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Visas and documents
Passport
Visas for India
Visas
en route to India
Visa extensions
Visas
for neighbouring countries
Restricted area
permits
Onward tickets
Driving license and permits
Other documents
Photocopies
Passport
You must have a passport with you all the time; it is the most basic travel document. Ensure that it will be valid for the entire period you intend to remain overseas. If your passport is lost or stolen, immediately contact your country's representative (see Embassies & Consulates later in this chapter).
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Visas for India
Six month multiple-entry visas (valid from the date of issue) are now issued to most nationals regardless of whether you intend staying that long or re entering the country.
Visas cost A$55 for Australians, UKŁ19 for Britons, and FF200 for French passport holders. US passport holders may also apply for one year and 10 year multiple entry visas, the latter, at the time of writing, only available from India embassies in the USA, Japan and Hong Kong.
For US citizens, a six month multiple-entry visa cost US$50, a 12 month multiple entry visa cost US$70, a 10 year multiple-entry visa cost US$120 and a transit visa cost US$25.
Passport and visa form for US citizens are available online from the San Francisco consulate's Web site at (www.indianconsulate-sf.org).
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If you prefer to get your visa en route to India you can pick it up from the following countries:
Nepal
The Indian embassy in Kathmandu is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 1 pm and 1.30 to 5.30 pm; visa applications are accepted Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and visas are available for collection between 4.45 and 5.30pm - allow at least seven days for processing.
Pakistan
The High commission in Islamabad is quite effective, although if there is an Indian embassy in your home country they may have to fax there to check that you are not a thief, wanted by the police or in some other way undesirable. The process takes a few days, an of course you have to pay for the fax.
Sri Lanka
The Indian High Commission in Colombo or the Assistant High Commission in Kandy, both in Sri Lanka, will also make you pay for a fax as well as the visa.
Thailand
It usually takes four working days for non-Thai nationals to obtain an Indian Visa.
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Visa Extensions
Fifteen-day extensions are available from Foreigners' Registration offices in the main Indian cities. You can only get another six months by leaving the country. Some travellers have reported difficulty getting another visa in Nepal.
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Visa for Neighbouring Countries
Bhutan
The Bhutan visa process is seemingly complicated, but actually straightforward once you understand the process. Visas are issued only when you arrive in the country, either at Paro airport or (if by road) at Phuentsholing. You must make an application in advance through a tour operator and receive approval before you travel to Bhutan. There is no point in applying for a Bhutan visa in India or anywhere else abroad you are on some sort of government or official project. All applications for tourist visas (a maximum of 15 days) and extensions (not exceeding six months) must be channelled through the tourism authority in Thimpu and no tour operator is allowed to entertain any visitor whose visa has been processed through other channels. For information on reputable tour operators and other aspects of travel relating to Bhutan.
Mynmar (Burma)
The embassy in Delhi is fast and efficient and issues four-week visas.
Nepal
The Nepali embassy in Delhi is quite to Connaught Place, both out at Channakyapuri like most other embassies. You need one photo and passports are picked up the next day (except Friday, in which case they can be picked that afternoon between 2.30 pm and 3 pm). It is open Monday to Thursday from 9 am to noon and Friday from 10 to 11 am. Single entry, 15/30 day visas cost US$15/25, double-entry 30-day visas cost $40, and multiple entry 60 day visas cost $60.
The consulate in Calcutta is open from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4 pm. Visas are issued while you wait.
Sri Lanka
Most nationalities get a 30-day visa on arrival in Thailand. This visa-on-arrival can't be extended. A two month visa from a Thai embassy costs US$12 and can be extended for one further month while in Thailand.
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Restricted Area Permits
Even with a visa you are not allowed everywhere in India. Certain places require special additional permits. These are covered in more detail in the appropriate regional chapters.
Andaman Islands
Foreigners need a permit to visit the Andaman Islands. The Nicobar Islands are off Limits to all except Indian nationals engaged in research, government business or trade. The 30 day (maximum) permit allows foreigners to stay in South Andaman, Middle Andaman, Little Andaman (tribal reserves on these islands are out of bounds), Bharatang, North Passage, Neil, Havelock and Long Islands. On North Andaman foreigners may stay only in Diglipur.
Day trips are permitted to Ross, Viper Cinque, Narcondum, Interview, Brother and Sister Islands, but currently there are only regular boats to Ross and Viper Islands. Boats may stop at Barren Island, but disembarkation is not allowed and, as yet, there are no regular services.
All the islands of the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park are open except Boat, Hobday, Twin, Tarmugli, Malay and Pluto.
For air travellers, permits are issued on arrival in Port Blair. If you arrive with an unconfirmed return flight, you'll be given a permit of only 10 to 15 days, but this can be extended to allow a 30-day stay:
Travellers arriving by ship should obtain a permit before being issued with a ticket. The permit is available from the Foreigners' Registration Office in either Chennai or Calcutta (allow five hours - more if the application is submitted late in the day), or from any Indian embassy overseas. On arrival, ship passengers must immediately report to the deputy superintendent of police in Port Blair (in Aberdeen Bazaar). If you fail to do this you have not stayed longer than 30 days. Your permit will be stamped again when you depart.
Lakshadweep
For the bookings and permits for Lakshadweep contact the Society for the Promotion of Recreational Tourism & Sports in Lakshadeep (SPORTS) part of the main Lakshadeep Tourism Organisation. Its office ((0484-668387, fax 668155) is on IG Rd, Willingdon Island, Kochi, Kerala 682003.
There are usually no problems in obtaining permits. The Lakshadeep tourist office in Delhi is useless for Bangaram bookings, but may be able to provide other information.
Contact Mr Pukoya Office, UTF Lakshadeep, F306, Kusum Road Hostel, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi, 110001.
North-Eastern Region
No permits are needed for Assam, Meghalaya or Tripura by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi which can take forever if you don't have a travel agent, the state office or someone with good connections on your side. It usually takes three weeks to a month for a permit to be issued, though it can take longer.
Permits to Mizoram are granted to groups of four or more people fairly readily; the best places to apply are through the state representatives in Delhi and Calcutta.
To travel in Arunachal Pradesh you must be in a group of four and pay a minimum of US$50 a day just to be in the state. The government would prefer you spent US$150 a day on a package tour. Contact the state offices in Delhi or Calcutta, or approved travel agents (see the North Eastern Region chapter).
Maipur and Nagaland are the most difficult states to acquire permits for. Currently foreigners are only allowed to enter Manipur by air on a tour arranged by the state tourism authority or a travel agent (again in a group of at least four). Nagaland can be entered by land but again you need to arrange travel for a group of at least four through a travel agent. The state representatives and emporia in Delhi and Calcutta are the best places to organise a permit.
Permits allow a maximum 10 day stay in each state. In practice; you may only get five days in Manipur and Nagaland, but if you're willing to pay US$150 a day in Arunachal Pradesh your stay can be extended.
Sikkim
A 15 day permit is issued either while you wait or within two or three hours (depending on where you apply for it).
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Onward Tickets
Many Indian embassies and consulates will not issue a visa to enter India unless you hold an onward ticket, which is taken as sufficient that you intend to leave the country.
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Travel Insurance
A Travel insurance policy to cover theft, loss and medical problems is a good idea. Some policies offer lower and higher medical expense option; the higher ones are chiefly for countries such as USA, which have high medical costs. There is a wide variety of policies available, so check the small print.
Some policies specifically exclude 'dangerous activities', which can include scuba diving, motorcycling, or even trekking. A locally acquired motorcycle licence is not valid under some policies.
You may prefer a policy which pays doctors or hospitals directly rather than you having to pay on the spot and claim later. If you have to claim later make sure you keep all documentation. Some policies ask you to call back (reverse charges) to a centre in your home country where an immediate assessment of you problem is made.
Check that the policy has ambulance and emergency flight home cover.
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Driving Licence & Permits
If you are planning to drive in India, get an International Driving Licence from your national motoring organisation. In some centres, such as Delhi, it's possible to hire motorcycles. An International Driving Licence can be used for other identification purposes, such as plain old bicycle hire.
Other Documents
A health certificate, while not necessary in India, may well be required for onward travel. Student cards are virtually useless these days - many student concessions have either been eliminated or replaced by 'youth fares' or similar age concessions. Similarly, a Youth Hostel (Hostelling International - HI) cards is not generally required for India's many hostels, but you do pay slightly less at official youth hostels if you have one.
It's worth having a batch of passport photos for visa applications and for obtaining permits to remote regions. If you run out, Indian photo studios will do excellent portraits at pleasantly low prices.
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Photocopies
All important documents (passport data page and visa page, credit cards, travel insurance policy, air/bus/train tickets, driving licence etc) should be photocopied before you leave home' leave one copy with some one at home and keep another with you, separate from the originals.
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