A visa is required for all the visitors who want to visit India. The neighbouring countries, Nepal and Bhutan citizens doesn’t require this. India provides an option of limited tourist visa on their arrival for the passport holders of 43 countries.
Transit visa is issued to the visitors staying in India for less than 72 hours. Generally, based on the nationality of the visitor, tourist visas are issued for only six months. There are some countries where these visas are issued for 3 months short duration and 1 year long duration.
Tourists from United states can get a visa for 10 years. Apart from this, there is a 5 years visa for the visitors coming from 18 countries that are the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Vietnam.
At a time, only for a period of 6 months, a tourist can be in India. The 5 year tourist visa allows to stay only up to 3 months at a time. The 2 months gap which was given earlier on Tourist visa to visit India, has been removed.
Also there are Business visas, Research visas, Employment visas and Student visas issued for the visitors to visit India.
Indian tourist visa cost:
The cost of an Indian tourist visa differs according to the government arrangements of their countries.
For 6 months Tourist visa, the tourist is expected to pay $76 in the US, in UK it is 92 Pounds and in Australia it is $95 and all this including the service fees.
Special agreements with India are made by some countries like Japan, Argentina, South Africa, Mongolia and Jamaica, where the visitors have to pay lesser for a visa.
How and Where to Apply for an Indian Visa
In most of the countries, the Indian visa application process is outsourced to private processing agencies. The Indian government is now in the process of replacing all the foreign companies with Indian companies. This has been done in some countries including the US, Canada, South Africa and China. Feedback about this change has indicated number of problems.
In the United States, Indian visa applications are handled by Cox and Kings Global Services. This company replaced BLS International effective from May 21, 2014.
When applying for an Indian Visa, you need to complete an on-line application form.
Along with your application and fee, for an Indian Tourist Visa you have to submit your passport that is valid for a least a period of six months and has at least two blank pages, a recent passport size photo, and full details of your itinerary. Ensure you have copies of flight tickets and proof of residential address that may also be required in some countries.
