Visa Rules And Information

Country Fact Finder - Republic of India

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Name: Republic of India

Location: South Asia

Time: UTC (+) 5 1/2 hrs

Capital: New Delhi

Language: Hindi, English, Punjabi, Urdu & seventeen regional Languages

Area: 3,287,263 sq kms

Population: 1,014,003,817

National Day: 26 Jan (Republic Day)

Currency: Indian Rupee US $1 = INR. 49.8897

Climate: Hot tropical weather with variations from region to region. Coolest weather lasts from December to February, with cool, fresh mornings and evenings and dry, sunny days. Really hot weather, when it is dry, dusty and unpleasant, is between March and May. Monsoon rains occur in most regions in summer between June and September.

Holidays: YEAR 2011: Follow This Link For Indian Holidays

Airline Name: Air India (AI), Indian Airlines (IA)

International Airports: Indira Gandhi (Delhi), Santa Cruz (Mumbai) (BOM), Dum Dum (Kolkata) (CCU), Meenambakkam (Chennai) (MAA), Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Goa, Hyderabad, Trivandrum

Rules Regulations:

Passport valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the date of intended departure from India should accompany visa applications. Paste one photo and staple the other one on the form at specified place. Foreigners holding other nationalities (other than the country where applying for visa), should submit proof of long-term (at least three years)/ permanent residence in the country (where applying). For citizens of other countries, a reference has to be made to their country of residence for which an additional fee is applicable and will involve extra processing time. Please refrain from making inquiries about the status of application during this time. Following visas are available from the Indian Missions abroad.

Tourist Visa

As per the extant instructions of the Government of India, a Tourist Visa can only be granted to a foreigner who does not have a residence or occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sight seeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives etc. No other activity is permissible on a Tourist Visa. The Tourist Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible. It is given for 6 months normally; rest specifically depends on the country of residence. The applicant is required to produce/submit documents in proof of his financial standing. Tourists travelling in groups of not less than four members under the auspices of a recognized travel agency may be considered for grant of collective tourist visa.

It has come to the notice of the Government that there has been abuse/misuse of the Tourist Visa. With a view to curb the abuse/misuse of the Tourist Visa, instructions have been issued by the Government imposing the following restrictions:-

In respect of foreign nationals holding Tourist Visas with multiple entry facility, there should be a gap of at least 2 months between two visits to the country on such a Tourist Visa.

If any foreign national is required to visit the country again within a period of 2 months of his last departure, such foreign national should obtain special permission from the Mission/Post concerned. The Mission/Post may consider such requests on merits of each case.

In all such cases, the foreign national should register himself with the FRRO/FRO concerned within 14 days of arrival. An endorsement to this effect will be made on the visa sticker.

If a foreign national applies for Tourist Visa frequently i.e within one month of expiry of the previous Tourist Visa, the Indian Missions/Posts abroad would refer such cases to MHA (Foreigners Division) for clearance before grant of fresh Tourist visa.

This restriction will not be applicable to PIO/OCI card holders and foreigners holding business, employment, student and other categories of visa.

Visa Registration

All foreigners, including foreigners of Indian origin, visiting India on a visa that permits a stay of more than 180 days must register with the Foreigners' Registration Officer having jurisdiction over the place where the foreigner intends to stay within 14 days of his/her arrival. While any visitor planning a stay of more than 180 days must register within 14 days, some visas will be stamped with an indication of whether or not registration is required. Everyone with visa indicating that registration is required should be sure to register with the appropriate Foreigners Registration Office within 14 days. It is best to check with the office you will be registering with for up-to-date requirements, but generally you be asked to provide the following documents

Registration application form (4 copies back to back).
Request letter from the company in India.
Undertaking letter from the company in India.
Four Photographs.
Photocopy of Contract letter and appointment letter.
Certificate of incorporation of the company/RBI approval of the company.
Address proof of the applicant (Lease agreement copy).
Photocopy of passport and visa.
Note: All Applicant are required to come personally at MHA and FRRO office's.