Thinking about a long-awaited visit to India? Then we advise you to familiarize yourself with the rules for applying for a visa for Russians. You will learn about the intricacies of this process, the cost of visa services, as well as other important nuances.
Visa rules
If you hear that visas for travel to India are no longer required, do not believe it! These are just rumors that mislead tourists. The only thing worth noting is the simplification of the rules for applying for a visa, which changed somewhat in 2016. Now you can get the document online, and you will be stamped in your passport upon arrival. But this rule applies in cases where a month is enough for you for your tour of India.
By the way, we recommend that you start the process of issuing a document before flying directly to India, since it begins to operate from the moment it is issued (and not from the moment you enter the country).
What are the visas
Many tourists know that visas differ not only in terms of the whole trip and registration rules, but also in terms of validity. In particular, for Russians who plan to spend time in the homeland of the Buddha, the following types of passes are offered today:
- one-time SINGLE (they are allowed to cross the border only once within the validity period);
- double DOUBLE, which enable the owner to cross the Indian border twice during the validity of the document. By the way, there used to be a temporary restriction on re-entry, which was 2 months. Today this rule has been canceled, and Russians can cross the border again at any convenient time;
- multivisa MULTIPLE, which allows you to enter / exit the country an unlimited number of times.
How to apply for an urgent visa
As a rule, the visa application process takes from 1 week. But do not despair, because if you wish, you can get the coveted pass and in a shorter time frame - in just 2-3 days. It should be remembered that e-visas are not renewable.
To receive a document in a short time, you need to provide the consulate with a standard package of documents, which can be found on the official website of the representative office. There is no need to come up with a special purpose of the visit to the country, it is enough to indicate the word "Tourism" in the corresponding column.
Visa Online
An alternative option for issuing a pass for Russian tourists to India is to apply online. Today, the service https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/ is gaining popularity, with which you can become the owner of the coveted document in a few days. To use the service, you need to fill out the proposed application form and attach all the necessary (indicated in the list) documents to it. Next, you pay for the services of the center using a bank card.
As practice shows, if all the documents are submitted correctly, then in 4-10 days you will have a cherished visa in your hands, which will become a kind of key to the fascinating world of Buddhism and wildlife. All that remains is to print the resulting form.
Tourist visa
Let's move on to considering the types of passes for successfully crossing the Indian border. Let's start with the most popular type - a tourist visa for traveling around the country for 3 or 6 months. In order to become the owner of this document, it is enough to go through a simple registration procedure, which begins with the submission of a standard package of documents. This package includes:
- a valid foreign passport of a tourist, which has several blank pages for pasting a pass;
- a copy of the pages that contain information about the owner of the said document;
- a copy of the national passport, including the registration page;
- a completed application form in the established form (the form can be found on the embassy's website);
- photographs of a tourist (photographs 3.5x4 cm are accepted, made in compliance with all requirements on a light background, without accessories that hide the face, etc.). By the way, one photo should be immediately pasted into the profile.
If available, other documents are also attached that reveal the purpose of the trip - a notarized copy of the invitation, a company voucher, documents on hotel reservations, copies of tickets in both directions, and sometimes even a detailed itinerary for a tourist trip in English.
Do not forget that for certain categories of Russians there are special rules for applying for a visa. For example, minor children (more precisely, their representatives) must provide a copy of a birth certificate, a power of attorney from parents, which provides for the accompanying of the child by an adult, etc.
Do not forget that in order to make a decision on issuing a pass, the embassy staff will need to study the financial condition of the client. Therefore, we advise you in advance to take a certificate of income or issue an extract from a banking institution.
Work Visa
Another popular type of document issued by tourists from Russia is a work visa. But such a pass for crossing the border can only be obtained by a qualified specialist who has managed to conclude a contract to work with an Indian company.
Not every specialist can obtain such an entry permit. A share of this must meet the following requirements:
- have at least a bachelor's degree;
- have all the necessary skills and knowledge that will allow you to effectively cope with responsibilities;
- a foreign employee is offered a salary of at least $ 20 thousand per year.
In addition to the standard package of documents, you must provide a copy of the employment contract, a petition from the employer, and a copy of the diploma.
Student visa
If you want to study at one of the universities in India, you can take up the process of applying for a student visa. In addition to traditional documents, potential students need to attach the original letter, which confirms the fact of admission to an educational institution, a certificate of payment for studies (admission to budgetary places for foreigners is difficult), data on the presence of a certain amount of money in the student's bank accounts.
Business visa
This type of travel permit is suitable for those traveling to India for business matters. In particular, such a visa can be opened for those who wish to establish a business in India, have the goal of establishing new contacts and expanding existing ones, wants to negotiate with partners or even train their staff.
To the standard list of documents, you will need to add an application from Indian partners, as well as confirmation of the registration of a legal entity in Russia.
Other types of entry permits
There are other types of passes as well. For example, a transit visa may be needed for those who are planning a short stay in India. Its validity is limited to only 15 days, while in the country itself a tourist can stay for no more than 72 hours. To obtain a permit of this type, it is necessary to attach copies of air tickets, which confirm the transit stay in India for no more than 3 days.
In addition, tourists from Russia can apply for a permit to enter India to study religious movements, participate in yoga classes, etc. To do this, you need to attach an official invitation and a certificate of income, which confirms the financial independence of the tourist.
We fill out the questionnaire ourselves
If you are planning to visit India for the first time, and have not faced the need to fill out a questionnaire before, you should familiarize yourself with some of the rules for filling out and submitting it. Let's consider what data needs to be entered in each line:
- in the INDIAN MISSION line, you will need to indicate the address of the representative office where the visa will be issued
- columns SURNAME and GIVEN NAME are intended to indicate the name and surname of the tourist. It is allowed to fill in the fields only in Latin letters (to do this correctly, we recommend that you rewrite your data from the first page of your foreign passport)
- in the SEX column, as you might guess, the gender is indicated
- data on your place of birth, date of birth and adherence to religion must be indicated in the Town, Country, Date of Birth, Religion fields
- if you have characteristic signs of appearance for identification of a person - scars, birthmarks, etc., then it is worth mentioning about these signs in the section Visible identification mark
- write nationality, education and passport number in the lines Educational, Nationality, Passportn.
Be careful with entering data in the Any other valid Passport Identity line, as there is always confusion with it. Some tourists enter here the data of their foreign passport, while others - national. Clients are often misled by the embassy staff themselves, who profit from clients by making corrections (of course, not for free). In this column, you need to enter the data of the Russian passport.
Next, the address of residence (Address), profession (Present Occupation), place of entry and exit from the country (DEHLI) are indicated. If necessary, you need to specify other data that will be required from you at the embassy.
If you have already visited India before, you must also indicate the data on previously received visas that have been issued to you over the past ten years. And do not forget to indicate in the application the contact numbers of relatives or friends.
Getting visa after landing at Indian airport
Since 2014, all Russians have the opportunity to apply for an entry permit directly at the airport in India. But before that, you must go through the appropriate procedure for filing and processing the document through the online service. After landing at the airport and when passing through customs inspection, tourists must provide a foreign passport with a validity period of at least 6 months, in which the appropriate border crossing stamp will be affixed.
So that tourists do not face difficulties when applying for a visa upon arrival, it is worth observing some nuances, in particular:
- the validity period of the foreign passport must be longer than 6 months;
- availability of a return ticket or to a third country;
- availability of free money or funds in a bank account, which will be enough to stay in India during the entire period of the visit;
- it is highly advisable to take care of purchasing travel insurance, which provides compensation in the event of a number of insured events.
If all the conditions are met, an appropriate stamp will be affixed in your passport, the validity of which will be only 1 month. By the way, the electronic visa, which is issued through the Internet service, has one significant drawback - the re-receipt of the document is possible no earlier than 12 months after the expiration of this visa.
How much does a visa cost and how long does it take to obtain a permit
For Russians, the visa processing time is only 4-5 days, provided that all requirements have been met and the necessary documents have been submitted. The cost of services for obtaining a permit is 62 dollars, including for young tourists.
A Single visa with a validity of 3 months will cost tourists 1,880 rubles, a double border crossing pass (Double) costs from 3,600 rubles today (valid for a six-month period).
What nuances are worth remembering
Remember that it is only worth submitting documents and filling out an application for an entry permit to India when you have collected all the necessary package. It is impossible to send or deliver documents, they must be submitted in one visit.
Be sure to check the correctness of filling out the documents, their compliance with the requirements of the embassy. Especially you need to pay attention to the compliance of the photos with the requirements set by the embassy.
You can extend your long-term visa without leaving India. To do this, it is enough to provide a certificate of the absence of HIV diseases, which can be issued at the local hospital.
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When and on what grounds can a visa be refused?
Russians can refuse to issue a visa if the procedure for submitting documents is not followed or if there are violations:
- the documents were submitted out of order or in a form that does not meet the requirements of the embassy;
- shortcomings in documents;
- if there is a mark in the passport about the refusal to issue a visa;
- a Russian during his previous stay in India committed violations or has unpaid fines.
Refusal in registration and permits can also be based on the suspicions of the embassy employee himself. At the same time, according to the latest data, the number of such refusals has decreased significantly.
