Visa to India 2021: types and methods of issuance to Russians, guide to obtaining electronic and regular

Attention!
As of July 2021, departure of Russians is possible only to the following countries: Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Great Britain, Vietnam, Greece, Georgia, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Maldives, UAE, Seychelles, Serbia, Singapore, Turkey, Finland, Switzerland, Ethiopia, South Korea, Japan. More details can be found on the website of the Federal Tourism Agency. Additionally, check the relevance of the information at the office. websites of consulates and embassies.
Next - about the standard procedure for entry and/or obtaining a visa.

In 2021, Russians will need a visa to visit India. For citizens of the Russian Federation, there is a simplified procedure for issuing an entry document - a visa to India can be issued via the Internet and received at the airport upon arrival . A visa can also be obtained by applying to the consulates located in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. Visa centers also provide services. The easiest way to get to India is to purchase a tour to Goa: worries about preparing documents will fall entirely on the shoulders of the tour operator. But in this case, it will not be possible to visit other regions of the state - the visa regime relief applies only to travel to Goa.

Types of visas

Depending on the number of entries allowed into the country, Indian visas are:

One-time use. They allow you to enter the country only once during a certain period - the so-called corridor.
Double. They give the right to two entries into the country within a certain period. Until recently, there was a restriction: strictly more than two months must pass between trips to India. This requirement has now been lifted.
Triple. They are similar to double entry, but you can enter the country without obtaining additional permission 3 times.
Multiple. Allows you to enter India an unlimited number of times. Usually opens for a period of several months to 5 years. But to obtain it, certain conditions of the consulate must be fulfilled. In particular, you will need a detailed description of your trip in English and visas for the destination countries, if visiting them is included in your travel plans.

There are visas based on the purpose of the visit:

tourist;
business;
student;
transit.

Electronic Visa (ETA)

A very convenient option for tourists who would like to see the sights of India is to apply for a visa online. Electronic visas can be obtained by travelers traveling to India for the purposes of tourism, business, treatment, participation in conferences and seminars. The main condition is that the passport must be valid for another 6 months after the end of the trip. The visa is valid for 30 days - this is perhaps its biggest drawback.

Features of electronic visas

The visa application is submitted online.
The minimum submission period is 4 days before travel, the maximum is 30 days.
Once your application is approved, you should travel to India as soon as possible. 30 days are allotted for this. If during this time the applicant does not cross the border of the country, the entry document will be cancelled.
An ETA cannot be extended or replaced with another type of visa, just like a tourist visa.
Travelers holding an e-visa undergo fingerprinting at the airport.
You are only allowed to get an ETA twice a year.

ETA Process

What will you need to obtain an e-visa?

Photo requirements for obtaining an e-visa
Foreign passport with a reserve of 6 months and its copy.
Color photo size 5x5 cm.
Confirmation of hotel reservation.
Round-trip air tickets or their reservation.
A recent certificate from the bank confirming the presence of at least $200 per tourist per day in the account, and a certificate of cash flow for the last 3 months (to be presented at the airport).
Copy of Russian passport (to be presented at the airport).

You should book your flight tickets in advance and have an electronic confirmation of your hotel reservation in hand. You also need to prepare an electronic photo in JPG format and scan the first spread of your foreign passport in PDF format, taking into account the following requirements:

The passport scan must have a size from 10 to 300 kV;
The photo must be up to 1 MB in size with the same height and width (square). The photo must have a light background and the image must have no borders.

For a child:

A copy of the birth certificate with a translation into English.
Permission for a child to leave Russia, obtained from a translation agency (without notarization). Issued by a parent who is not accompanying the child on the trip. It is also necessary to make a copy of the remaining parent's passport. If it is impossible to obtain such a document from the second parent, then it is necessary to confirm this fact (death certificate, certificate of a single mother, court decision on deprivation of parental rights, etc.). Such documents will also need to be translated into English. There is no need to notarize.
If the surname of the child and the parent do not match, you must provide a certificate translated into English confirming the fact of making such changes.

Procedure:

Fill out the visa application online on the official website of the embassy: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html. Information should be entered in all columns.
Upload a digital photo.
Pay the visa fee using a bank card. The operation is available at the link (at the bottom of the page): https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.

Electronic Residence Permit in India
Receive a unique code (eTV) to your email inbox - a kind of electronic confirmation of the ability to enter India. You must print it out, otherwise difficulties may arise at the airport. Usually the code arrives within 3 days. It is recommended that you make an additional copy of the electronic permit and carry it with you at all times while in India.
Go on a trip.
At the airport, present the prepared paper documents (passport, confirmation code, all necessary copies, certificates).
Leave the country in a timely manner. Indian visa laws are quite harsh on tourists with overstayed visas.

Video: filling out an application for a visa to India

Main types of visas for traveling to India

Tourist visa

A tourist visa is the most common option that is required when making a guest visit or a trip for recreational purposes. Such permission to enter the country can only be obtained while outside its borders. A tourist visa is also not subject to extension, except in emergency cases related to medical indications.

If you have the idea of getting a fictitious medical certificate, it is better to immediately abandon this idea: in practice it will turn out to be too difficult and expensive. Russian citizens can obtain a new visa both in the Russian Federation and in other countries, for example, Thailand or Indonesia.

The main documents that will be needed when submitting an application to the Visa Center are a tourist’s international passport, an application form, a color photograph, round-trip air tickets, a printed confirmation of a hotel room reservation or a letter from the inviting person, a copy of the Russian passport.

Attention! In 2021, it is possible to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for India. To do this, fill out a form online: (ndianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html), upload a digital photo and pay the visa fee. After registration, you will receive an electronic permission to stay in India (eTV) by email. The printout will need to be presented at the airport. Validity period: 30 days from the date of receipt (the countdown begins immediately).
The following are the details applicable to both the paper and e-Indian visa.

Work Visa

A work visa is issued to highly qualified specialists or managers at various levels who have a contract with an Indian company or an official invitation to work.

Business visa

A business visa, or otherwise a business visa, is issued when visiting the country on work matters, including for an internship in a company. In this case, the standard set of documents (1 application form, 2 photos, passport) includes round-trip air tickets with exact departure dates, a letter of invitation from the inviting company, a printed confirmation of the hotel room reservation and an accompanying document from the sending Russian organization in English.

Study visa

A student visa is issued upon admission to one of the country's officially registered educational institutions; it can be extended depending on the duration of the training course on the basis of a confirmation document of enrollment. Also, the standard package of documents must include financial documents confirming your support during the period of study.

The same set of documents is prepared by students studying Indian Vedic culture, the art of yoga, dance, music, etc. at official training centers in India.

Transit visa

A transit visa is required if you are forced to stop in India for up to 72 hours while traveling to another country. Its validity period is 15 days. You will also have to take care of receiving it in advance. The package of documents in this case is supplemented by air tickets and a visa to the country that is your destination.

Non-standard types of visas

Other types of visas are intended for visiting the country for the purpose of visiting relatives, research activities or international conferences and seminars, filming films, etc. are issued upon presentation of relevant documents confirming the purpose of the trip.

The full package of necessary documents for each type of visa can be found on the official website of the India Visa Application Center in Russia: moscowru.blsindia-russia.com/touristvisa.php

Tourist visa

If you are planning a long trip exceeding 30 days for the purpose of tourism, recreation, excursions, visiting friends, then an e-visa will not be suitable. In this case, a tourist visa is issued.

The procedure is relatively simple, first the documentation is prepared:

International passport with a reserve of 6 months with two blank spreads and its copy.
The application form in English can be filled out here: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/info1.jsp.
Color photograph 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
Round trip air tickets.
Copy of national passport.
An invitation from an individual, certified by a notary, and a copy of his passport. Or when traveling independently - a hotel reservation (tour voucher), which should contain information about the tourist (full name, address of residence in India), date of trip, hotel details.

Sample tourist visa to India

Fax documents, printouts from an email account or an international booking site are accepted. In the latter option, the printout must contain a unique reservation number. Prepayment of hotel accommodation is not a requirement. There is also no need to provide a hotel reservation for the entire duration of your stay in the state; it will be enough to show that the applicant is provided with housing for the first few days.

For children:

A copy of the birth certificate with a translation into English.
Permission for a child to leave the Russian Federation, obtained from a translation agency (without notarization). Issued by a parent who is not accompanying the child on the trip. It is also necessary to make a copy of the remaining parent's passport. If it is not possible to provide permission due to the death of the second parent, deprivation of parental rights, or unknown absence, then a document confirming this fact should be prepared.

For a tourist visa, you will not need proof of financial solvency and proof of employment, which makes the procedure for obtaining the document a little easier.

The visa becomes valid not from the moment of entry into India, but from the moment of issue. Therefore, you should accurately calculate the date for submitting an electronic visa application, that is, you need to process the entry document as close as possible to the start of the trip - optimally 5 days before departure.

In some cases, Indian visas are refused. The embassy does not explain the reasons for this decision. If canceled, all fees paid are non-refundable.

Online application form

When filling out the form, you should prepare a digital photo: it will need to be uploaded to the website. After filling out the form, along with the uploaded photo, you should print it on both sides on A4 sheets and put two signatures: after the photo and at the bottom of the form. Handwritten applications will not be accepted. A separate application form will be required for each travel participant.

Uploading a photo to the site is not a requirement. If any difficulties arise with this matter (for example, you cannot upload a photo due to the wrong size, which happens quite often), you can simply paste the photo into the application form printed from the website. Instructions for filling out the questionnaire, as well as a sample, are provided at the link.

If you encounter any difficulties while filling out the application form, you can contact the visa center staff for help. The cost of filling out the form is 135 rubles.

Video: Indian visa – questions and answers

Features of applying for a child visa

If you plan to travel with children, you will additionally be required to provide the following documents:

A copy of the child's birth certificate;
A copy of written consent from the parent who is not traveling abroad for the child to travel abroad (or both parents, if the child is traveling with relatives or other accompanying persons);
A copy of the Russian passport of the parent remaining in the country (all pages with photos and registration).

Single mothers are required to provide an original certificate from the registry office (F-025) stating that the father’s details are included in the child’s Birth Certificate according to the mother. If the column “Father” is empty, then it is necessary to prepare and notarize a special letter stating that the mother is the sole guardian of the child and acts as a guarantor of the safety of his life and health.

There are cases when the whereabouts of one of the parents is unknown. Then the document confirming this fact is a notarized copy of the court decision on this issue.

If the surname of one of the parents in the child’s birth certificate does not coincide with the surname indicated in his real passport, then a copy of the document confirming the change of personal data (marriage or divorce certificate, change of surname, etc.) is provided.

In no case do not forget that all documents, except the passport, also require a copy translated into English, which can be made at a translation agency. This translation does not need to be certified by a notary, but handwritten translations are not accepted; only a printed version is acceptable.

Visa-free trip to Goa

Goa is a popular tourist destination and an Indian state located on the western coast of Hindustan, that is, Goa is part of India, and to get here you will need an Indian visa. But the easiest way, if traveling to this state is the only purpose of a visit to India, is to purchase a ready-made voucher. There is no need to go anywhere or fill out anything - the tour operator will take care of all the hassle of preparing documentation. This is a so-called group visit. The main condition is that the group must consist of more than 4 people who will arrive in India on the same flight. Already at the airport, tourists undergo passport control according to the lists previously sent by the tour operator to the border.

A group visit implies that the tourist will not independently leave the vacation spot and move to another region of the country, and to comply with this condition, travelers hand over their passports to the migration service. The tourist will not be left without documents - in return he will receive TLF/TLP - this is a kind of temporary identity card. There is no need to worry - your passport will be returned upon departure.

This group entry rule applies only to Goa. If a tourist does not want to part with his passport and be able to move freely throughout India, then he should obtain an Indian visa in advance.

It is worth keeping in mind that there is no visa for Goa, as well as for any other regions of India. To travel to any state of this country, an Indian visa is opened, which can be tourist, business, student, and so on. That is, the visa category directly depends only on the purpose of travel, and not on the final destination.

Visa centers

Official Indian visa centers are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Applications are accepted on weekdays from 10.00 to 17.00, ready-made visas are issued from 14.00 to 17.00 also on weekdays. Before visiting the office to obtain documents, you must arrange a visit - there is a pre-registration system. It’s convenient to do this on their website: https://www.blsindia-russia.com/moscowru/bookappointment.php

The visa center also provides a number of additional services:

filling out a visa application – 135 rubles;
copying documents – 10 rubles/page;
photography – 150 rub./4 photos;
SMS notifications about the status of documents – 75 rubles.

Urgent visa

In urgent cases, it is possible to open an urgent visa. It will be issued in three days. To obtain a visa, you will need a standard package of documents, which should be submitted to the consulate. By the way, documents are accepted by appointment. Regarding the issuance of electronic visas. It will take very little time to fill out the form, upload photos and pay the fee. But in practice, payment for a visa does not go through immediately (this process can take up to 5 days) and the confirmation code is sent by email within 3 days, so the electronic option is not entirely suitable as an emergency method of obtaining a visa.

Deadlines for obtaining a visa at the Visa Application Center

Typically, for citizens of the Russian Federation, the average time to obtain any type of visa does not exceed five to seven working days. During the holiday season or holidays, due to the large influx of tourists, this period may be extended. To find out more precisely how much a visa to India costs at such a time, you can only call the Consulate.

For foreign citizens wishing to obtain a visa in the Russian Federation, this process will be longer and can take from two to five weeks.

If there is a special need, you can get an urgent visa, but it is issued only by the Embassy. In this case, you will receive the completed document within one working day, but obtaining a visa to India will cost you 6,000 rubles.

Transit visa

A transit visa is opened in advance; in this case, there are no preferential options for crossing the country. A transit visa is valid for 15 days from the date of issue. It is worth emphasizing that it is from the date of receipt, and not from the moment of arrival at the Indian airport.

For registration you will need:

Application form (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html). Once completed, it should be printed in duplicate and signed.
One color photograph 3.4x4.5 cm. Detailed photo requirements are available at: https://blsindia-russia.com/moscow/photo_spec.php. The photo is pasted into the application form or uploaded to the website, as when applying for a tourist or e-visa.
Copy of Russian passport.
Visa to a third country, if necessary.
Air tickets or other travel tickets along the entire travel route.

India visa photo

When applying for a visa to India, you should take the correct photograph so that when you receive the entry document, the Visa Center staff will not have any questions. The face in the photo should occupy at least 70% of the space, its dimensions should be 3.5 by 4.5 centimeters. The photo must be in color and taken with a professional camera. Each visa application form is accompanied by two photographs.

Separately, it is worth noting the photo requirements for an e-visa. The uploaded photo must be in JPEG format, the photo size must be in the range from 10 KB to 300 KB, and the width x height parameters must be in the range 350px × 350px - 1000px × 1000px.

Visa cost

Interestingly, there is no consular fee as such for opening an Indian visa. There is a general processing fee. However, the price is not affected by the type of visa. Regardless of what kind of visa is issued: tourist, business or student, the cost will be the same.

Other parameters will affect the visa price:

The time for which it is issued;
The number of permitted trips to the state, the so-called multiplicity of the visa (single, double, multi).

Thus, a single-entry visa for tourism for 45 days will cost 1,805 rubles. This amount consists of the standard fee for processing documents - 1600 rubles, an additional service fee of 135 rubles. and commission for payment via the Internet - 70 rubles. As an example, a similar double-entry visa will cost 3,805 rubles, and a visa for multiple entries (multi-entry visa) for six months costs 5,005 rubles. It is convenient to calculate the cost of a visa on the visa center website: https://blsindia-russia.com/stpetersburgru/visafeecalc.php

Cost of a visa to India and its validity period

Each type of visa has its own price. The cost consists of the consular fee and the Visa Center service tax. To calculate the cost of a visa, it is best to seek help from the official website of the Consulate. There is a special calculator on the website that will help a person calculate the cost of obtaining a visa.

For 2021, the cost of a visa to India for Russians was:

e-visa (online visa) – 100 US dollars;
Visas issued through the embassy/visa center: single entry – 2749 rubles;
double entry – 6184 rubles;
multiple entry – 8246 rubles.

Please note that an additional consular fee of 207 rubles per passport is charged, and if you apply for a visa through an Indian visa center, you must also pay a service fee of 237 rubles.

Visa readiness

The status of the application can be tracked via the link: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/. To check the readiness of a tourist visa, a unique number (ID) is entered. It is assigned to each applicant when submitting an application. To find out at what stage the e-visa processing is, enter the eTV code and it will be sent by email after filling out the application.

Using the link provided, you can not only find out about the readiness of your visa. It is also easy to get information about the receipt of a payment made on the website, or print out a form for a tourist visa if for some reason the original version was lost or not saved.

Validity periods for Indian visas

Typically, Indian entry documents are valid for one month to six months. This does not apply to e-visas - their validity period is strictly limited to one month without the possibility of extension and the opening of another longer-term visa. Single-entry visas are issued for up to 3 months, double-entry and multiple visas allow you to stay in the country for up to six months.

There is a small nuance that distinguishes Indian visas from entry documents of other countries. An Indian visa becomes valid immediately after it is pasted into your passport. That is, if a visa is issued at a consulate located in the Russian Federation, then its validity period begins in Russia, even if the applicant has not yet entered India.

When opening a visa for a period longer than 6 months, the foreigner is required to register with the local police department. This must be done within 14 days of arrival in India.

And one more important point: tourist visas cannot be extended, much less it is impossible to extend electronic visas. You should keep this in mind and not fall for scammers’ offers to extend your entry document. If a tourist’s plans include obtaining a long-term visa, then you should leave the country and go, for example, to Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand or Sri Lanka, and from there apply for a visa for a longer period. Then use a new visa to enter India again. But it is better to take care of obtaining such a document in Russia. Do not forget that violating the visa regime even for a few days entails serious consequences, including imprisonment. However, in emergency cases, if there is a compelling reason to decide to extend the visa, you can contact the migration service of the local police department, but the tourist must have really serious reasons for staying in India.

Receipt

There are several options for obtaining a pass to the country.

On one's own

A citizen can apply directly to consulates or visa centers, or send a remote application on the official website.
Electronic permits are issued to persons wishing to go on a tourist trip, visit friends and relatives, or undergo short-term medical treatment. Remote applications are accepted on the program website - indiavisaonline.gov.in. The sequence of actions is as follows:

First, fill out the online form and upload scans of the required documents;
Then payment for services is made (from a bank card);
Next is the email address. An E-visa will be sent to the box when ready. A notification of refusal will also be sent by email.

All that remains is to print out the document and present it upon arrival in Hindustan.

Important! An e-visa cannot be extended. But it can be replaced with an “X” entry visa.

Through embassies

Standard method of obtaining a visa to India.
To apply, you will need to register on the website of the diplomatic mission and make an appointment with any representative body with the corresponding consular jurisdiction. Read also: Visa to Greece in 2021

Next, you need to come at the appointed time, hand over a package of documents with an application form on the spot and pay the fee. Please note that the office accepts cash, and if a visa is refused or the validity period is reduced, the money will not be returned. You can track the status of your application on the visa center website.

Via visa centers

We are talking about specialized companies involved in issuing entry permits for citizens of the Russian Federation on a paid basis.
They also seek passes from embassies, but do this without involving a client. All that is left to do is to pay for the services and provide the documents necessary to complete the procedure. The Indian government has outsourced the processing of visa applications to BLS International. Its exhibition centers are located in the capital and St. Petersburg. To send documents you need:

Open the official portal of the Indian Computing Center in the Russian Federation https://blsindia-russia.com/index.ru.php;
On the main page, indicate the appropriate consulate;
Go to the menu and click on “Visa” and then select the desired type of permit from the list;
In the page that opens, click on the “Application Forms” section, then on “Online visa application form”;
Select “Regular Visa Application”;
Fill out the form in English.