Indian visa and a valid passport are essential by all the travelers for the entry in India. Otherwise you must have the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card for the entry in India from the outside countries as the some parts of the country are strictly prohibited for any entry and you need a special permit to go there.
The application for the visa is provide before coming in the country, it is presented in-front of the concerned department. A valid passport is necessary for entering in India and it is not applicable for the travelers of the Nepal and Bhutan. It is advised to keep your passport always with you for the checking of the identification. Visa services can be availed on the week days and on the holidays or weekend can be availed in an emergency.
For acquiring the Passport you have to take a passport form from the passport office or designated speed post centers and completing the form with all the essential documents like as date of birth proof, residence proof, photograph etc, submitted it to the concerned department. For any emergency you can apply the passport under the Tatkaal scheme where any police verification is not required, an additional fee is taken and is applicable in the case of the minors or re-issue of the passport.
Foreigners with the desire coming to India are required to have a valid passport and Indian visa. There is no provision of visa on arrival in India and no fee is charged for the immigration facilities at the airport.
Miscellaneous Information about Visa
The period for staying in India based n a tourist visa or business visa is 6 months even though a valid visa may be for more than 6 months. It is given for a period for which the passport of a traveler is valid. And the 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.
Extension of visa in Delhi- MHA- Director (F), Lok Nayak Bhawan, Ist floor, Khan market, New Delhi-110003.
Collective Visas
If anyone desired to travel or staying in India for a period of time then it may be granted tourist visas or collective visas without prior reference The procedure is given below.
It is an essential task performed three days before departure the agency sponsoring the group must submit to the Indian Mission in that country four copies of a list. All the particulars details of the each member of the group are provided.
After taking the necessary action, the Mission stamps a collective visa- it is not a must task to stamp individual passports - and returns three copies of the list to the sponsoring agency;
The person in charge of the tourist group lands over two copies of the list to the immigration authority on arrival in India.
A list of the group members are provided to the immigration authority for giving him the information about the group who is coming in India for traveling at least four hours before the flight arrives.
If it happens that the tourist group is to split into smaller groups to visit different parts of India, the immigration authority grants a collective 'license to travel', listing the particulars of the members of the smaller groups.
Transit visa is provided to the member as individual or a group visa by the Indian mission for maximum 15 days for completing their or his task to be performed.
Other Types of Visas that are issued by
the Indian government
Business Visa: Business visa is valid for one year or more for the multiple entries. A authorize latter regarding the business visa is provided by the organization indication the places to be visited and other necessary information and it is granted by Indian Embassy Abroad.
Conference Visa: The conference visa is issued for attending any meeting or seminar and a latter of invitation of the organizer is submitted with the application of visa. Delegates should apply to the Indian Embassies well in advance.
Trekking Foreign trekkers etc in a team must provide full details for visas for the required duration.
Employment Visa Employment visa is issued to the professional or qualified individuals who is appointed or hired by the organization or the companies and it is provided to foreigners by Indian missions, initially for one year, but extendable in India up to the period of contract.
Sports
Visas may be granted to teams or individual sportsmen wishing to participate in international sports events being held in India.
Student Visa Student visa is provided for the duration of the academic course of study or for 5 years whichever is less on the basis of the admission latter of the educational institutes.
Media The journalist visa is issued by the Indian government to the professional photographers or journalists or film maker for visiting in India after completing the formalities from the Indian embassy. In case of problems at Immigration, contact the Assistant Commissioner of Police at the Airport Immigration Office.
Some highly security or any sensitive area in India is banned or prohibited for traveling to any foreigner or traveler. If any one or a group wants to visit these sensitive areas then he has to take the special permit to go there for a limited number of days.
