Rajasthan

Visas Information: All foreign tourists to India must possess a valid visas. Visas are not issued on arrival. Contact the Indian embassy or consulate in your country for issuing of visas. A tourist visa is valid for three to six months.

Tourist visas allow multiple entry to simplify visits to neighbouring countries. You will be required to fill in a disembarkation card on your way to India which will have to be submitted at the Immigration counters at the entry airport.

Visa for India may be applied for from the various Indian missions abroad. You may seek a tourist visa, business visa, student visa, employment visa, transit visa, or an entry visa for India from the following Indian missions abroad including the Embassies of India, High Commissions of India, and the Consulate Generals of India.

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:

Transit Visa : 5 $

Visas with validity up to six months : 30 $

Visas with validity up to one year : 50 $

Student Visa : 50 $

Visas with validity between one to five years : 100 $

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

Some of the types of Visas for visiting India are:

Tourist Visa: It 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 recognized travel agency may be considered for grant of collective tourist visa. If you are coming to India on a holiday to explore the country, then, tourist visa is for you.

Collective Visas: Foreign tourist travelling in group of not less than four, under recognized travel agent, can be granted tourist visas without prior reference, or even granted collective visas for tourism in India.

In such cases the following procedure may be adopted:

The agency sponsoring the group should furnish four copies of a list containing the full name, nationality, address, date and place of birth and passport particulars of each member of the group to the Indian Mission in the country from which the tour starts, at three days prior to the date of departure.

After necessary checks, the Mission will stamp a collective visa and it will not be necessary to stamp each individuals passport. Three copies of the list will be returned to the sponsoring agency.

The person incharge of the tourist group will hand over two copies of the list to the immigration authority at the point of arrival in India.

The agents in India will also have to furnish the list of the members of the group at least four hours before arrival of the flight, to the immigration authority.

In cases where the tourist groups splits into smaller groups for travel to different parts within India, the immigration authority would grant a collective ‘license to travel’ listing the particulars of the members of the smaller groups.

Business Visa: For a business related trip, you need to apply for the 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. This visa is required by persons visiting India on business. Business visas are normally Multiple Entry and may be granted for up to two years.

Business visas are issued for visits of more than 180-days with multiple entries. Although Business visa is usually valid for a period of up to five years, there is no hard and fast rule for the same. Business visa valid for up to ten years with multiple entries is available to foreign businessmen who have set up or intend to set up joint ventures having governmental approval in India.

Employment Visa (Work Permits): A Multiple Entry employment visa is granted on a case by case basis to foreign nationals wishing to take up an employment in India. Indian companies are allowed to engage the services of foreign nationals without any approval. An employment visa must be obtained from the Indian Consulate in the country of residence of the applicant, prior to departure for India.

Normally following main papers are required to be filed with the application for employment visa:

An invitation letter from the overseas company and an employment letter from the Indian company.

Expected duration of the employment.

Student Visa: Student Visas are issued for study purpose in India. It is issued only 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.

Temporary Visa: Visitors to India need visas to enter the country unless they are Indian citizens. Non-resident Indians holding citizenship of another country are also required to obtain visas before arriving in India unless they hold a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card issued by the Indian Government. Visas must be obtained from the Indian Embassy or Consulate in the applicant’s home country. Special permits are required for visiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bhutan, Lakshadweep, remote Northeastern states and Sikkim. Tourist visas are valid for one to six months, generally beginning on the date the visa was issued and not on the date of entry into India. Tourist visas are generally multiple-entry visas, however, this option must be specifically requested at the time of application.

Entry Visa/X-Visa: This visa is granted to those persons who wish to visit India for long term or permanent residence but do not belong to any of the above categories. Foreign nationals coming to India on an employment visa may obtain an X-visa for their spouses before coming to India. If such a spouse decides to take up any employment in India, then the spouse will be required to go back to the port of origination and obtain the requisite employment visa.

According to the rules currently in force, a change of category of visa is not permitted. Any breach in the purpose / category of the visa granted to a foreign national is illegal and can result in his/her deportation.

The foreign nationals can however apply for an extension of visa duration. The application is to be made to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the concerned FRRO/Office of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) along with required documents for getting visa extension.

Registration Requirements

Foreign nationals entering India for the first time on a visa (whether tourist, business or any other) which is valid for a period of more than 180 days, would be required to register themselves with the appropriate Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within fourteen days of arrival in India. Such a visa holder would be required to register with the relevant FRRO not withstanding the fact that the visa holder intends to remain in India for a period that is less then the duration of the visa in question. Therefore, the implication of such a visa is that the foreign national holding the visa would be deemed to have the intention of remaining in India for the entire duration of the visa.

In case foreign nationals are required to move around the country to comply with the demands of their jobs/profession, they would be required to obtain registration with the “relevant FRRO”, i.e., either in the first port of entry or where the residential address has been provided.

Conversion/Extension of Visa

In the event that a foreign national holding a visa valid for a period of less than one year desires to convert it into a visa valid for a period of more than one year, then he/she would be required to approach the Ministry of Home Affairs for conversion/extension of the said visa.

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.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 5th, 2007 at 4:59 am and is filed under About Rajasthan, Rajasthan, Rajasthan Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.