Visa length

I live in England and i want to stay in india longer than six months, how can i get a 1 year visa, is this possible.

I guess the British are eligible for longer-term tourist visas, so I reckon you should then just apply for one and cross your fingers.

Now the other bit of news is that no matter what length your tourist visa duration, you'll never be allowed into the country for more than 180 days at a time, and these days need to stay out for two months between any such visits.

In other words, "i want to stay in india longer than six months": On a tourist visa, that is just not possible, and hasn't been for ages.

Note also that a regular Indian tourist visa, so for up to 180 days, is valid from date of issue, not from date of entry into the country. The clock starts ticking the moment you receive it.

The advantage of a non-regular tourist visa is the 6 months starts on arrival (Canada, US). Mine is about to expire though. Certain European countries have unusual ones too..

That's news Edward, thought all tourist visas start from day of issue?
Certainly UK ones do.

Can you elaborate further on what I'm sure for most of us is a completely new concept please?

If you have say a 10-year US Indian tourist visa (other readers: Please note again this is exceptional, save for a very few nationalities), I don't know how it is with your first visit, but obviously the "valid from date of issue" concept would be meaningless for any subsequent visits.

Hence I guess it doesn't apply there, and this is probably what Ed was referring to.

Visa validity, and length of stay per visit in case of visa required countries, are two separate things. One can have a 10 year B1/B2 visa to US, but your stay is determined at the Port of Entry by the Immigrations Officer. Similarly, for Business visas.

So as long as you have a visa, you can enter the country for a set period of time (determined by I/O or pre-determined rules) without applying again for a visa. Once the visa expires (i.e 10 year T visa) you have to apply for another visa.

Yes, for this the only advantage of the longer term validity visas that their term begins on arrival. However a neutered version of this seems to occur for the LK as implies in post #2 valid for one year I believe. But, still only allowing 180 days max stay. Of course, you could visit Nepal for a couple of months and then..

I reckon that say in the hypothetical case you can get a British 1-year one (again, this does not apply to most nationalities), and now with the current requirement to stay out for two months inbetween every 180-day visit max., the main advantage would be that if you plan on two 3-month trips in a year, you wouldn't need to apply for and pay twice for a visa (note these longer-terms visas are of course a little more expensive by nature).

I think by extension that's the advantage of the US Indian 10-year tourist visa, as well. I mean little point in applying for and paying for a longer one, where applicable at all, if all it means is you gain the little time you need to allow between applying for and actually receiving the visa, as the case may be in whatever country you apply for it and/or what nationality you have.

(I've been thinking really to start a thread on "Of Modern Myth & Mania: Settling in India (and let me think of something to do while I'm there. Oh, I got it: Run a guesthouse!): How It Can't Be Done, and how it may come to have thought to be so from times long past."

Maybe I will.)

Hope the O/P has found this lot useful.

doesn't look like he's even been back on the check!!!

Its our fate to talk to each other as opposed to real people outside the institution. But, once in a long while..

Thanks guys. Ive decided to go to nepal for two months and return to india