Ayush visa introduced for foreigners seeking traditional medicine treatment

To boost India's medical value travel, the amendment was added to include treatments such as therapeutic care, wellness, and yoga

The Ministry of Home Affairs has introduced a new category for Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under the Ayush system of Indian traditional medicine.

This would be a special visa scheme for foreigners which includes therapeutic care, wellness, and yoga.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initially announced the 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.

Union Minister of Ayush and Ports Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “It will boost Medical Value Travel in India. This initiative will strengthen our endeavor to accomplish our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for making Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon.”

Chapter 11A – Ayush Visa has been incorporated following Chapter 11 - Medical Visa of the Visa Manual, which deals with treatment under the Indian systems of medicine, has been added to the Visa Manual, 2019

The introduction of the AY visa category is part of India’s roadmap for the "Heal in India" initiative of the government. This initiative aims to boost India as a medical value travel destination and to promote medical tourism in the country. The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have worked side by side to help develop this.

According to the report "The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond Covid" by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy is expected to grow at 9.9 per cent annually and Ayush-based healthcare & wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.

The Ministry of Ayush has been working on many fronts to promote the Ayush system of treatment nationally and globally. Recently, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism, GoI was signed to work together for the promotion of medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.