Traveling to India for the first time? Well then, here we are, bringing to you the most important FAQs before you plan your itinerary to visit the exotic land of India, enriched with beautiful and exciting destinations. But, before you make your hasty plan, take a seat back and know all about the immigration requirements to enter India before you catch a flight. Here, we will share the information about all the essential visas and vaccinations for your trip to India.
According to the Indian government, immigration board, and WHO, there are certain procedures and legal documents required to be processed by the authorities before.
However, every process is different based on the type of visa you will be applying for or the movement across the country. Based on the type of your excursion into the foreign land, there are certain visa requirements as well as vaccinations prescribed by the medical and immigration authorities.
The answer to this question widely depends on the type of travel you want to have. Please do mind that we are not talking about credit cards here. Whatsoever, the situation of visa in India has changed many times over the years, but the process for visa application is very simple.
First of all, you need to understand that there are three types of visas available for all the countries, namely, working visas, student visas, and travel visas.
However, we will be more on travel/tourist visas in this article. So, if you are a traveller, we hope that this article will help you find the essential visas and vaccinations for your trip to India.
For all the passport holders in the world, they must apply for e-visa and most of the countries are eligible (except Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq). It is very simple to apply for an e-tourist visa directly on the portal or you can also approach an agent for the same.
If you are from the Maldives, congratulations! as you are the only passport holder who is allowed to enter India freely without a visa.
Moreover, if you are from Japan, you are eligible for a visa upon arrival. Apart from that, every passport holder requires to apply for an e-visa or proper visa from the Indian Embassy of your country which will follow a series of verification processes.
The Indian Government e-visa website is designed very ergonomically where you can get a direct link to applying for a visa to begin the whole process. As you complete the process, you will be prompted to the payment portal to complete the payment.
You will receive a mail once your application gets approved and you can print the same while you arrive at the immigration counter in India.
Visa usually implicates freedom of movement of an individual across countries around the globe. There are various visa types available and each one of them has several regulations and protocols that need to be followed.
Usually, the citizens of Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives do not require any visa to enter India and the citizens of these countries are free to live and work freely in India. However, they should have a proper identity card along with proof of residence.
Other than that, every other country needs to state a valid reason for arrival, nature of work, and limit of stay. If you are a tourist, you are required to state your need to visit the country and the limit of the stay in India. Without proper reasons or sharing a full itinerary, your application may get disapproved.
If you are allowed to enter the country without properly filling out an application form stating your limit of stay or purpose of visit, the immigration, and the police department holds every right to hold you in custody for interrogation or deport immediately without showing further cause.
In pessimistic situations, the government of India also holds the authority to disbar your passport to enter the country in the future. Thus, you will be disqualified to even apply for a visa.
So, make sure you fill out the form properly with all details correct and if required double-check the application before submitting so that upon arrival you can get clearance early and enjoy the majestic land of India along with its exotic locations to visit.
Vaccinations are very much required if you are planning to visit any country, let alone India. It not only helps you to become safe from the dangerous diseases that other countries may inject but also protects the life of every individual that you come in contact with.
While we may suggest some vaccinations as a general consultation, it is always advised to contact your local therapist or health centers to understand which vaccines you should get before coming to India.
And now with the widespread pandemic like the flu, corona viruses and all, you must undergo a health check-up even before you plan to visit India as the health professionals are always in touch with the latest information which will help you make the right decision.
As of now, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), you do not need any vaccines to enter India.
However, the government asks you to have a yellow fever shot if you are coming from a country with a risk of transmission of yellow fever. Furthermore, you should also have vaccinated for hepatitis A and Typhoid due to the high risk of these diseases in India.
Apart from these, you can also vaccinate yourself with food-borne diseases if you plan to taste the street food culinary in India. It is more of a preventive health measure.
In addition to that, you should also get shots for water-borne diseases for safety. However, it is advisable not to drink water from any other sources than a sealed drinking water bottle.
If you are in a hurry and forgot to take the shots before boarding the flight, do not worry as India has special health care facilities in the top metropolitan cities and nearby major airports allowing the international flight to descend.
So, if you wish, you can still get vaccinations for the above-mentioned diseases just after your immigration. You can get to the nearby hospitals for the same and the immigration officers will help you with that.
If you look at the essential visas and vaccinations for your trip to India, the immigration offices and hospitals also have copies of the vaccines you require based on the area you are visiting from and your medical history.
Hence, it is suggested to carry your medical history reports with you when you are visiting any foreign land so that if you get caught by any disease in a foreign land, the medical practitioners can help you with recovery based on your history and provide you with effective medicines for quick healing.
Moreover, in this digital age, you can also keep a soft-copy of your history. In addition to this statement, we would also like to suggest that it is always better to get the shots from your usual health professionals due to various reasons.
First of all, they know you better as well as your allergies and reactions to certain medicines or formulas. In that way, they can help you achieve better health than any health professional diagnosing you for the first time.
Secondly, the hospital in India that you are visiting for vaccination might be out of the shots and you may have to spend some time in quarantine before the vaccine arrives which would disappoint your trip.
Lastly, the vaccine may have some ingredients which might cause you allergies and fever thereby spoiling your trip to India.
It is no ruse that people often misplace their passport and visa while visiting other countries. While many may hold on to it in their purse or stack it in a hotel room drawer.
There is always a possibility of misplacing them, most importantly the visa, if not both, or get their passports or visas stolen. But you do not need to panic when you face a situation like that.
All you have to do is calm yourself and try to remember the last time you saw your belongings or the face of the thief who stole your purse in case.
You can apply for a new visa and passport with the Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office before you leave the country along with a Police FIR with all the details.
The process usually takes up to 2-3 business days and you will be provided with a provisional letter for visa and passport which will allow you to roam within the country or state likewise but it doesn’t allow you to leave the country.
Please note to have a photocopy or scanned copy of the following documents while you enter India so that you can produce the same during the process in case your passport and visa gets misplaced or stolen:
● Name and nationality
● Date and place of birth
● Photocopy of lost visa/passport with the issuance and expiry date
● A circumstance when lost
So, these are some of the burning questions that tourists have in mind while visiting India which we have answered.
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It was a guest post, hope it was useful information and you will find it beneficial while planning for your trip to India.
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