3 most important things about Visa Application

All Indian Nationals who have acquired either US or Foreign citizenship are advised to surrender their Indian Passport to the nearest Indian Mission for cancellation and return.

1) Processing Time:

Applications received at the counter between 9.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. are normally processed the same day and serviced documents can be collected from the counter between 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Applications sent in mail will normally take about 10 working/business days to process from the date of receipt in the Embassy. This time schedule does not apply to services where prior approval is required from authorities in India, or other Indian embassies for non US Resident applicants. During this period the applicants are advised to refrain from making telephonic/written/ email inquires about the status of the application.

2) Following documents are required to be submitted for visa:

1. ”Visa application Form”

a) Visa application form should filled in legibly and clearly, in bold (capital) letters in black/blue ink only. Incomplete and illegible applications may not be processed.

b) Name and other relevant particulars should be filled in as per details in the passport in expanded form.

2. Passport, it should have a minimum validity of six months on the date of application with at least two blank pages.

3. Photographs ; 2 latest identical passport size photographs (black/white or color) depicting front pose against light background

4. Supporting documents, if the visa being applied for is other than a Tourist Visa, the visa application should be accompanied with supporting documents on type of visa applied for. For details, please refer to article “Know all about the documents to be submitted with your Visa application”

5. Visa Fee, Please refer to artice “All you want to know about Student Visa fees” for the amount of fee. In case the applications are deposited in person at the counter, visa fee can be paid in cash or by Cashier’s Check/Certified Check or Money Order made payable to the Embassy of India, Washington (PERSONAL CHECKS / CREDIT CARDS are not accepted)

6. Persons of Indian Origin applying for a visa for the FIRST time on US passport must submit their Indian passport along with the application form for cancellation and return. If the visa is required on a new US passport booklet, either previous US passport or photocopy of Indian visa are to be submitted with the application.

Note: All persons of Indian origin who have acquired US citizenship are advised to surrender their Indian passports to the nearest Indian mission for cancellation and return. The cancelled Indian passports will be needed at the time of applying for Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card or Indian visa for the first time on a US passport.

3) Non-US Citizens: Additional requirements

1. Applicants who are not Citizens of USA, but hold long term US visa or a Green Card should submit a copy of the visa or the Green Card.

2. Applicants who are not citizens/ residents of the USA and hold a tourist or other short-term visa for USA should normally apply for Indian visas in the countries of their permanent residence. In case of emergency or special circumstance, an application could be made at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC or Consulates General of India in the US. In addition to the relevant visa fee they should remit an additional US $ 20 for reference to be made to the country of their original residence. The processing time in such cases is usually 5-7 working days.

Note-

(a) Please read the relevant instructions carefully before applying to avoid any inconvenience;

(b) kindly note that the validity of the visa starts from the date of issue and not the date of entry into India)

Special Visa application forms should be filled in by citizens of Pakistan (4 copies with 4 photos) and Bangladesh (2 copies with 2 photos). (It usually takes 3-4 months to process visa applications of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Chinese passport holders).

Image source: http://www.viewpointfranchise.com/

Related Articles :