Indian Passport & Visa Information
CPV Division of the Ministry of External Affairs is responsible for issuance of Indian Passport to the Indian Citizens. Their website link is
Some important services provided at Indian missions abroad are:
· Issue of New Passport after 10 years (from the date of issue)
· Renewal of a Short Validity Passport
· Issue of a Duplicate Passport (In lieu of lost/damaged passport)
· Adding pages to a Passport (Requires issue of a new Passport booklet)
· Issue of a new Passport booklet due to
o Change of name
o Change of surname after marriage
o Change in appearance
o Change of date or place of birth (entered under the laminated portion of the Passport
· Issue of Emergency Travel Document Application for a new passport can be made six months before date of expiry or within one year of the expiry of the passport.
SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PASSPORT
· Please keep a photocopy of your passport in a safe place. Without these relevant issuance of a duplicate passport in case of loss/damage/theft may be delayed.
· It is an offence under the Passports Act 1967 to give false information in the Application. Passport facilities can be denied on grounds of suppression of factual information, submission of false particulars, willful damage of passport and for making unauthorized changes in the passport.
· Your passport can be impounded or revoked by the Government of India under the provisions of the Passports Act 1967, in the event of which you will have to surrender the Passport to the nearest Indian Passport authority.
· Indian Citizenship Law Does Not Provide for Dual Citizenship and, accordingly, it is illegal for a person to possess an Indian Passport once he/she becomes citizen of another country. It may therefore, be noted that on becoming citizen of any other country (including US), the holder of an Indian passport should return the same to the nearest Indian Consular post (Embassy/Consulate). The Indian passport will be stamped "acquired "---" nationality" and returned to holder. Please send the Indian passport with covering letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope for this purpose.
· Always check the expiry date of your Passport, and get it renewed well in advance of the expiry. Incase your Passport has expired more than six months back the process of renewal may take longer time.
· Passport should not be sent out of any country by post. It should be in the custody of the holder or especially authorized by the holder. It must not be altered or mutilated in any way. Loss, theft or destruction of Passport should be immediately reported to the nearest passport authority in India or Mission abroad and to the local police authorities.
For foreign national India issues different types of visas.
TYPES OF VISAS:
Tourist Visa:
Issued for 6 months, 1 year and 10 years. The period of stay in India (for each visit) is 6 months only.
Entry Visa:
Entry visas are issued only to people of Indian origin. Such visas are valid for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years.
Business Visa:
Valid for 6 months/one year with multiple entries. A letter (on company letterhead) from Sponsoring Organization indicating the nature of applicant's business, probable duration of stay, places and organizations to be visited incorporating therein a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses, etc. should accompany the application.
Long term Business visas for ten years (multiple entries) in case of US Citizens and five years (multiple entries) for other nationals are available only to those who have set up industrial/business joint ventures in India. This fact, along with the details of joint venture in India must be mentioned in the sponsorship letter.
Student Visa:
Valid for six months to one year with multiple entries for bona fide students to pursue regular studies at recognized institutions in India. A letter confirming admission from such an institution along with evidence of financial arrangements for stay in India should accompany application. In case of admission in medical or Para-medical courses in India, a letter of Approval or "No Objection Certificate" from Indian Ministry of Health is also required. Likewise, for admission in graduate or post -graduate courses in Engineering or Technical institutions in India, a letter of approval or a No Objection Certificate from Ministry of Human Resources Development (Department of Education) should be submitted. For research purposes detail synopsis of the research project, countersigned by the sponsoring institution in India should be submitted.
Transit Visa (IN PERSON ONLY):
Valid for single/double entry for maximum stay of 15 days for bona fide transit purposes only.
Missionaries:
Valid for single entry and duration as permitted by Government of India. A letter, in triplicate, from sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, probable length of stay, and nature of duties to be discharged should be submitted along with guarantee for applicant’s maintenance while in India. NOTE: Processing of applications for research and missionaries may take up to three months.
Journalist Visa:
Journalist visas are issued to professional journalists and photographers for a maximum of three months only. “Journalists, who are not accredited to India, irrespective of their origin, are given only 3 months single entry visa, irrespective of their origin. Accordingly, journalists who wish to visit India for tourism/ sightseeing or any other purpose are advised to apply for 3 months visa only. Please note that it will not be possible to refund the excess fees in case a journalist applies for a long-term visa.”
Conference Visa:
Conference visas are issued for a period of 1 month or for the duration of the conference only. A letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference is to be submitted along with the visa application.
Employment Visa:
Employment visas are initially issued for one-year stay. This can be extended by Foreigners Regional Registration Office in India, if the job contract continues. Application for extension is required to be submitted at least 3 months in advance to concerned FRRO/FRO.
Employment Visa is given only for jobs that require very high level of skills and expertise. Spouses and children are granted co-terminus entry (X) visas on request.
Transfer of Valid Visa:
Valid visa can either be transferred from the expired passport to the new passport by submitting the visa application form, both the passports and required fee OR the passport holder could travel with both the expired passport containing the valid visa and the new passport keeping them together.
Special forms have to be filled by citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
PIO CARD
Facilities to be extended to a PIO Card Holder:
· A PIO Card holder shall not require a separate visa to visit India.
· A PIO Card holder will be exempted from the requirement of registration if his stay on any single visit in India does not exceed 180 days.
· In the event of continuous stay in India of the PIO Card holder exceeding 180 days, he/she shall have to get himself/herself registered within 30 days of the expiry of 180 days with the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Officer/Foreigners Registration Officer.
· All PIOs including PIO Card holders, shall enjoy parity with NRIs in respect of all facilities available to the latter in the economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties. No parity shall be allowed in the sphere of political rights.
Overseas Citizenship of India
The Constitution of India does not allow holding Indian citizenship and citizenship of a foreign country simultaneously. Based on the recommendation of the High Level committee on Indian Diaspora, the Government of India decided to grant Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) commonly known as ‘Dual Citizenship’.
Persons registered as OCI have not been given any voting rights, election to Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha/Legislative Assembly/Council, holding Constitutional posts such as President, Vice President, Judge of Supreme Court/High Court etc.
Registered OCIs shall be entitled to following benefits:
· Multiple entry, multi-purpose lifelong visa to visit India;
· Exemption from reporting to Police authorities for any length of stay in India; and
· Parity with NRIs in financial, economic and educational fields, except in the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.
· Any further benefits to OCIs will be notified by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) under section 7B(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
· A person registered as OCI is eligible to apply for grant of Indian citizenship under section 5(1)(g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 if he/she is registered as OCI for five years and has been residing in India for one year out of the five years before making the application.
Eligibility criteria:
A foreign national, who was eligible to become citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or at any time after 26.01.1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947 and his/her children and grand children, provided his/her country of citizenship allows dual citizenship in some form or other under the local laws, is eligible for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Minor children of such person are also eligible for OCI. However, if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.
Advantages of OCI over PIO cardholders:
· OCI is entitled to lifelong visa free travel to India whereas for PIO cardholder, it is for 15 years.
· PIO cardholder is required to register with local Police authority for stay exceeding 180 days in India on any single visit whereas OCI is exempted from registration with Police authority for any length of stay in India.
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