The Ministry of Home Affairs officially announced a new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (Ayush) or Indian systems of medicine. The new visa category was announced by the Prime Minister at the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (GAIIS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in April 2022.

According to a government statement, the introduction of the Ayush visa is part of the “Heal in India” initiative, which is aimed at promoting the country as a medical value travel destination. The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Health and family welfare are working together to develop a one-stop “Heal in India” portal to promote the country as a medical tourism destination of the world.​

Commenting on its significance, Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “The creation of a new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Indian systems of medicine is a significant step. It will boost the medical value of travel in India. This initiative will strengthen our endeavour to accomplish PM Modi’s vision for making Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon. I also want to compliment Amit Shah, Union Home Minister for his efforts in creating a special Ayush Visa category.”

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

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