Passport & Visa

You must have a passport with you all the time. It's the most basic travel document. Also ensure that your passport will be valid for the entire period you intend to remain overseas, if your passport is lost or stolen, immediately contact your country's embassy or consulate in Delhi and also to nearest police station

Apply for Passport

The best time to apply for a passport or to renew is during the fall and winter. Before any trip, be sure to check your passport's expiration date and, if necessary, renew it as soon as possible

Visa

You need a visa to visit India. But if you are coming from Nepal you only need Identification, and visa is issued at the airport only. Note that with a three month visa, your entry to India must be within 30 day's from the date of issue of the visa. Also, the six month visa is valid from the date of issue of the visa, not the date you enter India five month after the visa was issued, it will be valid only for one month not the full six month. If you enter India the day after it was issued, you can stay for the full six month

General Regulations for applying for Visa

Passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date of intended departure from India should accompany visa applications. Paste one photo and staple the other one on the form at specified place. Foreigners holding other nationalities (other than the country where applying for visa), should submit proof of long-term (at least three years)/ permanent residence in the country (where applying). For citizen of other countries, reference has to be made to their country of residence for which an additional fee is applicable and will involve extra processing time. Please refrain  from making inquiries about the status of application during this time

Type of Visas

Tourist Visa

Is given for 6 months normally, rest specifically depends on the country of residence. The applicant is required to produce/submit documents in proof of his financial standing. Tourist travelling in groups of not less than four members under the auspices of a recognised travel agency may be considered for grant of collective tourist visa

Business Visa

Valid for one or more year with multiple entries. A letter from sponsoring organization indicating nature of business, probable duration of stay, places and organizations to be visited incorporating there in a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses, etc. should accompany the application

Student Visa

Are issued for the duration of the academic course of study or for a period of five years whichever is less, on the basis of firm letters of admission from Universities/recognized colleges or educational institutions in India. Change of purpose and institutions are not permissible

Transit Visa

Are issued for a maximum period of 15-days with single/double entry facilities to Bonaire transit passengers only

Visa to Missionaries

Are valid for single entry and duration as permitted by Government of India. A letter in triplicate from sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, probable length of stay, and nature of duties to be discharged should be submitted along with guarantee for applicant’s maintenance while in India

Journalist  Visa

Are issued to professional journalists and photographers for visiting India. The applicants are required to contact on arrival in New Delhi, the External Publicity Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and in other places, the Office of the Government of India's Press Information Bureaus

Conference Visa

Are issued for attending conferences/seminars/meetings in India. A letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference is to be submitted along with the visa application. Delegates coming to attend conferences may combine tourism with attending conferences

Employment Visa

Are issued to skilled and qualified professionals or persons who are engaged or appointed by companies, organizations, economic undertakings as technicians, technical experts, senior executives etc. Applicants are required to submit proof of contract/employment/engagement of foreign nationals by the company or organization

General Visa Information

Duration

Depends on the type of visa applied

Fees

The fee structure depends on the nationality of the passport holder and type/duration of visa applied

The existing fee structure is:

Visa fees indicated in USD are payable in local currencies as well. Visa fees are not refundable except in cases where a visa already issued is cancelled thereafter

*These are indicative price, please confirm with the Local Indian Embassy

Visa Extension Office

Delhi- MHA- Director (F), Lok Nayak Bhawan, Ist floor, Khan market, New Delhi-110003

Tax Clearance Certificates

If you stay in India for more than 120 days you need a 'tax clearance certificate' to leave the country. This supposedly proves that your time in India was financed with your own money , not by working in India or by selling thing or playing black market. Basically all you have to do is find the Foreign Section of the Income Tax Department Jaipur and turn up with your passport, visa extension form, any other similar paperwork and a handful of bank exchange receipts (to show you really have been changing foreign currency into rupees officially). You fill in a form and wait for anything from 10 minutes to a couple of hours, you are then given your tax clearance certificate. We have not heard from anyone who has actually been asked for this document on departure, but I recommend you to obtain one to be on safer side

Photocopies

Keep photocopies of your important travel documents, which obviously should be kept separate from the originals in the event that these are lost or stolen. Take a photocopy of the first page of your passport (with personal detail and photograph), as well as a copy of the page with your Indian Visa, a photocopy of your travel insurance policy, and keep a record of the traveller's cheques you have exchanged, where they were encashed, the amount and serial number. Encashment receipts should also be kept separate from your airlines tickets and your credit card, It's not a bad idea to leave photocopies of your important travel documents with a friend or relative at home

For more information on Indian Visa, we suggest to visit the links

Ministry of Home Affairs: www.mha.nic.in

Bureau of Immigration: www.immigrationindia.nic.in

Airports Authority of India: www.airportsindia.org.in

Central Board of Excise & Customs: www.cbec.gov.in

Ministry of Tourism: http://www.incredibleindia.org

Important Instructions

All foreign tourists visiting India must be in possession of a valid passport and visa. An Indian visa is readily available from Indian Consulate in the country of your origin. There are also certain parts of the region (see Restricted Area Permit under Tariff Information file) that require a special permit to visit. This will be advised to you at the time of booking the tour. Visa fees may vary from country to country. It is recommended to obtain a multiple Entry Tourist Visa since this simplifies the procedure for visiting neighbouring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka. Indians holding foreign passports would also have to obtain an Indian Visa before entering India

It is obligatory for disembarking passengers to declare details of plants / plant material in their baggage on arrival in India

For Foreign Nationals

If you are entering India on a Student, Employment, Research, Medical or Missionary Visa. Which is valid for more than 180 days, you are required to register with the Foreigners Registration Officer under whose jurisdiction you propose to stay.  This should be done within 14 days of Arrival in India, irrespectively of your actual period of stay. Foreigners visiting India on any other category of long term VISA that is valid for more than 180 days , are not required to register themselves if their actual stay does not exceed 180 days on each visit. If such a foreigner intends to stay in India for more than 180 days during a particular visit he/she should get registered within 180 days of arrival in India

The following categories of Foreign Nationals are exempted from Registration

Those visiting India on any short term VISA i.e. valid for 180 days or less

Children below 16 years of age (irrespective of any type of VISA)

Holding VISA for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)

Pakistan nationals are required to register within 24 hours of their arrival in India. Afghanistan nationals are required to register within 7 days of their arrival in India

Indian Customs

Indian Customs requires you to declare goods in excess of the free allowance, prohibited    or restricted goods & commercial at Red Channel counter. Export or Import of Narcotic Drugs, wildlife and its products and commercial goods and arms and explosives are prohibited / restricted.  Attempt to export or import these goods can lead to penal consequences, including arrest

Free allowance for tourists of Indian origin is normally Rs. 25000/- per passenger, including 2 litres of whisky / wine and 200 Nos. cigarettes. However the free allowance is lower for passengers arriving from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China and for children less than 10 yrs of age. One Laptop computer imported as baggage is allowed duty free for an adult passenger

All tourists can import used personal effects e.g Laptop,Palmtop computers, reasonable jewellery , free of duty if they are to re-export these items at the time of departure . Tourists of foreign origin can also import duty free gifts and souvenirs worth Rs. 8000/-

Passengers should declare foreign currency in the currency declaration form if the currency notes, bank notes, or Travel cheques are in excess of US $10,000 or equivalent

In case your baggage is mishandled (lost) on arrival, please ensure that you have obtained the Customs endorsement about the unavailed free allowance. In case of any difficulty or complaint, please contact the Custom Officer on duty at the Baggages Reclaim Area

For updated information please contact the Custom Officer

Health

Tourists coming to India via Africa and South America or any other yellow fever infected area must have yellow fever vaccination certificate. No other vaccination certificate is mandatory though you may like to consult your doctor for inoculation against typhoid, and meningitis. Inoculations for cholera and hepatitis A and anti-malarial pills are recommended

Exchange control formalities

Exchange Control formalities to be observed by foreign visitors coming to India are quite simple. There are 24 hour exchange facilities available at International airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. There are few regulations on certain items. Those relating to all key areas are summarised below

Currency and jewellery

Foreign exchange comprising foreign currency notes/coins, travellers’ cheques, drafts drawn on banks in India or bank letters of credit can be brought into India without limit. However, if the total amount of foreign currency notes/coins or travellers cheques brought into India at one time exceeds USD10000/- or its equivalent, it is required to be declared by the holder to the Indian Customs authorities on arrival on a Currency Declaration Form (CDF). A copy of the CDF duly certified by the customs will be handed over to the declarant. This declaration facilitates easy conversion of foreign currency into Indian currency by the tourists and also reconversion of their unspent balances of Indian rupees into foreign currency at the time of their departure from India. Blank Currency Declaration Forms are available with the airport/seaport Customs

Bringing Indian currency of any denomination into India is prohibited. Foreign tourists' returning to India from Nepal are, however, permitted to bring with them unspent Indian currency which needs to be declared. There is no restriction on bringing into India of cheques/drafts issued by overseas bank and denominated in Indian rupees drawn on banks situated in India

Foreign tourists are permitted to bring with them their personal jewellery either worn on their person or as part of their personal effects in accordance with Customs Baggage Rules. The Rules, inter alia, require an endorsement by the Indian Customs on the tourists' passports about the jewellery brought by the latter. In order to facilitate Customs clearance of the same personal jewellery at the time of the tourist's departure from India, details thereof are endorsed on the tourist's passports at the time of entry

Carrying foreign/Indian currency out of India

Foreign tourists are permitted to take out with them, in any form, unspent foreign exchange previously brought into India by them against the production of Currency Declaration Form, wherever issued at the time of arrival

Taking out of any Indian Currency is prohibited. Foreign visitors going to Nepal from India can, however, take with them in denominations of Rs. 100/- and below, Indian currency acquired out of sale of foreign exchange brought into India by them

A foreign visitor should present his/her travellers cheques or foreign currency notes to a branch of an authorised dealer or licensed money-changer along with the Currency Declaration Form (CDF) if one was filled up at the time of his arrival in India. Authorised dealer/money-changers will enter the amount of foreign currency en-cashed in the CDF and also issue an Encashment Certificate showing details of foreign currency en-cashed, rate of conversion and amount of rupees paid. Tourists are advised to obtain Encashment Certificates in their own names and necessary endorsements in the CDFs, where applicable, in order to facilitate easy reconversion into foreign exchange of the Indian currency left with them at the time of their departure from India. Authorised dealers / licensed money-changers have been advised to en-cash foreign currency instruments and to issue Encashment Certificates even in cases where a Currency Declaration Form filled up by a tourist cannot be produced for verification due to unavoidable circumstances. Unspent balances of Indian currency can be re-converted into foreign currency at the time of departure from India, only against Encashment Certificates, which are valid for 3 months from the date of their issue. In the absence of any Encashment Certificate, a maximum of Rs. 100/- will be allowed to be converted into foreign currency at the exit point. Mercury Travels is an authorised agent for exchange of Foreign Currency

Exchange rates

The rates for purchase and sale of UK Pound and US$ currency notes and foreign currency travellers cheques, where applicable, are quoted by authorised dealers/money-changers within the floor and ceiling rates worked out daily in accordance with guidelines prescribed by Reserve Bank of India. For other currencies, banks quote rates based on market conditions. Bank drafts and travellers cheques fetch better rates than currency notes. Currencies like UK Pound, US$ and Deutsche Mark are widely accepted

Payment of hotel bills

Foreign nationals have to pay their hotel bills in foreign exchange. They may also pay in rupees, provided the rupees are derived out of sale of foreign exchange to authorised dealers/licensed money-changers as evidenced by the production of Encashment Certificates. (See iii). International credit cards are accepted in most hotels

Travel within India

For travel within India, foreign tourists have to pay their fares in foreign exchange. All booking offices of Indian Airlines, all other private airlines and booking offices of Indian Railways at many important centres accept payment in foreign exchange from foreign tourists. Rail fares can be paid in Indian rupees on the production of the Encashment Certificates obtained earlier

Booking return passage from India

Foreign tourists not holding return tickets purchased abroad may book their passage tickets for travel out of India through any airlines/shipping company or licensed travel agent. The passage fare has to be paid in foreign exchange or in Indian currency obtained in an approved manner

Unaccompanied baggage

Foreign visitors are required to pay charges for their excess baggage or freight on their unaccompanied baggage in foreign exchange. Payment in Indian rupees is also acceptable if supported by valid Encashment Certificates

Purchase of goods/articles by foreign tourists

Shops/emporia selling goods or providing services to foreign tourists are permitted to accept payment in foreign exchange against all major Credit Cards/ Bank Drafts, Travellers cheques. Foreign tourists are permitted by Indian Customs to take with them goods purchased in India without any value limit. There are restrictions on the export of antiquities and art objects more than 100 years old export of most wildlife product is prohibited or strictly regulated: therefore  avoid buying anything made of ivory, reptile skin, fur, musk, tortoise shells and any part of wild animals, provided the goods are purchased out of funds brought from abroad. The visitors have to complete a tourist’s questionnaire which is available with shops/travel agencies and submit it along with their Encashment Certificate. Some shops and emporia also undertake to send the goods abroad as unaccompanied baggage at the request of the tourists

Opening of bank accounts

A foreign tourist may open a temporary Rupee account with a bank in India by sale of foreign exchange brought or against remittance received from abroad. Such accounts can be maintained for a maximum period of 6 months and have to be closed before the account holders leave India