Things to Know for Obtaining Indian Visa on Arrival

Obtaining an Indian visa might seem a daunting job that many foreign nationals have been avoiding for so long. Regardless of the continuous attempts of the government of India in alleviating the long and hectic procedure of visa approval, the procedure stays intimidating for many even now. In such case, foreigners who are willing to travel to India for tourism, medical treatments, education, business, and more, should be very cautious while applying for Indian visa to complete the procedure in one shot without encountering many hurdles. Foreigners can apply for Indian visa online or obtain it from an Indian diplomatic mission unless they are the citizens of visa-exempt countries or countries whose citizens are permitted to obtain a visa on arrival.

Although visa on arrival service no longer prevails in India, the Indian government allows citizens of Japan and South Korea to apply for Indian visa on arrival as per a bilateral agreement between the nations. No other country can apply for an Indian visa on arrival but is allowed to obtain an Indian visa on arrival. So let’s proceed on to the things worth noting about the procedure of obtaining Indian visa on arrival.

• The foreigners who want to obtain an Indian visa on arrival cannot apply for the same on arrival in the country. They are required to apply for Indian visa at least four days prior to the date of arrival with a maximum of 365days in advance of the date of arrival and obtain it on entering in India.
• The government of India has assigned 28airports and 5seaports to allow the entry of foreigners. Thus, visitors can only obtain their visa on arrival at one of these ports.
• The foreign nationals who had applied for Indian visa before arrival will obtain visa approval via mail which they are required to get printed and carry along with them to India to show it to the immigration officers to avoid any delay or rejection.
• This visa on arrival is nothing but Indian e-visa which foreign nationals apply at least four days prior to the date of arrival but obtain on arriving at the airport specified in the visa application form.
• For obtaining the visa, the foreign nationals must carry their passport as evidence of their nationality. The passport should hold a validity of at least six months from the date of arrival in India.
• Visitors from foreign nationalities are also entitled to buy the onward or return ticket before leaving for India to disclose it to the immigration officer to avail the visa and to make an easy entry.
• Port of entry on the visa application form should match the actual port of entry of foreign visitors. This is because they will obtain the Indian visa on arrival only at the port mentioned in the application and upon arriving at any of the other airports, the traveler will be denied both visa and entry in India.
• Indian e-visas can be applied for three times in a calendar year from January to December, and its possession allows the foreign nationals to stay in India for not more than sixty days with no permissible extension. On its expiry, the foreigners are bound to exit from any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts in India.
• Make sure you don’t make more than three unsuccessful fee payment for availing Indian visa on arrival service which tends to block your application and force you to apply for an Indian visa service from the scratch.

It is obvious that obtaining an Indian visa on arrival is still a new process for the customs agents which takes a little more time for clearance and final entry. Thus, to avoid much delay from your side, do carry a copy of all the documents like passport, printed copy of approved visa, and printed copy of everything related to your advanced bookings like hotels, flights, and tours.