According to Indian visa requirements, handwritten applications are no more accepted. Anyone who plans to visit India should complete Indian visa application form online, print it and then bring it to an Indian consulate with other documents and photos.
Though certain parts of the Indian tourist visa application form are straightforward, others might be a bit obscure and may lead to your application being rejected immediately. Thus, your visa fees will get forfeited.
Tips for Indian Visa Application Form
You need to answer honestly about the background check to be done for your Indian visa application form. Make sure you find out the mistakes on the form or causes for the application to get flagged.
Spend sufficient time to complete the visa application correctly in the first time. You cannot make changes once it gets saved in the system. Thus, you will have to start again on the new form if you find mistakes later.
How to get started on the Indian Visa Application Form
Firstly, you have to open official website of Indian visa application form in a new tab or a new browser.
You will be prompted about security certificate being invalid or official site being insecure. After verifying the visa application form for the last time and then saving it, you won’t be able to make further changes to it.
How to select an Indian Mission
If you select the Indian mission incorrectly at the top of the form, then this is considered to be the main reason applicants get rejected immediately.
The Indian mission must be the consulate where you want to apply.
If you are applying in the US, it is advised not to choose a consulate based exclusively on the driving distance. The India mission depends on where you are presently living and applying.
- Choose ‘USA-CHICAGO’ when you are applying for: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.
- Select ‘USA-HOUSTON’ if you want to apply for: Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas.
- Opt for ‘USA-NEW YORK’ if applying in: New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania or Vermont.
- Select ‘USA-SAN FRANCISCO’ when applying for: Alaska, Arizona, California, Montana, Nebraska, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming or Washington.
- Choose ‘USA-WASHINGTON’ if applying for: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, District of Columbia, North Carolina, Bermuda, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia.
- Select ‘USA-Atlanta’ when applying for: Alabama, Florida, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Virgin Islands.
How to complete the Indian Visa Application Form
- Surname: This is your last name
- Given Name: This means your first and middle name in the same way they appear in your passport
- Town/City of Birth: This is listing your city and state here
- Citizenship/National Id No: This means your social security number or ‘NA’ in case it is not applicable
- Religion: This is the strange question on the Indian visa application form that you cannot select ‘none’ for the answer of your religion. You may choose ‘OTHERS’ and write something into the field if you want.
- Visible Identification Marks: This might be tattoos or scars. Unless you have a facial tattoo or a handcap, it is best to answer ‘NONE’.
Educational Qualifications
- Below Matriculation: You had stopped before the 10th grade
- Graduate: You have attained a college degree
- Higher Secondary: You have graduated high school
- Illiterate: You did not attended school
- Matriculation: You have completed 10th grade in high school
- Post Graduate: You have received a master’s degree or PhD
- Professional: You have attended professional training and received the certificate
Present and Permanent Address
If you are applying in the United States, your present address should be within the range of the India mission that you chose at the top of the form. You will have to provide evidence that you are residing at the present address which can be your name on the utility bill or a copy of your driver’s license.
When you apply for your visa India while staying overseas, you need to make the list of your hotel address as the present address. Thus, your permanent address is actually your home address in the Europe, United States, etc.
Family Details
If your father, mother or spouse is already deceased, you must mention their full names and date of birth.
Select the right profession for the Indian visa
If applying for a tourist visa India, you might be rejected and asked to apply for a journalist visa. Selecting ‘UNEMPLOYED’ is also at all suggested and so, you may choose ‘OTHER’ to enter the profession in the field below.
Kind and Duration of Indian Visa
Don’t select ‘TOURIST’ as your kind of visa till you follow it up with ‘TOURISM’ in the Purpose of Visit field. Other kinds of visas require longer time to process and might be scrutinized more by the consulate.
The approximate time for a tourist visa is usually six months, however, some consulates grant three-month Indian visas only under certain circumstances.
Details of the trip
- Estimated Date of Journey: The day you wish to fly which do not need to be exact if you do not buy a ticket. Your India visa starts on the day you are approved than the date you enter the country, as with other travel visas.
- Port of Arrival in India: The place where you will land in India.
Countries visited in the last 10 years
The field is small on the Indian visa application form and serious travelers might not have sufficient room to list all of their countries. In case you are running out of space, make a list of as many countries as you can and then include an official letter to your application that lists remaining countries you have already visited in the last 10 years. Don’t forget to include passport number, signature on the letter and visa file number.
Some references in India
When applying for your Indian visa while staying overseas, you may list your current guesthouse/house in the form of local reference. If applying while you are staying at home, list a colleague, employer or neighbor.
Your reference in India may be the first hotel where you want to stay. The references will not be checked, however, you cannot leave the fields blank.
- Know what you should expect from budget hotels in India.
Completing the Indian Visa Application Form
You need not worry about uploading a digital photo. For this, you will have to bring two official passport-sized photos with you to the consulate.
After saving and verifying your application, it is not possible to make further changes. You will be send an email confirming about the visa filing number and a copy of application in the Adobe PDF format.
If your Indian visa application has been saved in the system, it does not mean in any way that you have applied. It must be signed, printed and brought into an Indian consulate.
The processing time for the Indian visa at Visa Genie requires almost a week. If it gets approved, your Indian visa time starts running immediately than on the date that you enter India.