NEW TOURIST VISA REGULATIONS IN FORCE
1. Tourist Visas can only be granted to a foreign national who does not have a residence or occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is –
(i) Recreation
(ii) Sight-seeing
(iii) A casual visit to meet friends and relatives
No other activity is permissible on a Tourist Visa. A Tourist Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible. For purposes other than tourism, applicants should apply for other appropriate types of visa.
2. To curb potential abuse or misuse of the Tourist Visa, the following restrictions are being applied with immediate effect on ALL categories of Tourist Visas:-
(a) After every visit to India, there must be a gap of a minimum of 2-months before a person undertakes another visit to India.
(b) Where a foreign national is required to travel to India again within 2-months of his/her last departure due to emergent situations such as death/serious illness in the family, non-availability of connecting flights for the visitor to return to their country of origin, travel to another country or any other exigent situation, the foreign national should obtain special permission to do so from the concerned Indian diplomatic mission, which will decide on the merits of a case, based on supporting documents furnished by the foreign national.
3. Where a person seeks exemption from the mandatory 2-months gap, the applicant
(a) Must furnish an undertaking along the following lines:
That the purpose of his/her visit is in response to an emergency situation.
That he/she is not engaged in business activities or employment, and that the exemption sought is not in pursuit of academic purposes (studies/research etc).
(b) Should also require to register himself / herself with the FRRO/FRO concerned in India within 14 days of arrival. The registration may be done at the first place of landing in India.
4. Foreigners holding Tourist Visas, who after initial entry into India plan to visit another country largely on account of neighborhood tourism related travel and re-enter India before finally exiting, may be permitted two or three entries, as the case may be (need based), by Indian Missions/Posts. This is subject to submission of a detailed itinerary and supporting documentation (ticket bookings).
5. If the applicant is already outside of their country of origin, they may also get such an endorsement from the nearest Indian Mission/Post.
Download Visa application forms
- If you are applying for Diplomatic or Official Visa, please CLICK HERE
- If you are applying from Johannesburg (provinces covered are-Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, Northern Cape and Western Cape), please CLICK HERE
- If you are applying from Durban (provinces covered are - Kwazulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Free State), please CLICK HERE
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