Traveling to India has been made easy since the introduction of the eVisa system. After the introduction of this comfortable access to immigration and visa, not only the tourism industry has flourished but more and people have started traveling to India for business and medical as well. This has given a surge in the economic stability of the country. It is an online system where you are only required to fill in some required information and attach a few documents as proof of your identity and nature of traveling. Following which the Indian Immigration authorities carry out the necessary counter check and provide you with an online confirmation through an email address. This confirmation is in the form of a visa which you will be required to show in printed form at the arrival airport in India and would be stamped for you.
What is the Indian eVisa?
Indian eVisa is an official document provided to travelers by the Government of India as proof of legal entry into the country. It was introduced in 2013 and since then, citizens from 161 countries are eligible to apply and obtain the Indian eVisa, the list can be seen on many sites online. In order to apply for this document, you will be required to reach a site that allows you to apply for the eVisa to India and fill in the requisite data. The filling process will only require 10 – 15 minutes. Following this, you will have to make the due payment as per the urgency of your requirement of the visa.
Before starting the application procedure, you must have your hands over a valid passport, digital (scanned) passport size photograph, scan copy of 1st page of your passport, business card, or an invitation for business or medical documents.
At present, you can apply for an Indian eVisa minimum of four days in advance of the arrival date and a maximum of 120 days before arrival. This has given a lot of flexibility to the travelers to plan their business and medical trip. You can make multiple entries into the country for up to 180 days stay for business and 90 days stay for medical travel.
In addition to the traditional tourism eVisa, several other eVisas are being issued by the government of India at the moment. These include e-Business Visa, e – Conference Visa, e – Medical Visa, and e – Medical Attendant Visa. All these types of visas have almost the same procedures and a little variation in the allowed stay in India.
Is Indian eVisa Still Available?
Following the spread of the COVID pandemic, the eVisa has been restricted to limited categories of travel, including business travel and travel for medical treatment. The procedure for applying under these categories remains the same as earlier, however, in addition to the documents required for routine eVisa, you will be required to provide proof of certain tests and results concerning COVID – 19 at the time applying for a medical or business eVisa.
Indian Tourist Visa
The most demanded visa for traveling to India remains the Tourist visa. Under the present circumstances of the CORONA Virus, this visa type remains suspended.
Safety of Information
Most of the applicants remain worried about the security and handling of their personal information by so many desks and individuals. Despite the availability and handling of huge personal data of travelers while they apply for an Indian eVisa, it is always assured by the Government of India that the information provided would be kept secure and out of reach of any unwanted user. To verify the fact of this claim, it is suggested to go through blogs and reviews of those who have recently traveled to India for any purpose.
India 10 Year Visa
A privilege is offered to the nationals of the United States of America when it comes to the validity of tourist visas. US citizens are offered to opt for a 10-year tourist visa when interested, though they hold the choice to go for 5 years or even a 1-year visa like many other countries. This never means that a US citizen can stay in India for complete 10 years duration but they have to ensure multiple entries. The validity of this type of visa starts expiring from the day of its approval and not from the day of your first entry into the country. At a stretch, a tourist from the United States of America can stay in India for not more than 6 months 7 to make the next entry to India, he or she has to wait for a minimum period of 2 months after the date of exit. The service fee of this 10-year visa is almost the same as that of a five-year visa (USD 86.00). This visa allows the visitors to travel to any part of India through Land, Air, or even sea within 6 months span.
The basic requirements for 10 Year Indian Visa for United States citizens are almost the same as for other traditional visa types. These include the following: -
Visa on Arrival
Immigration Authorities of India do not allow visas on arrival to any visitor, however, under extreme emergency and certain unavoidable circumstances, you may be able to get a temporary transit visa.
