Do you Need an India Visa?

If you are a foreign national and you want to come to India, then you will need a passport from your home country, as well as an India Visa. You can get an India visa by applying online, and then be attending an in-person interview where a government employee will look at your documentation to confirm that you are who you say you are, and that your reasons for wanting to enter India are valid. The purpose of the visa program is to ensure that tourists can look after themselves when they come to the country, and that other people are not going to come to the country to work without a valid work permit - or come and then try to stay longer than their passport would permit.

Visa applications are usually processed fairly quickly - but there may be some delays if there are irregularities in your request.

Make sure that you apply for your visa before you make travel arrangements, just in case there are some delays or issues. While most people who apply do get accepted, you never know when something could go wrong - your application could randomly be picked up for closer scrutiny, or a case of mistaken identity could delay the application. It makes sense to give yourself plenty of time to prepare the documents, and wait until you have a visa in your hands before you book your flights and accommodation. This will make preparing for your holiday less stressful, and give you more flexibility just in case anything does happen. The paperwork is simple - but as with anything else that involves travel and governments, it does take time, and there's not a lot that you can do to hurry things up from your side.