Indian visa permits the entry of travelers of foreign nationalities to India. A visit to India can be for many purposes such as medical treatments, tourism, education, employment, business prospects or simply a visit to relatives or friends. For any of the specified reasons, if anyone wants to visit India, he or she will require to have possession of an international passport and a valid visa as approved by the Indian government. You can apply for an Indian visa as per your required duration of stay. The government of India has introduced an online portal for e-visa in the last decade to reduce the burden of foreigners associated with the hectic procedure involved in a regular traditional visa.
A valid visa is the one approved by the government of India and possession of which allows the entry to Indian territory. There are some countries which are exempted from any such rule such as Nepal and Bhutan. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan are free to move into and out of India with no holding of the Indian visa and even passport for ‘n’ number of days. Whereas, citizens of Maldives are allowed to visa-free entry to India but can stay for not more than ninety days.
If you have a holding of an Overseas Citizen of India certificate, then also you are not required to obtain the visa. People with the possession of an Overseas Citizen of India certificate are considered as Indian citizens only. But there are some countries, citizens of which are not entitled to hold Overseas Indian Citizenship such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, mainland China, or Pakistan. Citizens of Japan and South Korea are allowed to apply for Indian visa on the arrival in any of the following cities- Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.
The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) facility was first introduced by the government of India in November 2014 which was later renamed as E-Visa in 2017. More than 160 countries come under the radar of the E-Visa scheme. E-visa is subdivided into- E-Tourist Visa, E-Medical Visa, E-Business Visa. The validity of an e-visa does not extend 60days which allows double entry on tourist and business e-visa while a triple entry on a medical e-visa in a year.
Travelers are required to submit the necessary documents electronically at least four days and not more than 120days prior to the date of arrival in case of an e-visa. An international passport as proof of their nationality is also required to be presented at the time of arrival along with two passport-sized photographs. One ought to make sure that the passport he or she is carrying has the validity of at least six months and contains two blank pages.
A regular visa is valid for six months to five years or to ten years for not more than 90days of stay in continuity. The traveler is required to take at least a two months gap after 90days to revisit India on same visa. While to obtain a regular visa, the application is required to be printed, filled and, duly attached with the necessary documents. The application is then submitted in person or by post to the designated visa service provider as assigned by the Indian embassy. The threshold to apply for a regular visa is at least four days prior to the date of issue.
The government of India charges a certain amount for providing the visa service whether online or offline. The payment of fees is also entitled to be made at least four days prior to the date of arrival. The applicants are advised to be very careful while making the payment for an e-visa. The application id can be held blocked in case of more than three unsuccessful attempts. In such a scenario, the applicant will be forced to apply for a new registration id, thus, making it a lengthy process. Once the payment is made the approved e-visa will be sent via mail within seventy-two hours. One can get the print of that visa and carry it while traveling to India. The process of arrival of the regular visa takes from two working weeks to two months and will be sent via post.
Anyone can apply for Indian visa online but be aware that entry to areas of security concerns like borders or national parks are entitled to the possession of Protected Area Permit (PAP) along with the visa.