific  guidelines  established  for  AYUSH  Visa  including maximum  duration  of  stay,  extension  provisions  and  the  criteria  fixed  for  treatment eligibility thereof;
- (b) whether any mandatory requirements have been set regarding medical insurance and financial guarantees for AYUSH Visa applicants and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the total number of AYUSH Visas issued since its introduction along with the most common treatments sought thereof, country-wise;
- (d) whether any monitoring mechanism has been established to track the experiences of foreign patients under AYUSH Visa and if so, the details and the findings thereof; and
- (e)  the  details  of  foreigners  visiting  India  for  availing  Health  treatment,  State/UT-wise and treatment-wise, especially in Himachal Pradesh?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

- (a)  The  Government  has  introduced  a  separate  category  of  Ayush  Visa  for  foreigners  and their attendants  (other than a Pakistani national) visiting India for availing treatment under Ayush  systems  of  medicine  on  27th  July,  2023.  Ayush  Visa  is  available  under  four  sub-

categories i.e. (i) Ayush Visa (AY-1), (ii) Ayush Attendant Visa (AY2), (iii) e-Ayush Visa and (iv) e-Ayush Attendant Visa. The initial period of validity of Ayush is up to a period of one  year  or  till  the  period  of  treatment,  whichever  is  less  with  maximum  of  three  entries during  the  one  year  period.  Further,  it  can  be  extended  on  yearly  basis  up  to  a  maximum period of five years from the date of issue of initial Ayush Visa by the concerned Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) on production of Medical Certificate/ advice from a recognized hospital in India. Similarly, e-Ayush visa is granted for a period of up to 60 days from the date of first entry into India. Extension in case of  e-Ayush  visa  may  be  granted  for  a  period  of  up  to  six  months  by  the  FRRO/FRO concerned, on case-to-case basis on merits of each case.

Ayush Visa is granted to a foreigner whose sole purpose is to seek treatment through Ayush systems like therapeutic care and Wellness in a Hospital/Wellness Centre accredited and  registered  with  any  Government  authority  (ies)  concerned  or  National  Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH)/ National Commission for Homoeopathy  (NCH)/  National  Commission  for  Indian  System  of  Medicine  (NCISM) accredited hospitals providing Ayush services. (b)  An Ayush Visa is granted to a foreigner who is holding sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India including the expenses for such treatment. The concerned Mission/Post shall  satisfy  itself  before  granting  such  visa  to  the  foreign  national.  However,  there  is  no insurance requirement for applying Ayush Visa. (c)  As  of  February 4, 2025, a total of 1,507 Ayush visas (excluding Attendant visas) have been  issued  to  foreign  nationals  since  January  1,  2024.  The  most  commonly  availed treatments  under  the  Ayush  Visa  include  Ayurveda  treatments,  wellness  therapies,  and Panchakarma  therapies.  The  country-wise  details  of  Ayush  visas  issued  are  provided  in Annexure I. (d) No such monitoring mechanism has been established to track the experiences of foreign patients under Ayush Visa. (e)  Three  Ayush  Visas have been issued for availing  Panchakarma Treatment in Himachal Pradesh.  The  details  of  Ayush  visas  issued,  categorized  by  State/  UT  and  type  of  medical treatment, are provided in Annexure II.

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Country wise Regular Ayush Visa

| Nationality              | 2024   | 2025   |   Grand Total |
|--------------------------|--------|--------|---------------|
| SAUDI ARABIA             | 21     | 3      |            24 |
| TURKEY                   | 18     | 1      |            19 |
| KUWAIT                   | 13     | 4      |            17 |
| YEMEN                    | 13     | 2      |            15 |
| SRI LANKA                | 8      | 3      |            11 |
| BULGARIA                 | 10     | 1      |            11 |
| LEBANON                  | 7      | 2      |             9 |
| OMAN                     | 7      |        |             7 |
| SERBIA                   | 5      |        |             5 |
| KENYA                    | 4      |        |             4 |
| ZIMBABWE                 | 2      |        |             2 |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | 2      |        |             2 |
| TANZANIA                 | 2      |        |             2 |
| SEYCHELLES               | 2      |        |             2 |
| MOROCCO                  | 2      |        |             2 |
| MAURITIUS                | 2      |        |             2 |
| MALAWI                   | 2      |        |             2 |
| DJIBOUTI                 | 2      |        |             2 |
| ZAMBIA                   | 1      |        |             1 |
| TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO      | 1      |        |             1 |
| SYRIA                    | 1      |        |             1 |
| SWEDEN                   | 1      |        |             1 |
| SUDAN                    | 1      |        |             1 |
| JORDAN                   | 1      |        |             1 |
| JAPAN                    | 1      |        |             1 |
| HONG KONG                | 1      |        |             1 |
| GERMANY                  | 1      |        |             1 |
| FRANCE                   |        | 1      |             1 |
| CANADA                   | 1      |        |             1 |
| Grand Total              | 132    | 17     |           149 |

Annexure I

## Country wise e-Ayush Visa

| Country Name         |   2024 |   2025 |
|----------------------|--------|--------|
| AUSTRALIA            |     16 |      4 |
| AUSTRIA              |      9 |      0 |
| AZERBAIJAN           |      0 |      2 |
| BELGIUM              |     10 |      5 |
| BRAZIL               |      2 |      0 |
| BULGARIA             |     11 |      1 |
| CANADA               |     10 |      2 |
| CYPRUS               |      0 |      2 |
| CZECH                |     14 |      0 |
| DENMARK              |      6 |      0 |
| ESTONIA              |      1 |      0 |
| FINLAND              |      3 |      1 |
| FRANCE               |    181 |     85 |
| GERMANY              |    148 |     37 |
| HUNGURY              |      2 |      0 |
| IRELAND              |      5 |      0 |
| ISRAEL               |     40 |      5 |
| ITALY                |     18 |      3 |
| JAPAN                |      5 |      2 |
| KAZAKHSTAN           |      2 |      2 |
| KENYA                |      2 |      8 |
| LATVIA               |      1 |      0 |
| LIECHTENSTEIN        |      1 |      0 |
| LUXEMBOURG           |      0 |      1 |
| MALAYSIA             |      3 |      1 |
| MAURITIUS            |      2 |      0 |
| MEXICO               |      1 |      0 |
| MONACO               |      0 |      2 |
| NETHERLANDS          |      6 |      6 |
| NEW ZEALAND          |      3 |      0 |
| NIGER                |      1 |      0 |
| NORWAY               |      6 |      1 |
| OMAN                 |     16 |      5 |
| PHILLIPPINES         |      1 |      0 |
| POLAND               |      5 |      0 |
| PORTUGAL             |     12 |      3 |
| REPUBLIC OF CROATIA  |      1 |      0 |
| REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA |      2 |      1 |
| ROMANIA              |      5 |      0 |
| RUSSIAN FEDERATION   |      4 |      0 |
| SAUDI ARABIA         |     70 |      8 |
| SENEGAL              |      1 |      0 |

| SINGAPORE                |    2 |   0 |
|--------------------------|------|-----|
| SPAIN                    |    4 |   0 |
| SWEDEN                   |    6 |   3 |
| SWITZERLAND              |  409 |  46 |
| TANZANIA                 |    2 |   1 |
| UKRAINE                  |    2 |   0 |
| UNITED ARAB EMIRATES     |    5 |   0 |
| UNITED KINGDOM           |   17 |   5 |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |   27 |  10 |
| URUGUAY                  |    1 |   0 |
| UZBEKISTAN               |    3 |   0 |
| ZIMBABWE                 |    2 |   0 |
| Total                    | 1106 | 252 |

## State-wise Medical Treatment under Ayush e-Visa

| S. No.   | State            | Treatment                                                                                                 |   Count |
|----------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
| 1.       | Andhra Pradesh   | Ksharasutra                                                                                               |       1 |
| 2.       | Delhi            | Panchakarma, Oncology, Kidney Treatment, Infertility, Gynecology, Detoxification                          |      10 |
| 3.       | Goa              | Yoga Treatment, Ayurveda                                                                                  |       3 |
| 4.       | Gujarat          | Whole Body Health Check-up, Urethral stricture/Utarbasti, Neuro, Ayurvedic Treatment                      |       8 |
| 5.       | Haryana          | Skin Treatment, Panchakarma, Cancer, Cardiac Treatment, Eye Surgery                                       |       6 |
| 6.       | Himachal Pradesh | Panchakarma Treatment                                                                                     |       3 |
| 7.       | Karnataka        | Panchakarma, Ksharasutra, Kaya Chikitsa, Spine/Shoulder Treatment, Ayurvedic Surgery                      |      68 |
| 8.       | Kerala           | Ayurveda treatment, Wellness Treatment, Osteoarthritis, Spinal Injury, Stroke, Physiotherapy, Panchakarma |    1204 |
| 9.       | Maharashtra      | Panchakarma, Neuro Rehabilitation, Ayurvedic Treatment                                                    |      17 |
| 10.      | Rajasthan        | Ayurveda Panchakarma                                                                                      |       1 |
| 11.      | Tamil Nadu       | Panchakarma, Ayurvedic Treatment, Radioactive Iodine Therapy                                              |      21 |
| 12.      | Telangana        | Neurology, Gynecology, Eye Treatment, Gastroenterology                                                    |      10 |
| 13.      | Uttar Pradesh    | Liver Transplant                                                                                          |       2 |
| 14.      | Uttarakhand      | Panchakarma, Detox                                                                                        |       4 |
| Total    | Total            | Total                                                                                                     |    1358 |

## Annexure II