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Foreign Nationals desirous of coming into India
are required to possess a valid passport of their country and a valid
Indian Visa.
The Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External
Affairs is responsible for issuance of Indian visas to the foreign nationals
for their visit for various purposes. This facility is granted through
various Indian missions abroad.
Visa fees are non-refundable and subject to change without notice.
The High Commission reserves the right on granting and deciding type/duration
of visa irrespective of the fees tendered at the time of making application.
Granting of Visa does not confer the right of entry to India and is
subject to the discretion of the Immigration Authorities.
A Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be granted to a foreigner who is a national of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand , Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia. They can get a Tourist Visa on arrival with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility by the Immigration officer at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Airports and NOT in any other Immigration Check Posts(ICPs)
Requirements for getting an Indian Visa on Arrival
You'll need to produce:
- Passport with 6 month validity.
- 2 passport sized photographs.
- Photocopy of passport.
- Evidence of adequate funds such as a return ticket from India, and hotel booking confirmation in India if possible.
Specific Visas are granted for a variety of purposes. The
principal types of Visa issued are mentioned below.
Tourist Visa: Tourist visas valid for six-month and
one year (six months stay each time) are available. Ten-year Tourist
visas permitting a stay of maximum of six-month on each visit are available
to U.S. citizens who are frequent visitors to India. A person desirous
of visiting India frequently but not intending to stay for more than
six months at a time is advised to apply for this type of visa. Please
note that it is not possible to extend your stay in India beyond 6 months
if you are visiting India on this visa. For non-US nationals, who are
permanent residents of US 5 year tourist visa with six months stay each
visit is available.
Entry Visa: Valid for six months to one-year stay
with multiple entries for legitimate purposes only. Five-year long-term
stay visas are available only for US citizens of Indian origin. The
five-year entry visa allows the holder to stay in India for up to 5
years after they have registered themselves with the authorities in
India. This visa is advisable for people who intend to live in India
on a long-term basis and for more than six months at a time. There is
no Ten-year entry visa.
Business Visa: Valid for six months and one year with
multiple entries. A letter from Sponsoring Organization indicating the
nature of applicant's business, probable duration of stay, places and
organizations to be visited incorporating therein a guarantee to meet
maintenance expenses, etc. may accompany the application. Ten-year Business
visas are available to U.S passport holders. A business letter from
India or US may accompany the application.
Student Visa: Depending upon the duration of the course,
multiple entry student visas for bonafide students to pursue regular
studies at recognized institution in India are available. Visa is valid
for up to five years or the duration of the course whichever is less.
A letter confirming admission from such an institution along with evidence
of financial arrangements for stay in India should accompany the application.
In case of admission in medical or para-medical courses in India, a
letter of approval or No Objection Certificate from Ministry of Health,
Government of India, New Delhi, is mandatory. Likewise for admission
in graduate or post-graduate courses in Engineering or Technical Institutions
in India, a letter of approval or a No Objection from Ministry of Human
Resources Development (Dept. of Education), Government of India, New
Delhi, should be submitted. For research purposes detailed synopsis
of the research project, countersigned by the sponsoring institution
in India should be submitted. Processing of applications for research
may take about three months.
Transit Visa: Valid for single/double entry for short
stop over for travelling to a third country is available. Confirmed
onward tickets must accompany the applications.
Missionaries: Valid for single entry and duration
as permitted by the Government of India. A letter in triplicate, from
sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, probable
length of stay, and nature of duties to be discharged should be submitted
along with guarantee for applicant's maintenance while in India. Processing
of applications for missionaries may take up to three months.
Journalist Visa: Journalist visas are given to professional
journalists and photographers for three months stay in India.
Employment Visa: Employment visas are initially issued
for one-year stay. A copy of the contract with the employer has to be
enclosed. Kindly note that Employment Visa is given only for jobs that
require very high level of skills and expertise. This can be extended
by Foreigners Regional Registration Office in India, if the job contract
continues. Spouses and children are granted co-terminus entry visas
on request.
Conference Visa: Letter of invitation from the organizer
of the conference and approvals of Indian authorities are to be submitted
along with the visa application.
Transfer Of Visas: To transfer visas from an expired
passport to the new passport, application form duly filled in along
with one photo and the required fees. It is possible to travel with
expired old passport with valid Indian visa and valid new passport issued
subsequent to issue of Indian visa.
Miscellaneous Information
- The duration of stay in India, for each visit on a tourist visa or
business visa is only for a period of 6 months even though a valid visa
may be for more than 6 months.
- Visa is given for a period for which passport is valid. For example,
if a passport is valid until April 30,2003 and an applicant is applying
for 5 years visa on December 31,1999, the applicant will not be issued
a 5 years visa as the passport expires before the 5 year visa.
- Validity of all visas is counted from the date of their issue.
- Tourist visa up to 5 years may be granted if the foreigner is connected
with the tourism trade.
- If visa is for more than 180 days, registration is compulsory within
14 days of first arrival in India.
- For Extension of visa contact MHA- Director (F), Lok Nayak Bhawan, Ist
floor, Khan market, New Delhi-110003.
Immigration Procedures
The Bureau of Immigration handles the immigration procedures at the major international airports and the foreigner's registration work at five major cities in India. The field officers in charge of immigration and registration activities at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Amritsar are called Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRROs). The designation for the equivalent in Chennai (Madras) is Chief Immigration Officer (CHIO).
New Delhi
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)
East Block-VIII, Level-II, Sector-1,
R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066
Phone: 011-26711384 /011-26711443
FRRO & Deputy. Commissioner of Police
Special Branch – II (CID)
Mumbai
Phone: 022-22621169/022-22620721
Chief Immigration Officer
3rd floor, Special Branch Building,
Badruddin Tayabji Lane,
Behind St. Xaviers College,
Mumbai-400001
Chennai
Phone: 044-23454970/044-23454971
S. P. (Immigration and CID)
No. 26, Haddows Road, Shastri Bhavan Annexe Building,
Chenna-i600006
Amritsar
Phone:
0183-2508250
DIG (Border)
Intelligence Branch
123-D, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar-143001
Calcutta
Phone: 033-224700549
237, Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose, Road,
Kolkata-700020
Contact
For further clarification on Visa rules or related problems, contact
the Officer of the Consular Division, of the Mission in which Visa is
to be applied.
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