Foreign tourists who wish to visit India requires to obtain visa from the Indian Embassy in their country. Indian visa can be obtained quite easily. Due to continues effort of Indian government to promote tourism, visa process has made very smooth for tourists from all countries expect Pakistan. Only very few Pakistani tourists gets Indian Visa due to security concerns.
All foreign tourists must obtain visa before traveling to India. Only Nepal and Bhutan nationals do not require visa to enter India while people of Maldives can stay in India for 90 days without having to obtain visa. Entering India without visa could lead to deportation. Since 26/11 terror attacks, Indian Home Ministry is very strict against people entering India without visa.
Foreign tourists are also not allowed to enter some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The tourist visa also do not cover states like Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. Special permission is required to obtain in order to visit these areas. However to promote tourism, tourists are not required to obtain any permission to visit Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland for 2012.
There are a different type of visa issued by the Indian government like Tourist Visa, Business visa and Medical visa. Each category has its own sets of requirements.
TOURIST VISA
Tourist visa is granted to a person who wish to travel India for recreation or sightseeing. The duration of the visa is 6 months (180 days) however tourists from United States can obtain 5 year and ten year visa under the agreement between two countries. Tourists from other countries can extend their stays after the 6 months. However since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, tourists are required to take 2 months cool off period before they can enter India again. Recently this rule has been relaxed for the Russian tourists on request of Goa tourism. The fees for 6 months tourist visa is $40.
BUSINESS VISA
A Business visa is granted to a person who is looking to visit India for business reasons. The validity of business visa is 6 months and 1 year. Ten year business visa is only offered to US Nationals. You are required to submit a letter from supporting organization or company that should highlight the duration of stay, nature of business, places and organizations you wish to meet.
If you are planning to bring your family of Business trip then they will need to obtain Entry Visa instead of Tourist Visa.
MEDICAL VISA
Medical visa is given to person who wants to visit India for treatment. This is called Medical tourism. People from Europe and United States visit India for treatment because it costs one third comparing to western countries. While tourists from neighboring countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka as well African countries travel to India for better treatment and facilities comparing to their own countries.
There are two types of Medical visa. First is 6 months visa is triple entry and second is 1 year visa with triple entry. Fees is $113 for 6 months and $153 for 1 year.
Medical visa is only given if you seek treatment of reputed and recognized Indian Hospitals. You will have to bring a documents from hospitals or doctors supporting the need of medical treatment. Blood relative of the patient can get Medical Attendant Visa with same validity as Medical visa to accompany the patient.
TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL
This is relatively new service started by the Tourism Ministry of India. Under the scheme tourists from 11 countries (Finland, Luxembourg, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar) can obtain visa for tourism purpose only for a short period stay of 30 days (non-extendable). Only two visits are allowed in a year with tourist visa on arrival. There should be two months cooling period between the two visits. You must hold passport from the countries mentioned above to avail this service.
The visa fee for tourist visa on arrival is $60. This service is available at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kochi International airports.
TEMPRORY LANDING VISA
Also known as Emergency visa is only given to foreign tourists is emergency conditions like death or serious illness in the family. This visa allow you to stay in India for 72 hours. You should bring required documents to prove the emergency. In such condition you are allowed to enter India without visa by paying cash of $40. This service is not offered to people from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Algeria.
VISA PROCESSING TIME
Visa procession time is different for people from different countries. US Citizens could get visa on the same day or within 3-5 days while Pakistani nationals will have to wait up to 6 weeks for the visa. Tourists from Sri Lanka will also have to wait for some time before they are awarded the visa. Tourists from other countries will generally get visa within 1-2 weeks.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
The requirements vary from country to country which you can check with Indian Embassy. There are however some general requirements.
Your passport should be at least 6 months old. Submit the application form with 2 passport size photos and visa fee. You will also have to bring all the necessary documents as mentioned above in different type of visa categories.
