getting X visa takes 4 months?

Hello to all.

I am Japanese and got married to an Indian national last month.
I have a tourist visa valid till 29 july 2008. I am now trying to get X type (entry) visa. I went to the office of the Superintendent of Police, gave all the documents the officer asked, including our marriage certificate. The office issued a residence permit, which he says is a replacement of visa, til I get one. As for x-visa, he says he can't issue, instead, the papers have to be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi, and it will take AT LEAST 4 MONTHS. What's worse is that he says 'There is a possibilitiy of the application being rejected, and in that case you must leave the country immediately.'

I've checked all the related threads here and my case seems unusual but...

Please help!

No, I don't think it is unusual, and I think that once stuff gets referred to Delhi it can take an age.

They will do some checking through your local police (not surprising; I guess most immigration authorities in the world do).

With a genuine marriage to a genuine Indian citizen, I don't think you have anything to worried about at all: you must just be patient.

Either that, or make a trip back to Japan and apply at the embassy/high commission there.

At this same stage in my marriage to an Indian I messed around for months (a dumb agent didn't help) applying for it in India. I had to make a trip to London anyway, and got it in ten minutes, over the counter, in London.

Oh... Welcome to the site

Thank you!
You made my sunday.

Please tell me, after my tourist visa expires, will I have any problem going out of India? This "residence permit" doesn't look so reliable.

Thanks.

Hmmm... I'd agree that you need more than the resident's permit.

I've not been in this situation, but from what I've heard, it would be usual for them to endorse your passport "Permission to remain in India extended" (or something similar) and put their rubber stamp.

Keep photocopies of everything too. See recent posts from our member Victoria, who had a similar experience to yours, but was, initially, refused a new visa to return to India (for her marriage) as they took her permit when she left, and had no evidence to show that she had been given an extension.

Try to explain to your policeman that you and he might know it is all just fine, but maybe other officers won't, and you're just making sure you don't have trouble leaving or returning to India.

Yes, first thing on monday morning.

Though my residence permit actually says I am permitted to remain in India only til 29 July 2008(on which my tourist visa expires), the officer told me, with this paper I could stay, go out and even return to India.

Thank you for all your words, Nick-H.
I shall update tomorrow.

Tsuruma - I have two friends who when they went to apply for x category visa were told they had to wait 12 months after the marriage date before they could get it. If yours is 4 months then that is good, but not to worry if it is 12 months. You can get the tourist visa again until the 12 months is up. (One was in UK and the other in Australia).

What documents did you have to submit to get it so quickly?

3 year old post that was. Things have changed drastically after that. Search for posts here for more current info.

Back when Nick got his x-visa and then PIO card, the consulates issued visas and it wasn't outsourced.

I got both x-visas and a PIO card in the US and they took about 4 or 5 days (not ten minutes, but I was afraid they could take months and they didn't). I just had the regular items listed on the consulate website: my passport and attested proof of my spouse's Indian citizenship, and our marriage certificate.

My post may gave been three years old, but the event was back in 2006.

As mentioned, things have changed since then.