Visa Extension

Nick-H

Or to get your money in his pocket!

valdran

Anyone in or been in my boat?I'm a US citizen, with 10 yr. tourist visa & need to extend (180 days are up in 3 weeks). Have already done it in Sri Lanka (great idea) and have done driving across border to Nepal from Baraigh and have done it flying into Katmandu. Did anyone have any luck with bribe fees?

Nick-H

When is the ten years up? That is the most important question.

Whilst your visa continues to be valid, you only need to leave the country and re-enter

valdran

So did you have any luck with this fee/bribe deal? Did u risk it?
Does it work for uscitizens holding a 10 yr indian visa about to expire?

Nick-H

Ahhh...

There is no extension of a tourist visa.

You may well get a new visa in a neighbouring country, but it may be for a much shorter period of time.

gummibear55

I haven't done anything with the bribing. I still have middle arch so I a just forgetting about it for now.

I think that your best bet is also to try and get another visa however if you are just coming off a 10 year, they will probably want to know what you are doing in India for 10 years. If you don't want to leave, why don't you marry an Indian?

zoltan

I recall reading here (?) of a person from the USA who went to a bordering country to get another visa issued but was only given a 6-month one instead of a 10-year.

I have a suspicion that the 10-year visas are only issued from the persons home country.

Cheers
Zoltan

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palerider

Yeah, Zoltan, this was the case with two guys I knew in 2006.
They didn't want to spend all that time going back to the states, so a six month is all they could get.

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homerpunita

Hey Gummibear55,

You posted that you are Canadian, but are any of your relatives Indian? I was born and raised in the US, my parents are from India, but are US citizens.

I had a 10 year visa (can only stay 6 months at a time). My 6 months was up in September of 08. I went to the immigration office in Chennai to see about extending my stay here so I could take some classes in Bangalore. The answer I got was that I would have to leave the country and come back for another 6 months. I was told I could just fly to Sri Lanka and then immediately fly back to India to stay for another 6 months.

I was told by someone that I could extend my stay here if I could prove that my grandparents or parents are Indian. I had to run around to get the documentation they required and get it notarized, etc. In the end, I ended up getting an entry visa here in Chennai which allows me to stay in the country for 5 years without having to leave. I ended up spending 4000 rupees +/- on the entry visa (no bribe necessary), but I did not have to go through the hassel of leaving the country and coming back. The paperwork I received from immigration states that the reason for the extension is "Indian Origin".

If you decide to go to the immigration office in Chennai, make sure you get there early. There is always a long line and they don't see anyone after 12pm, unless you have an appointment to finalize your paperwork.

If you or anyone else need the details on the process, feel free to contact me.

-Chris

gummibear55

I have no Indian blood but it is useful knowledge for anyone else that is reading this post.

edwardseco

Reports of US citizens getting tenners outside of home country exist..

valdran

SO my 10 yr visa has another 8 yrs to go but its the 6 mo. limitation that's the bugger. Yes everything I read says you can not extend a tourist visa (except for emergency medical). The FRRO in Delhi is adamant about it. But I know personally 2 people who have done it in the past year. They have established a temporary residency. 1 in Hardwar and another in the south. Both of them are US citizens with Tourist visas. 1 has come and gone 3 times, the other just once. BOth of them simply went to the airport and showed their residency papers and were given a exit stamp in their passport.
Any comments out there on this?

Nick-H

Your visa doesn't expire for eight years --- what problem? You just leave the country and return for your next 180-day stay.

Totally fail to understand your comments about the people you know. You say they came and went? They left the country and returned? So that's what you do.

Your post seems to imply that someone obtained an exit stamp by going to the airport. Do you really mean they did not actually fly anywhere? doesn't sound likely
You are, as an American citizen, incredibly privileged to be able to get a visa that allows you to wander in and out India, almost at will, staying for up to 180 days, returning without worrying if you will get a new visa --- and you seem to be making a big issue out of simply leaving the country and returning!

There is no such thing as temporary residency --- except in so far as there is actually no such thing as permanent residency, so all residency permits are temporary, in that they have an expiry date.

edwardseco

What I think he is saying is that someone at the airport provides a visa exit stamp. I have heard of this at land borders through a reliable correspondent. I don't think this is a legal means. I think this requires the contacts to "arrange" things. I doubt anyone here will be able to publically name someone. I always wondered how my relation in Delhi customs got so rich, I forget his or her name. Guess its just the high government pay..

Haylo

I imagine that not being able to enter an airport without having an airline ticket would make arranging this slightly more inconvenient than at a land border.

Valdran, bear in mind you also need an entry stamp, and at the larger airports at least, on any one day different officers would be dealing with entry and exit stamps. If things went awry and you managed to bribe only the person who has the exit stamp, not having an entry stamp will lead to some difficult questions when you try to leave the country.

Oh, and there is the minor issue that trying to bribe one of the (apparently growing) number of honest officers might lead to your prosecution, as it is a criminal offence to offer bribes. Also, if you are caught, you can kiss goodbye to any hope of being issued an Indian visa ever again.

As the vast majority of people on here can only obtain six month visas, and often only three months if they apply away from their native country, you might not get quite as much sympathy for your "10 year visa plight" as you were hoping for!

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