Services for Individuals

Indian Visas

Indian visas allow you to visit India for Tourism, Business, Transit and Conference purposes.

Processing times for Indian visas vary for each application and it is at the discretion of the High Commission of India and its Consulates in the UK. It is advisable that you confirm your travel plans only once your visa has been obtained.

The current time estimates for processing Indian visas under normal circumstances are as follows:

Applications submitted in London take a minimum of 5-10 working days, depending on Nationality.

Applications will take longer to process under the following circumstances:

Non UK passport holders residing in the UK for less than 1 year
Nationals of: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Bangladesh and Afghanistan
Where clearance from India is mandatory
Individuals of Pakistani origin

Where referrals are requested it may take a minimum of 20-25 days to get a visa processed. In some instances the Higher Commission or the Consulate General may require an India visa applicant to attend a visa interview, should this be the case the applicant will be informed of a date and time.

Those who obtain an Indian Tourist visa or non business related visa will have a maximum stay in India for up to 180 days (6 months), visas are valid for 6 months to 1 year and effective from date of issue. Individuals may obtain multiple entry visas.

Those doing business in India i.e. making sales on behalf of a company outside of India will need to obtain an Indian business visa. Business visas are valid for 1 year or more with multiple entries, however the maximum stay period in India (or each visa) under this visa category is limited to 6 months only and visas are effective from date of issue.

Visas for international conferences or on specific subjects may also be granted however they may only be issued after clearance for the said Conference is received from the government of India. The visas validity will be effective from the date of issue.

Finally a transit visa may be granted for the sole purpose of enabling the holder to travel through India in order to reach another destination. Change of purpose is not allowed. Once granted the visa will be valid or a single/double journey and for entry within 15 days of date of issue. The transit visa is valid for direct transit only for a maximum period of 3 days. For a stay in India beyond 3 days an appropriate visa must be obtained. As with the other visas to India validity of this visa is effective from the date of issuance.

PLEASE NOTE: if you are a Nationality of the following countries: Pakistani, Sri Lanka, Bangladeshi and China please phone the office that we can forward you additional Information regarding the Indian visa.

For more information on Indian visas please call us on 0203 291 2711 or complete the form at the bottom of this page.