Passport & Visa :

Peoples of all countries need to have a legal passport and an entry, transit or tourist visa obtained from the Indian Mission in their country. Tourist visa is normally valid for 120 days. Applying to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi can get visa extensions.

The letter should then be handed over at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office at Hans Bhavan, Tilak Bridge, near ITO. Delhi. Those wishing to visit neighboring country like Sri Lanka or Nepal, and then coming back to India, should obtain a double/multiple entry visa.

Registration
All foreigners are mandatory to get themselves registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office which is situated in Hans Bhavan, Tilak Road, Near ITO Delhi.

Income-Tax Clearance
If the stay go above 120 days, an income-tax clearance certificate, issued by the Foreign Section of the Income-Tax Office is required.

Health Regulations
Yellow fever inoculation certificate is necessary for those who have traveled across Africa, or Papua New Guinea in the last six days. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after the inoculation.

No immunization against small pox or cholera is required. Those without the yellow certificate are liable to be quarantined for up to six days.

Type of Visa

• Tourist Visa
  Tourist visas valid for six-month and one year (six months stay each time) are available. Ten-year Tourist visas permitting a stay of maximum of six-month on each visit are available to U.S. citizens who are frequent visitors to India. A person desirous of visiting India frequently but not intending to stay for more than six months at a time is advised to apply for this type of visa. Please note that it is not possible to extend your stay in India beyond 6 months if you are visiting India on this visa. For non-US nationals, who are permanent residents of US 5 year tourist visa with six months stay each visit is available.
   

• Entry Visa
  Valid for six months to one-year stay with multiple entries for legitimate purposes only. Five-year long-term stay visas are available only for US citizens of Indian origin. The five-year entry visa allows the holder to stay in India for up to 5 years after they have registered themselves with the authorities in India. This visa is advisable for people who intend to live in India on a long-term basis and for more than six months at a time. There is no Ten-year entry visa.
   

• Business Visa
  Valid for six months and one year with multiple entries. A letter from Sponsoring Organization indicating the nature of applicant's business, probable duration of stay, places and organizations to be visited incorporating therein a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses, etc. may accompany the application. Ten-year Business visas are available to U.S passport holders. A business letter from India or US may accompany the application.
   

• Student Visa
  Depending upon the duration of the course, multiple entry student visas for bonafide students to pursue regular studies at recognized institution in India are available. Visa is valid for up to five years or the duration of the course whichever is less. A letter confirming admission from such an institution along with evidence of financial arrangements for stay in India should accompany the application. In case of admission in medical or para-medical courses in India, a letter of approval or No Objection Certificate from Ministry of Health, Government of India, New Delhi, is mandatory. Likewise for admission in graduate or post-graduate courses in Engineering or Technical Institutions in India, a letter of approval or a No Objection from Ministry of Human Resources Development (Dept. of Education), Government of India, New Delhi, should be submitted. For research purposes detailed synopsis of the research project, countersigned by the sponsoring institution in India should be submitted. Processing of applications for research may take about three months.
   

• Transit Visa
  Valid for single/double entry for short stop over for travelling to a third country is available. Confirmed onward tickets must accompany the applications.
   

• Missionaries
  Valid for single entry and duration as permitted by the 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. Processing of applications for missionaries may take up to three months.
   

• Journalist Visa
  Journalist visas are given to professional journalists and photographers for three months stay in India.
   

• Employment Visa
  Employment visas are initially issued for one-year stay. A copy of the contract with the employer has to be enclosed. Kindly note that Employment Visa is given only for jobs that require very high level of skills and expertise. This can be extended by Foreigners Regional Registration Office in India, if the job contract continues. Spouses and children are granted co-terminus entry visas on request.
   

• Conference Visa
  Letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference and approvals of Indian authorities are to be submitted along with the visa application.
   

• Transfer Of Visas
  To transfer visas from an expired passport to the new passport, application form duly filled in along with one photo and the required fees. It is possible to travel with expired old passport with valid Indian visa and valid new passport issued subsequent to issue of Indian visa.
   

For Extension of visa contact MHA- Director (F), Lok Nayak Bhawan, Ist floor, Khan market, New Delhi-110003.

Immigration Procedures

The Bureau of Immigration handles the immigration procedures at the major international airports and the foreigner's registration work at five major cities in India. The field officers in charge of immigration and registration activities at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Amritsar are called Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRROs). The designation for the equivalent in Chennai (Madras) is Chief Immigration Officer (CHIO).

Calcutta Phone: 033-2470549/5528830