VISA FACTSHEET

ANE SOTA Meeting New Delhi, India

Visas are required for all visitors to India. SOTA attendees should apply for the conference visa, which requires a letter of invitation to the conference (available to download from the SOTA website).

The instructions and information given here are targeted to visitors coming from the U.S. For more information on the application process and fees coming from another country please go to the Indian embassy website site for your country or region, listed at the URL below:

http://www.indianembassy.org/links/indialinks.htm

Visa Requirements

The following steps are required in order to obtain a visa for travel to India.

1. Passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date of intended departure from India.
2. Completed visa application form http://www.indianembassy.org/consular/visa.pdf
3. Two recent identical passport size photographs (black/white or color) depicting front pose against light background. Paste one photo and staple the other one on the form at specified place.
4. Supporting documents. For the conference visa, a letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference is to be submitted with the visa application. Those applying in a country other than their country of nationality must submit proof of long-term (at least three years) or permanent residence in the country where applying. (In this case, an additional fee is and extra processing time is applicable.)
5. Visa Fee. According to the Indian Embassy website, visas with validity up to six months (including the conference visa) cost US$ 60 for U.S. citizens, and $40 for other nationals. However, the fee varies on the country of origin. To confirm the fee from your country of residence in local currency, please see the Indian mission website: http://www.indianembassy.org/links/indialinks.htm. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted.

Notes:

• All persons of Indian origin who have acquired U.S. citizenship are advised to surrender their Indian passports to the nearest Indian mission for cancellation and return.  The cancelled Indian passports will be needed at the time of applying for Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card or Indian visa for the first time on a U.S. passport.
• Persons of Indian Origin applying for a visa for the FIRST time on U.S. passport must submit their Indian passport along with the application form for cancellation and return.  If the visa is required on a new U.S. passport booklet, either previous U.S. passport or photocopy of Indian visa are to be submitted with the application.
• Special visa application forms should be filled in by citizens of Pakistan (4 copies with 4 photos) and Bangladesh (2 copies with 2 photos).  (It usually takes 3-4 months to process visa applications of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Chinese passport holders).
• A single business visa fee for citizens of Sri Lanka is $3. For Pakistani Nationals the fee is $2 (but these nations are also subject to a $20 dollar processing fee. Processing time is about 10 days).
• Nationals of the following countries are granted gratis visa: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mongolia, Maldives, North Korea (DPRK), Poland, Slovak Republic, South Africa and Uruguay.