As of April 1, 2017, Cyprus, Italy, Azerbaijan, Mali and Cameroon now have visa-free access to India, making Cyprus and Italy the only countries in Europe to have that privilege.
The move increases the global mobility of the five countries by one, giving them new visa-free scores as follows:
- Cyprus: 148
- Italy: 158
- Azerbaijan: 63
- Mali: 52
- Cameroon: 47
See our Passport Index ranking to find out where these countries rank among other passports.
Interestingly, the visa waiver is not reciprocal, meaning Indians do not also have visa-free travel to those countries. It can be argued that one-sided visa waivers are unfair as they increase the global mobility of just one country’s citizens but not the other’s. However, it is up to each country to set its visa-waiver policies and it can be argued that opening one’s borders, even if not reciprocal, is a sign of goodwill from the country and a way to enforce positive diplomatic relations.
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