1 GENERAL POLICY GUIDELINES RELATING TO INDIAN VISA 1

GENERAL POLICY GUIDELINES RELATING TO INDIAN VISA

1 Possession of travel documents

In terms of the provisions in the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Rules made

thereunder, every foreigner entering India must be in possession of a valid national passport or

any other internationally recognised travel document establishing his/her nationality and identity

and bearing - (a) his/ her photograph, and (b) a valid visa for India granted by an authorised

Indian representative abroad (except to the extent mentioned in paras 2, 4 and 5 below).

2 Identity documents required for citizens of Nepal and Bhutan for travelling to India

(A) A citizen of Nepal or Bhutan entering India by land or air over the Nepal or the Bhutan

border does not require a passport or visa for entry into India. However, he/she should be

in possession of any of the following identity documents -

(i) Nepalese/ Bhutanese Passport; or

(ii) Nepalese/ Bhutanese Citizenship Certificate; or

(iii) Voter Identification Card issued by the Election Commission of Nepal/ Bhutan;

(iv) Limited validity photo-identity certificate issued by Nepalese Mission/ Royal

Bhutanese Mission in India when deemed necessary.

(v) For children between age group of 10-18 years, photo ID issued by the Principal

of the School, if accompanied by parents having valid travel documents. No such

document is required for children below the age group of 10 years.

(B) A citizen of Nepal or Bhutan must be in possession of a Passport when entering India

from a place other than Nepal/ Bhutan.

China, Macau, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Maldives.

(D) If a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan visits India on valid Nepalese/ Bhutanese passport, he/ she

may not be allowed to proceed to any third country from India, unless he/ she obtains a

‘No objection Certificate’ from the Embassy of Nepal/ Royal Bhutanese Mission in India.

3 A photograph is necessary irrespective of age i.e. even for minor children below 15 years of age,

if their name is included in the passport of either of their parents.

4 Minor children whose names are entered in their parent’s passport must obtain a valid Indian visa

for travel to India.

Note: Children above the age of 16 years must possess a separate valid national passport, to

travel to India. Children who have arrived on their parent’s passport must obtain a separate

passport when they attain the age of 16 years while in India.

5 Application for grant of visa

An applicant for a visa shall have to submit an application on the on-line system in the standard

visa application form. For this purpose, the applicants may log on

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in . The foreigner should be present within the jurisdiction of the

Indian Mission/ Post concerned at the time of making an application and grant of visa.

6 Period of validity of passport and visa

Passport should have at least six months validity at the time of making application for grant of

visa. It should have at least two blank pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer. The

validity of all visas will commence from the date of issue of visa.

7 Application from non-residents

A foreigner can apply for any type of visa (including Employment/ Business Visa) from a country

other than the country of his origin/ domicile. However, in such cases, visa will be granted only

after consulting the Indian Mission concerned in the country of origin/ domicile of the foreigner.

8 Fee for visa

Fee for the grant of a visa will be charged in local currency in accordance with the instructions

issued by the Ministry of External Affairs from time to time. Except in cases where a visa is

cancelled, visa fee shall not be refunded. In cases where a visa has not been utilised within its

validity period, the fee realised is not refundable.

9 Categories of visa

Main categories of visa being granted to a foreign national and sub-categories of visa are given in

Appendix-I.

10 Activities permitted on a visa

Foreign nationals shall be required to strictly adhere to the purpose of visit declared while

submitting the visa application. However, a foreign national (other than a Pakistani national)

coming to India on any type of visa will be allowed to avail activities permitted under Tourist

Visa.

11 For all visa related services within India like registration, extension of visa, exit permission

etc., application is to be submitted online to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer

(FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned. For this purpose, please

visit

https://indianfrro.gov.in

Conversion of e-visa/ Visa-on-Arrival/ Tourist Visa/ Employment Visa/ Business Visa/

Student Visa/ Research Visa to Entry visa

If a foreign national on e-visa/ Visa-on-Arrival/ Tourist Visa/ Employment Visa/ Business Visa/

Student Visa/ Research Visa marries an Indian national/ Person of Indian Origin/ OCI cardholder

during the validity of his/her Visa, his/ her visa may be converted to Entry [‘X-2’] Visa by

FRRO/ FRO concerned.

13 Procedure to be adopted in case a foreigner on Tourist/ Employment/Business/ Student/

Research Visa falls ill after coming to India

If such a visa holder is suffering from a minor medical condition which does not require

hospitalization and prolonged treatment, then he/ she will be allowed to take treatment. Further,

in case of sudden illness which requires continuous treatment of less than 180 days or the stay

stipulation period prescribed on the visa, the foreigner can take permission for treatment from

FRRO/ FRO concerned by submitting a medical certificate from a government / ICMR (Indian

Council of Medical Research)/ NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare

Providers)/ MCI (Medical Council of India)/ CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme)

recognized hospital. FRRO/ FRO concerned will issue a ‘Medical Permit’ without converting

the Visa to a Medical Visa. Conversion to Medical Visa will be required only if the treatment

exceeds 180 days or the stay stipulation period prescribed on the visa.

14 Conversion of visa of Person of Indian Origin to Entry Visa

e-visa/ Visa-on-Arrival/ Tourist Visa/ Employment Visa/ Business Visa/ Student Visa/ Research

Visa of Persons of Indian Origin, who are otherwise entitled for Entry Visa, may be converted to

Entry [‘X-1’] Visa by FRRO/ FRO concerned.

15 Restriction on engaging in tabligh activities

Foreign nationals granted any type of visa and OCI cardholders shall not be permitted to engage

themselves in tabligh work. There will be no restriction in visiting religious places and attending

normal religious activities like attending religious discourses. However, preaching religious

ideologies, making speeches in religious places, distribution of audio or visual display/ pamphlets

pertaining to religious ideologies, spreading conversion etc. will not be allowed.

16 Issue of short duration visa to foreign nationals already holding longer duration visa

In the event of a foreign national availing short duration visas such as Conference Visa, Transit

visa, e-Visa and Visa-on-Arrival while already having a long duration visa for India like multiple

entry Tourist/ Business/ Employment/ Student/ Research Visas, the long duration visas will not

get cancelled. In such cases, the long duration visa will be kept on hold for the period of the short

duration visa.

17 Dock Entry Permit to foreigners visiting the dock area in the seaports

Foreigners must take NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the FRRO/ FRO concerned at the

respective seaport to enter the dock area as the port premise is a notified Prohibited Place. In

such circumstances, the local shipping agents should make a request to the FRRO/ FRO

concerned to issue “No Objection Certificate”.. Such Dock Entry Permit will be issued by the

Port authorities only on the basis of NOC from the FRRO/ FRO concerned.

18 Persons arriving from Yellow Fever (YF) endemic countries

Persons arriving from Yellow Fever (YF) endemic countries (or if he/she has visited any Yellow

Fever (YF) endemic country during past 6 days) will be required to possess a valid certificate of

Yellow Fever vaccination from an authorized vaccination centre. The validity period of an

international certificate of vaccination for yellow fever is lifelong beginning 10 days after

vaccination.

At present, the following countries are regarded as yellow fever infected: -

AFRICA: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad,

Congo, Cote d’ Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon,

Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritiana, Niger, Nigeria,

Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda (30 countries).

AMERICA: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname,

Trinidad (Trinidad only), Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay, Peru (13 countries).

19 Persons arriving from a country which is having public health risk

If a person is arriving from a country which is having public health risk with regard to any

condition which has been declared as public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)

by WHO DG, then he/ she may be required to undergo medical screening or additional measures

as decided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

20 Identity documents required for Indian Citizens travelling to Nepal

A citizen of India entering Nepal by land or air does not require a passport or visa for entry.

However, while travelling by air between India and Nepal, he/she is required to be in possession

of any of the following identity documents –

(i) Valid National Passport; or

(ii) Photo Identity card issued by the Government of India/State Govt./UT Administration in

India to their employees or Election ID card issued by the Election Commission of India;

(iii) Emergency certificate issued by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu; or

(iv) Identity Certificate issued by Embassy of India, Kathmandu.

(v) Persons in the age group of above 65 yrs and below 15 years would be exempted from

the requirement of approved identity documents mentioned at Sl.No.(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv).

However, they must have some document with a photograph to confirm their age and

identity such as PAN card, Driving licence, CGHS card, Ration card etc.

(vi) Children between the age group of 15 to 18 years may be allowed to travel between India

and Nepal on the strength of the Identity Certificate issued by the Principal of the School.

(vii) In case of a family (family means husband, wife, minor children and parents) traveling

together, the approved identification documents at sl.no.(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) would not be

insisted upon from all the family members if one of the adult members of the family has

in his/ her possession any one of the prescribed identification documents at sl..no.(i), (ii),

(iii) or (iv) above. The other family members must, however, have some proof of their

identity with a photograph and their relationship as a family viz., CGHS Card, Ration

Card, Driving license, ID card issued by School/College etc.

*******

Appendix –I

Categories and sub-categories of Visa

No.

Main category

of visa

Sub-

categories

Description

Remarks

e-Visa

e-TV

e-Tourist Visa

A foreign national may undertake

recreation, sight seeing, casual

visit to meet friends or relatives

and attending a short term yoga

programme

e-BV

e-Business Visa

A foreign national may visit for

Business purposes

e-Med V

e-Medical Visa

A foreign national may undertake

medical treatment including

treatment under Indian systems of

medicine.

Transit Visa

For travelling through India to a

destination outside India

Tourist Visa

T-1

Tourist Visa for individual

tourists

T-2

Tourist Visa for group

tourists

For group tourists as part of

organized tour including tourist

coming by chartered flights

T-3

For Cruise tourism

For foreign nationals coming on

cruise tourism

Medical Visa

MED

For all foreign nationals

coming on Medical Visa

Medical

Attendant

Visa

MED X

For foreign nationals coming

as Medical Attendants

Business Visa

B-1

Business Visitor coming to

attend business meetings,

technical meetings etc. for a

short period

B-2

Business Visitor from small

and medium business

For all such business visitors

from small and medium business

[with turnover upto Rs.10 crore]

who are required to visit India

frequently in connection with

their business activities.

B-3

Business Visitor from large

business

For all such business visitors

from large business [with

turnover of Rs.10 crore and

above] who are required to visit

India frequently in connection

with their business activities.

B-4

Business Visa for Investors

For those who are eligible for

Business Visa in terms of the

eligibility conditions prescribed

for Permanent Residency Status.

B-5

Crew of non-scheduled

airlines chartered flights

operated by such airlines and

Special flights.

B-6

Foreign academicians/

experts covered under GIAN

B-7

Foreign nationals who are

partners in the business and/

or functioning as Directors

of the company

B-8

Other Miscellaneous

categories eligible for

Business Visa not covered

by above sub-categories

B-Sports

Foreign nationals who are

engaged in commercial

sports events in India on

contract (including coaches)

with remuneration.

B-1 X

B-2 X

B-3 X

B-4 X

For dependents of Business

Visa holders

Depending on the type of

Business Visa granted, the

dependents may be granted B-1

X, B-2 X, B-3 X and B-4 X visa.

Employment

Visa

E-1

Short term remunerative

employment up to 6 months

E-2

Long term remunerative

employment beyond 6

months

E-3

For Intra-company

transferee

E-4

For honorary work with

NGOs

E-5

Staff/ Faculty in South Asian

University and Nalanda

University

E-1 X

E-2 X

E-3 X

E-4 X

E-5 X

For dependents of

Employment Visa holders

Depending on the type of

Employment Visa granted, the

dependents may be granted E-1

X, E-2 X, E-3 X, E-4 X and E-5

X visa.

Project Visa

For those coming to execute

projects in Steel and Power

sectors with sector specific

numerical ceilings

P-X

Dependents of Project Visa

holders

Intern Visa

I-1

Intern under French VIE

programme

I-2

Intern with business house,

including those sponsored

by AIESEC

For all those coming for

internship in Business houses

earning some remuneration

including those sponsored by

AIESEC.

I-3

Intern with NGOs and

Educational Institutions

including those sponsored by

AIESEC

For all those coming for

internship with NGOs and

Educational Institutions

including those sponsored by

AIESEC.

I-4

Intern with Foreign Media

Organizations/ Indian Media

Organizations in India

Films Visa

For foreign nationals coming

for shooting of a feature

film/ reality TV show and/

or commercial TV serials.

Student Visa

S-1

For studies in regular

courses in India in Colleges/

Universities etc. imparting

higher education

S-2

For School education

S-3

Provisional Student Visa

S-4

For studies in short term

courses

For studies in short term courses.

S-5

For studies in Yoga, Vedic

Culture and Indian Systems

of Music and dance and for

Buddhist studies

S-6

For those coming under

Student Exchange

Programme in terms of

Agreements with various

countries including trainees

at a designated civilian or

defence establishment

S-7

For students of South Asian

University and Nalanda

University

S-8

For Theological Studies and

for Missionary students

S-1 X

S-6 X

For dependents of those

coming under S-1, and S-6

visas.

For dependents of those coming

under S-1and S-6 Visas.

In respect of other category visas,

no dependent visa willbe granted.

Research Visa

R-1

Research scholar at a

recognized Indian Institution

R-2

Visiting faculty at

recognized Indian Institution

R-3

Research Scholar on a

bilateral exchange

programme

R-4

Members of Botanical,

Scientific, Anthropological

etc. expeditions

R-1 X

R-2 X

R-3 X

Dependents of holders of

Research Visa.

For dependents of Research Visa

holders depending on the type of

Research Visa.

Conference

Visa

C-1

For participants of

conferences organized by

Government authorities

including Public Sector

Undertakings, Autonomous

bodies under Government

C-2

For participants of

conferences organized by

non-

Governmental agencies/

organizations

Mountaineer-

ing Visa

For foreign nationals coming

for Mountaineering

expeditions

Missionary

Visa

M-1

For Missionary/ Religious

worker of approved

organizations

M-1 X

For dependents of

Missionary/ Religious

worker of approved

organizations

Journalist

Visa

J-1

Foreign audio-visual or print

media journalists accredited

in India

J-2

Audio-visual or print media

journalists visiting India

J-3

Foreign nationals coming for

shooting of advertisement/

documentary films etc.

J-T

Journalist visiting India for

tourism purpose

J- 1X

Dependents of foreign

audio- visual or print media

journalists accredited in

India

Entry Visa

X- 1

For Persons of Indian Origin

who do not possess OCI card

X-2

Foreign nationals married to

Indian Citizen/ Persons of

Indian Origin/ OCI

cardholder and their children

(other than those who are

registered as OCI

cardholder)

X-3

For those coming to join

Auroville Foundation or

Missionaries of Charity or

Aurobindo Ashram,

Puducherry or similar

approved organizations

X-4

For those who own property

in India

X-5

Diplomats/ Officials on a

personal (Non-

official) visit

to India

X-5 D

Ordinary passport holding

dependents of diplomats/

officials assigned to India

(including in the UN and

Non-

UN International

organizations).

X- Misc.

For purposes which are not

covered by any other visa