With its rich heritage, ravishing landscapes, and exotic delicacies, India truly is a land of wonders. From tropical beaches to snow-topped hill stations, it houses a diverse range of geographical terrains, which attracts a large number of tourists throughout the year. Also, being a major contributor to the world’s economy, India acts as a hub for multinational companies and various business organizations that are looking for a suitable location to expand their work.

 

For those planning to visit the country, whether for pleasure or due to professional reasons, having an India OCI or a visa is a must. All foreign nationals, except those belonging to Nepal and Bhutan, require a visa for entering India.

 

Types of Visa

 

India offers different types of visas like Tourist visa, Business visa, Student visa, Transit visa, etc., each of which has a distinct set of rules and regulations that need to be followed. For example, a tourist visa can only be issued to a foreigner without any residence or occupation in the country and only if he is visiting India for sightseeing or other recreational purposes. Its validity is for 3-6 months which is non-extendable. Whereas, a student visa is issued to bonafide students who are pursuing any educational course at a recognized Indian institution which is valid for the duration of study as approved by that institution.

 

People can apply for the type of visa that suits the purpose of their visit the best. All the formalities and documents should be well taken care of to secure the visa timely. If any person enters India without a visa or with an invalid one, he or she could be detained at the airport and may even get blacklisted.

 

Indian e-visa

 India visa from the UK

The Indian government grants electronic visas to citizens of 166 countries including the UK and the USA. This means that to acquire an India visa from the UK, one can apply online without having to make appointments at an embassy. It takes 2-5 working days to generate an e-visa which completely follows an online procedure, from submission of documents to deposition of the fee. However, it is only applicable to the following categories of visa-

 

 

  1. Tourist visa
  2. Business visa
  3. Conference visa
  4. Medical visa
  5. Medical attendant visa

 

The password holders of those 166 nations can apply for an e-visa twice in a calendar year. Also, for example, if a Britisher wishes to acquire an India visa from London, then he must possess a valid UK passport. The documents required include a completed e-visa application form, a copy of passport (which is valid for at least 6 months), and a passport-sized photo of the applicant.

 

OCI Card

 

The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is an immigration status that entitles any foreign citizen (except that of Pakistan or Bangladesh) with an Indian origin to live and work in India indefinitely without the requirement of a visa. Many famous personalities currently residing in India are OCI holders, like Akshay Kumar (Canadian), Alia Bhatt (British), and Tony Fernandez (Malaysian) to name a few. However, it doesn’t certify dual citizenship and people with OCI are not recognized as citizens of India according to the constitution, and thus are not eligible to vote or hold any government positions.