India Visa Expiration Question

kala1

Let's say I have a 6 month tourist visa to India (in US passport), issued in January 2008 and expires in July 2008.

If I am planning on going to India in April 2008, would I have to exit India before the July 2008 date on the visa? Or do I have 180 days to stay in India once I enter in April?

Thanks.

machadinha

No, it is valid from date of issue, as it probably says on the visa. I.e., not from date of entry; the latter is immaterial.

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kala1

for some countries, the expiration date on the visa is only for the date of entry. once you enter, you can stay a certain length of time regardless of the visa expiration date.

so in my case, you're saying that for the india visa, i must exit the country before the expiration date on the visa?

SteamBuff

Yes you must leave India before your visa expires.

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edwardseco

It is certainly from date of issuance and the Indian government is very strict on this. I don't have any reliable account of a tourist visa renewal in country. Extensions are limited to 15 days and are frequently denied or difficult to obtain at that..

kala1

thanks for your responses! good to know that i should be out of india by july visa expiration date.

nycank

Unless you asked for it (six month ) specifically, I have known of folks getting 5 or 10 yr visas on a US passport.

kala1

Because I was born in Pakistan, I was only eligible for a 6 month visa even though I am a US citizen.

nycank

Oh ! Good to know.

jyotirmoy

Are you sure?

nycank

The only person I know, who got a six month visa on a US passport was one who asked specifically for it. So mine was a normative statement that is based solely on the accounts of people who have applied @ NYC consulate.

machadinha

It is immaterial, in that even on an X-year visa you are required to leave the country then apply for a new entry every 180 days. It doesn't mean you can stay for the full period of that visa. I'm unsure on what its use is in that sense, but I guess it saves you from some formalities when re-applying.

There also exist no visa extensions in that sense; it's a new visa you're applying for, and always outside of the country. And it's up to the personnel in charge to grant it or not. While I don't hear of too much trouble with it, you should never count on it being a fool-proof system, and you may actually find the door back in closed on you.

To other readers: This multi-X-year visa seems to apply only to US citizens, based on some agreements between the two countries. It seems there are other agreements covering UK citizens, and perhaps some other nationalities.

Nick-H

You had me confused for a few minutes, as the letter "X", in Indian-visa talk, refers to an X-type, visa; an 'Entry' visa which is entirely different to any tourist visa, of whatever duration.

That was just my misreading, and you are correct that a 10-year visa still only allows you 180 days consecutive stay in the country. However, nipping over a border and returning is a lot simpler than applying for a new visa.

Persons of Pakistani origin can be given a very hard time getting visas for India, both in terms of the amount of time they take to process the application, and in the length of the visa granted.

Congratulations to Kala1 for getting a six-month visa without too much hassle!

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machadinha

Yes, sorry about the X-Visa confusion. I never understood too much about it, and it doesn't apply to my nationality anyway.

But I meant an X-Y-Z random mumbo-jumbo tourist visa, yes.

Nick-H

It's my Mastermind specialist subject. I guess --- but even my knowledge is severely limited!