Ayush visa introduced for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Indian traditional medicine

The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified the creation of a new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine.

The introduction of Ayush Visa fulfills the proposal for introduction of a special visa scheme for foreigners visiting India for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine like therapeutic care, wellness and Yoga.

A new chapter 11A – Ayush Visa has been incorporated after Chapter 11 – medical visa of the visa manual, which deals with treatment under the Indian systems of medicine and accordingly necessary amendments has been made in various chapters of the Visa Manual, 2019.

“The creation of new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine is a significant step. It will boost medical value travel in India,” said Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Sarbananda Sonowal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced creation of a special Ayush Visa category for facilitating foreign nationals travel to India seeking Ayush therapy, at Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (GAIIS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in April 2022 with a vision to make Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon.

Introduction of Ayush Visa category is part of India’s roadmap for the ‘Heal in India’ initiative of the government, which is intended at promoting India as a medical value travel destination.

Medical Value Travel has seen significant growth in India in recent years. According to a report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond Covid’ prepared by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare and wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.

Ministry of Ayush has been working on many fronts to promote Ayush system of treatment national and globally. Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism was signed to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.