Indian Visas

Visas to Visit India

U.S. citizens require a passport and visa to enter and exit India for any purpose.  Visitors, including those on official U.S. government business, must obtain visas at an Indian Embassy or Consulate abroad prior to entering the country as there are no provisions for visas upon arrival.  Those arriving without a visa are subject to immediate deportation.  The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India are unable to assist when U.S. citizens arrive without visas.

Each visitor should carry photocopies of the face page of the traveler’s U.S. passport and the page which contains the Indian visa in order to facilitate obtaining new U.S. passports from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate and exit visas from the Indian government, in the event of theft or loss of the passport.

For the most current information on entry requirements, please contact the Embassy of India at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 939-9849 or 939-9806 or the Indian Consulate in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, or Houston or http://www.indianembassy.org.  Outside the United States, inquiries should be made at the nearest Indian embassy or consulate.  A list of Indian consulates and embassies can be found at http://passport.nic.in/missions.htm.

Please note that an American citizen whose primary purpose of travel is to participate in religious activities should obtain a missionary visa rather than a tourist visa.  Indian immigration authorities have deported American citizens who were conducting religious activities while holding a tourist visa.

Foreign citizens who visit India to study, do research, work or act as missionaries, as well as all travelers planning to stay more than 180 days are required to register within 14 days of arrival with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office where they will be staying. FRRO maintains offices in New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), and Amritsar.  In smaller cities and towns, the local police headquarters will normally perform this function. The address and telephone number of each major FRRO office can be found at http://www.airportsindia.org.in/aai/immigration/immigration.htm. General information regarding Indian visa and immigration rules can be found at the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs website for its Bureau of Immigration at http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in.

PIO and OCI Programs

Certain American citizens of Indian origin can apply for special visas known as “Person of Indian Origin” (PIO) Cards or “Overseas Citizen of India” (OCI) Cards.  The PIO and OCI Cards are similar in that they allow the holder to visit, study, work and own certain property in India.  The OCI Card has certain advantages in that, unlike PIO Cards, the validity is indefinite and the holder need not register with Indian immigration authorities for stays in India exceeding 180 days.  Americans interested in these programs should view information provided by the Foreigner’s Division of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs at http://www.mha.nic.in/fore_division.htm.  If outside of India, a person can apply for PIO or OCI at any Indian Embassy or Consulate.  Inside India, a person can apply at the Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in the R.K. Puram neighborhood of New Delhi (tel. 2671-1348).

Despite mischaracterizations to the contrary, neither the PIO nor OCI program provide the holder with Indian citizenship.  Thus, an American citizen who obtains a PIO Card or an OCI Card remains only a U.S. citizen, and does not become a dual U.S.-Indian citizen.  For more information on this issue, please read our information on dual nationality.