India Transit Visa
Are you transiting through India en route to another country? You might need to get a transit visa for India.
India Transit Visas are generally valid for single entry for a period of up to 15 days.
I’ll break everything down for you below about how to go about getting the India Transit Visa.
Visa required for U.S. citizens before you go to India: Yes.
Diplomatic and Official visa applications, however, are accepted directly at the Indian Embassy and Consulates.
Visa required for non-U.S. citizens before you go to India: All foreign nationals entering India are required to possess a valid international travel document in the form of a national passport or UN Laissez Faire with a valid visa obtained from an Indian Mission or Post abroad. Nationals of Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives are however, exempted from this requirement.
(Go to my India visa page for information on the other types of visas for India.)
If you’re inside the U.S.:
All visa applications must go through Cox & Kings Global Services.
There is still an Embassy of India in Washington D.C., however, as well as various consulates.
If you’re outside of the U.S.: Click here.
Follow the links from Step 1 above where you will see pretty fool-proof steps on how to go about getting the visa.
Submit your required materials and visa fee from Step 2 to the entity you found in Step 1.
Congratulations! That’s it!
- If you applied in person, go pick it up.
- If you applied by mail, wait until it gets to you.
Don’t get sick! Check vaccination requirements here.
I often get the question for people traveling via India to Nepal if they need to get a transit visa or a multiple entry tourist visa. I actually recommend getting the multiple entry tourist visa. Here is why:
- The Indian Embassy/Consulates around the world have quite a bit of discretion in terms of the terms and conditions that they can give on visas. As an example, I know of a couple who applied for an India transit visa to get to Nepal (via India)…the husband got double entry while the wife got single entry. Go figure! The visa service that served as the intermediary could do nothing as the consulate gives what it wants to give.
- Getting a transit visa (single entry) in Nepal is possible. I wouldn’t personally go that route because you don’t want to spend your precious time waiting in a line to get visa documents processed, and it will be your only option. Don’t get stuck!
- While the multiple entry tourist visa for India is more expensive, it will give you more peace of mind, knowing that you can enter and re-enter India problem-free.
- Amendment pages are used by the U.S. State Department to make notes such as name changes and other notations the US government needs to make without effecting valid visa pages.
- Amendment pages are not accepted as “blank pages” upon which to put an Indian visa stamp. The pages need to be completely blank. If you need to add more blank pages to your passport, contact the relevant authorities.
- If you need more blank pages in your passport, you can add more by going to your local authorities.
Further Reading
Want Professional Visa Help? If you are a U.S. citizen and want professional help with getting a visa, check out my post on the 4 Best Travel Visa Services in the United States.
Worldwide Moving Guide: Everything you need to know in order to plan your move to 65+ countries around the world.
Find an Embassy or Consulate: Check my Worldwide Embassy and Consulate Finder to find the diplomatic representation nearest you.
Worldwide Jobs Guide: Be sure to check out my posts on how to find jobs in any country in the world.
Worldwide Dating Guide: Also, check out my posts on the best online dating sites in 60+ countries around the world.
About Addison Sears-Collins
Hey! I'm Addison Sears-Collins, the founder of Visa Hunter. You can learn more about me here. Connect with me by liking my fan page on Facebook, connecting with me on Twitter, or check out my website Automatic Addison where I build robots and embedded systems.
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