THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INDIAN E-VISA
e-Visa services make it possible to visit the wonders that India has to offer visitors. Whether wanting to visit India for recreational, spiritual, or business reasons, the online application simplifies the procedure and gets applicants on the way in no time at all, without the hassles. Nationals from almost every country wanting to visit India, are required to hold valid travel documents including a passport and a viable travel visa. Almost all nationals must pay a fee for the visa according to the reason for their visit and their country of nationality and origin.
What is Indian e-Visa?
The Indian Government introduced the online tourist visa in 2014 to simply travel to India. At present more than 160 countries are eligible to apply through this scheme. The online application allows travelers to apply for the visa in the comfort of their home, without the encumbrance of applying at an Indian Consulate or securing the services of a Visa Centre. Nationals of most countries can apply for pleasure or tourism purposes for short stays through the online electronic facility without consulting a Consulate. A receipt number is issued after the application form is electronically submitted for approval, which is conveniently used to track the progress of the online application. This e-Tourist Visa is electronic and does not take the form of a stamp or label in the passport. Once the application is approved, the Electronic Travel Authorization is submitted to the applicant in the form of a PDF authorization via email. This electronic authorization must be printed out and carried on the person for the duration of the travel. e-Visa is admissible for short stay tourist, business, conference, and medical reasons only.
Instructions and Requirements for the India e-Visa:
- Application for an e-Visa must be made between 4 and 240 days prior to the envisaged entry into India, with a window of 90-180 days.
- Entry can only be by air or sea through the designated airports (Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai & Trivandrum) and seaports only, for a stay of up to 60-days.
- Visitors may, however, exit the country through any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.
- The e-Visa is valid for 365 days from the date that it is granted.
- Immigration Officials check the holder’s biometrics on arrival in India.
- Passports must have two blank pages available to be stamped on entry and exit.
- The online procedure is the same for every type of e-Visa, and Indian Visa Online can assist in the simple 3-step process, which involves:
Step 1: Online application
Step 2: Payment (PayPal is accepted)
Step 3: Authorization is emailed in PDF format and must be printed out and carried on the applicant for the duration of the trip.
- During payment, the application process may be blocked in cases of more than three unsuccessful attempts at submission. In such cases, the application process will have to start again from scratch, and a new Application ID will be generated. Applicants are asked to wait 4 hours before re-applying after final submission of the application form and payment of the fee as updates of payment status may take up to 4 hours.
- The e-Tourist Visa permits double entry as does the e-Business Visa, over a one-year period. An e- Medical Visa is valid for triple entry within a one-year period.
- Applications for the India Visa online must include the following documentation:
- Scanned first page of passport in PDF format
- A digital photograph in JPEG format taken against a plain light colored or white background, square and of equal height and width, between 10 KB and 1 MB in size, centered within the frame without a border, presenting full face from the top of hair to bottom of the chin, front view, with eyes open.
To be eligible for the online visa scheme, international travelers must:
- be traveling for recreation, sightseeing, casual visits with friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visits;
- have a return or onward journey ticket;
- have sufficient money for the duration of the visit to India;
- have their own separate passport and not be endorsed on parent’s/spouse’s passport
Pakistani Passport holders or individuals of Pakistani origin, diplomatic/official passport, and International travel document holders are not eligible and must apply through the Indian Consulate for a regular travel visa.
The e-Visa services involve an online application and does away with being interviewed by the Indian Consulate. India Visa Online assists applicants with the application process and payment online. Indian Visa Online is an Indian Visa Agency without affiliation to any organizations or the Government of India. For further information, applicants may visit the authorized website of the Government of India.