Change to tourist visa rules re multiple entries - 60-day-out rule scrapped

hi...i just got to nepal to get a new 6 month tourist visa which ran out on nov 30th and was told i cannot apply for one for 1 month from end of last one(30th dec)
Apparently its a new rule just introduced 5 days ago!!anyone else had experience with this??
it leaves me with a problem as i have an apartment rented out till dec 22nd and my stuff is there(in goa)....is a transit visa easy to get if i book a flight from india to uk(home) as i see this the only viable option now unless i stay in nepal for 1 month...but then i still might not get a new visa...i was planning on staying in india till march then going home but now im fubar!!

I need to settle with my landlord and get my stuff + deposit back...i wISH THEY MADE THIS KNOWN BEFORE I CAME HERE!!!

This seems to be an emerging standard -- see post 48:

10 year visa expires in August 2010 - Can I enter India in Feb.?

and this thread:
http://www.indiamike.com/india/india...ntries-t96729/

I checked the outsourcing visa place for the U.S. and they do not have that notice posted....yet.

I also went to the India Consulate website in NY & the Embassy in Washington, DC and there were no notices posted that I could find.

However, I do see a trend here and I'm expecting alot of posts from people freaking out about this.

I'm not really surprised about this new rule. I've always thought 180 days was very generous & being able to linger for years was nice but pushing the whole point of a visa.

Don't know if this is old news or not, but from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu (emphasis added):

I) Tourist visa
Application made for grant of Tourist Visa frequently i.e. within one month of expiry of the previous Tourist Visa required clearance from the Ministry also and Visa will be issued after receiving clearance only.

1. Tourist visa, maximum period of 6 months validity, will be granted to the foreigners.
2. Tourist visa are granted only to those who have no residence or occupation in India and whose objective is tourism or casual visits to friends and relatives in India.
3. Repeated applications for Tourist visa will not be entertained.


http://www.indianembassy.org.np/visa-and-passport.php

Yes, that's been on there for a long time, and it relates to issuing of new visas.

The OP is about possible new restrictions which might stop people who already have valid multiple entry visas from entering India again within two months of leaving India.

At this stage it is impossible to judge whether or not this apparent new rule is intended to be or will actually be widely implemented.

They did.

It is widely known that "back to back" visa applications made in countries ajoining India are often refused or issued for reduced time only, this has been reported many times on here, and it is made very clear on the embassy websites.

Those on multi-country trips who want to visit India for w couple of weeks, then spend a couple of weeks somewhere else, the another couple of weeks in India, would be rather screwed by this.

I think this sentence is new to the Kathmandu website: "Application made for grant of Tourist Visa frequently i.e. within one month of expiry of the previous Tourist Visa required clearance from the Ministry also and Visa will be issued after receiving clearance only."

But the rest of it has been there for a while. And even before the new language was added, it was known that it would take a week or so to get a new visa (assuming one was going to be granted at all, given that back-to-back applications were frowned on), so it wasn't going to be a matter of popping up to Nepal, getting a new visa in a day or two, and returning to India.

Now I'm really confused. Why would that happen? No one can leave and come back anymore without waiting 2 months?

What about all those group tours that do exactly that. India a week, nepal a week, back to India for a few more days then home.

I thought that was the whole point of a multiple entry visa. Separate from the 180 day limit.

So with multiple entry now once you leave don't come back for 2 months?

Luckily we have no travel plans and hope this is sorted out before our next India trip.

I would not go as far as saying that will be the case, one notice on a website does not mean that is actually going to be what happens.

Despite the Australian VFS website having this new notice saying that reentry within two months needs special permission from the mission, entry into India has always been, and no doubt will still continue to be, at the discretion of the immigration officer.

It is highly unlikely in my view that someone who has only spent a few weeks in India would be refused reentry after (for instance) a side trip to Nepal.

This provision is most likely to be used in cases where people have been in India repeatedly for the full 180 days, and hope to abuse the privilege of a long term tourist visa by having yet another "holiday" in India only a few days after their last two or three six month "holidays".

Hmmm... Perhaps it is me that is really confused!

I don't think it's that, at all.

It seems like the folks would would be affected by this are those of us with 5/10-year visas who stay 179 days and then cross the border to start the statute running again.... so we'd have to wait 2 months instead of just turning around and re-entering India the next day.

Or maybe Americans won't get that restriction, since I do not believe we do the same to Indian visitors.

Tour Groups, when organized by registered and renowned tour operators make sure that the members in their group get appropriate visas, and in fact sometimes visitors in a group get generous visas

I did not read that to be the case in terms of multiple entry already issued visa.



If you have a multiple entry visa, and as long as it is not expired; you can enter.
On the matters of implementation, it is tricky. Here is the reason why.
Issuing visas in Port Post/missions is a Ministry of External Affairs function, Immigrations at the airport is a Ministry of Home Affairs function (I think). It is difficult for these two hugh entities to effectively co-ordinate

I agree with you -
I think I might have mentioned in some other thread - Kathmandu is unique

Indian Embassy in Kathmandu only issues visas to non-nepalis period. A nepali citizen does not need visa to enter India. So all the gringas lining up to get a tourist visa on their 179th day are abusing the spirit of the Tourist Visa.

It is clear to them that majority of 'em lining up are indeed doing back to back ticketing.

Even I, a pretty below-average intelligence guy, can figure out that some one's passport is back to back with indian visa. Why do gringos think that Indian Foreign Service Cadre are stupid ? It used to be quite a difficult exam to pass and join the IFS, and a prestigious posting and some of the brightest in the arts and sciences used to apply to IAS exams.

Yes we do !!! and indeed have a more elaborate dance for visa holders.

US issues over 50+ kinds of visas. The 5-10 yr multiple entry visa has nothing to do with the number of days you can stay in the country. That is determined at the border by the CBP (Customs and Border Patrol). However for typical tourist/business visa B1/B2 can stay up to six months.

From the Customs & Border Patrol website -

I was curious whether the CGI Vancouver site had anything regarding this policy as I have a 5 year tourist visa valid until Oct 2013; although my total annual stay is always less than than 180 days, I may want to visit Nepal one day and return to India for the flight home.

I note that visa services have now been outsource here as well, but there is no mention of a change in re-entry policy. However, unfortunately, it appears that the 5 year tourist visa is no longer being offered.