Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Indian Tourist visa Informatiom

TOURIST VISA
Who is eligible to get a Indian Tourist Visa
What is the Validity of an Indian Tourist Visa?
What documents required for Indian Tourist visa
What is the fee for Indian Tourist visa
Instructions for Foreigners possessing Tourist Visa.

TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL-for selected nationals
Eligibility
Validity
Conditions for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival:
Fee for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival
Repeat Visit

Who is eligible to get a Indian Tourist Visa
Tourist Visa is granted for visiting India for recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives etc. No other activity is permissible on a Tourist Visa.
Note: If a person holding ‘Tourist’ visa is found to be involved in Business activities or found working, action may be taken for visa violation.
What is the Validity of an Indian Tourist Visa?
Generally tourist visa is given for 6 months; it can be more or less and it specifically depends on the country of residence.
Tourist visa up to 5 years may be granted if the foreigner is connected with the tourism trade.
What documents required for Indian Tourist visa
The applicant is required to produce/submit documents in proof of his financial standing, travel, accommodation etc.
For country specific requirements contact the concerned Indian Mission abroad.
What is the fees for Indian Tourist visa
Link to Indian Visa fee and the link to Indian Embassies abroad
Instructions for Foreigners possessing Tourist Visa.
1) A Tourist Visa can be granted to a foreigner who does not have a residence or occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, site seeing, causal visit to meet friends/relatives in India.
2) Tourist visa is non extendable and non convertible.
3) There shall be a gap of at least two months between two visits to India on a Tourist Visa.
4) If a foreign national is required to visit the country again within a period of two months of his last departure such foreign nationals shall obtained special permission from the mission/port concerned.
Registration:
Registration with the nearest FRRO/FROs is required only if the foreigner holding tourist visa has entered India for the second time within 60 days of the last departure.
Such Residential Permit/Registration Certificate issued to the foreigner whould be valid only for period of 180 days or 90 days as the case may be. The 180 days would be calculated from the 1st date of entry into the country within 60 days.
Once such a foreigner exits the country after availing the facility (within the visa validity period or the stay stiuplation period of 180/90 days as the case may be) there shall be a gap of atleast two month from the date of final exit before he/she can come again to India.
Penalty for late Registration
No fee is requried to be paid for registraiton, but a penalty in Indian Currency equivalent to US$ 30/- (Rs. 1395/-) in case of late registration is charged.
Requirements at the time of Registration
Every foreigner at the time of Registration, shall furnish, such information in registration report, as may be in his possession for the purpose of atisfying the Registration Officer and shall, on being required, shall sign the registration report in the presence of the said officer and shall thereupon be entitled to receive from the said officer a certificate of registration in Part-III of Form-A.
The following documents are required to be submitted at the time of registration.
4 recent passport size photographs;
Photocopy of arrival stamp, photo page and valid Indian Visa page of the passport;
Proof of residential address in India or copy of C-Form from the Hotel
TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL
1 Eligibility
2 Validity
3 Conditions for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival:
4 Fee for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival
5 Repeat Visit
1. Eligibility:
The foreign national of following 10 countries can get a Tourist Visa on arrival with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility (w.e.f 01.01.2010) by the Immigration officer at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Airports and NOT in any other Immigration Check Posts(ICPs).
A Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be granted to a foreigner who is a national of Finland, Japan, Luxemburg, New Zealand , Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos or Myanmar and :
1) whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sight seeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives etc and no other purpose/ activity;
2) who does not have a residence or occupation in India;
3) who holds a passport with minimum six months validity, and a re-entry .permit if that is required under the law of the country of nationality of the applicant;
4) Who is a person of assured financial standing ( the production of a return ticket and availability of sufficient money to spend during his stay in India may be considered sufficient for this purpose).
5) who is not a person-non-grata to the Government of India;
6) who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a black list or any warning circular or other restrictive list;
Note:
1. A citizen from the above-named countries who wants to come to India for a longer duration should be granted a visa of the appropriate category by the Indian Mission/Post concerned.
2. This facility shall not be available to the citizens of above-named countries if the person or either of his/ her parents or grandparents (paternal or maternal) was born in , and was permanently resident in Pakistan. Such persons can visit India after obtaining appropriate visa from the Indian Mission/ Post concerned.
2. Validity:
A Tourist Visa-on-Arrival will be valid for entry and stay into India within the period of its validity subject to conditions specified. The Immigration officer may grant single entry Tourist Visa-on-Arrival up to 30 days to nationals of Finland, Japan, Luxemburg, New Zealand, Singapore , Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos or Myanmar.
3. Conditions for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival:
Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be non-extendable and non-convertible. At the time of issue of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival, the Immigration officer must make it clear to the foreigner that a Tourist Visa-on-Arrival can neither be extended nor converted to any other kind visa during his/her stay in India except in the following circumstances and with the prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs:
a) Tourist Visa-on-Arrival may be converted to 'X' (Entry) Visa if a foreigner who has come to India on Tourist Visa-on-Arrival marries an Indian national during the validity of his/her Tourist Visa-on-Arrival. Such conversion would be considered subject to fulfilment of following conditions:
1. Submission of a copy of a Registered Marriage Certificate, and
2. Report from the concerned FRO/FRRO about their marital status which will, inter-alia, include his/her antecedents, confirmation about their living together and security clearance.
b) Tourist Visa-on-Arrival of the foreigners who fall ill after their entry into India rendering them unfit to travel and require specialized medical treatment may be converted to Medical visa if they are eligible for grant of Medical Visa and medical certificate is obtained from the government / government recognized hospitals. In such a case, Tourist Visa-on-Arrival of the attendant accompanying the foreigner (whose Tourist Visa-on-Arrival is converted to Medical Visa) may also be converted into Medical Attendant [Med-X] visa co-terminus with the Medical visa of the Foreigner.
4. Fee for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival
A fee of US $60/- or an equivalent amount in Indian rupees per passenger (including children) will be charged from each foreigner for the grant of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival.
5. Repeat Visit:
Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year to a foreigner with a minimum gap of two months between each visit.
The Tourist Visa-on-Arrival facility shall not be applicable to holders of Diplomatic/ Official passports.
BUSINESS VISA-Termed as B visa
EMPLOYMENT VISA-Termed E visa
ENTRY VISA-Termed as X visa (e.g. dependent of Business and Employment visitor.etc)
TRANSIT VISA
STUDENT VISA-Termed as S Visa
MEDICAL VISA-Termed as M Visa
MEDICAL ATTENDANT VISA-Termed as MX visa
RESEARCH VISA-Termed as R Visa
JOURNALIST VISA
CONFERENCE VISA
SEAMEN VISA

Indian Visa Information

OVER VIEW ABOUT INDIAN VISA
Citizens of all countries, except Nepal and Bhutan and Maldives(for a stay up to 90 days), require a national passport or travel documents and a visa granted by Indian Missions abroad for entering India. Visitors should apply for visa at the Indian Diplomatic Missions in their country of residence or nearest Mission en route.
Nepalese or Bhutanese citizens need no passport or visa but should possess documents for their identification when proceeding from their countries. However, if they are entering India from a place other than their own country then possession of passport is a must. Further, if they arriving from mainland China, visa is required (note: does not incl. Hong Kong or Macao)
Also visa is exempted for those holding a PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card.
Apart from getting visa foreigners are required to obtain Protected/restricted area permit, if they are planning to visit any of the protected/restricted areas.
Important Note:
Ø Nationals of Maldives require a visa to India, other than tourism purpose (stay up to 90 days).
Ø Citizens of Nepal require a visa when entering India from China.
Ø If citizens of Nepal and Bhutan enter Indian without passport or visa from any country other than the Nepal or Bhutan, entry in to Indian will be refused
"A separate Visa regime exists for diplomatic/official passport holders".
Generally, to get a visa for India, you need to submit a number of documents, which are:
· Visa application form
· Passport, having a minimum validity of six months on the date of application
· Two identical passport sized photographs
· Supporting documents, depending upon the type of visa
· Visa fee
The above statement is in General nature.
There may be variations in requirements by various Indian Missions – specific requirements may be obtained from the concerned Indian Diplomatic Missions (from their country of residence or nearest Mission en route, if there is no diplomatic representation)

The information given here is general in nature, for specific queries please check with the Indian Embassy /High Commission in your country or Ministry of External Affairs and Home Affairs, New Delhi. With any nation, India's immigration laws may change without notice. The information in this report does not constitute legal advice.