Immigration
The Immigration services are available at all the major International Airports in India. The Foreigner's Registration, however, works only in five major cities and is handled by the
Bureau of Immigration (BOI).
The Field officers in charge of Immigration and registration activities are at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Amritsar and Chennai and are called Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRROs).
Other than the FRROs in the five above mentioned cities, the Superintendents of Police function as Foreigners Registration Officers (FROs) in all the states.
Passport
Every traveler who wishes to visit India requires a valid passport.
Visas
All travelers require Visa to enter India, beside the nationals of the following countries
- Bhutan
- Nepal
- Nationals of Maldives can stay for a maximum of 90 days without visa.
- Those who are holding a PIO or Person of Indian Origin
- Holders of re-entry permit
Types of Visa
The different types of Visa available in India are:
- Tourist Visa, which is valid for 6 months
- Business visa, which is valid for two years and is issued either for long term stay or on multiple-entry basis.
- Employment Visa, which is valid for one to five years and is issued to an individual entering India for employment.
- Long term Visa, which is generally valid for five years
- Transit Visa
Application for the Indian Visa must be made to the Indian Embassy or High Commission in your home country.
Documentation Required
- Complete Application
- Valid Passport
- Evidence of sufficient funds
- Two Passport Photos
- Appropriate Fees
- In case of Business Visa you need either an invitation letter from the sponsor or from the employer stating the purpose of your visit.
Valid Visa in expired passports is acceptable, provided that the Visa is accompanied by a valid passport from the same nationality.
Special permits are required for foreigners who wish to visit some of the restricted areas in India, like: Assam, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, West Bengal, Sikkim, Manipur and Lakshadweep.
To obtain an exit permit, the holder must get an income tax clearance or tax exemption certificate before departure.
Currency Declaration
If the aggregate value of the foreign exchange brought in by the passenger in the form of currency notes, travelers check or bank notes is less than US $10,000/- or its equivalent, or if the value of foreign exchange notes does not exceed US $5,000 then he/she is not required to fill up the currency declaration form.
Passengers those who have filled up this form are advised to produce this form to a bank, which is authorized to deal in foreign exchange or money change. The bank should be authorized for converting foreign exchange into Indian rupees and Indian rupees into foreign exchange.
If the passenger does not desire to en cash the entire amount, then he/she must retain the Currency Declaration Form that needs to be produced at the time of leaving India, so that you can take your unutilized balance with you.
Details of the traveler's check or currency notes need not be furnished.
For the foreign tourists, it is not necessary to indicate their address.
The unit of currency in India is the Indian rupee (INR). One rupee is divided into 100 paisa. Denominations of circulations are:
Notes: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 INR.
Coins: 10, 20, 25, and 50 paisa; 1, 2 and 5 INR are also available.
The rate of exchange as on February 2011 is,
1 Euro = 62.02 INR
1 GBP = 73.40 INR
1 USD = 45.76 INR
Happy Journey To India!!!