India will include biometric testing as part of its visa application process from March 14.
The country's high commission has announced that it will open more processing centres to cope with the upswing in demand and the increased time it will take to complete visa applications.
A statement said: "The proposed lanch date for the first biometic applications is March 14 and further details of operational structures will be released on February 23."
India introduced Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for travellers from 44 countries, including Australia, Germany and the US, in November.
The tourist visa-on-arrival scheme is available at nine airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Bengaluru and Kolkata — across India.
Graham Smith
