In 6 months I need to go to India for a research project. I believe our stay will be 2 or 3 years. Does anyone happen to know how hard it will be to obtain a long stay visa?
Check out incredibleindia.org - India's Ministry of Tourism website. From that site, I say you can either apply a Business Visa or Student Visa. The site mentioned the following: Business Visa / Period of 1 or more years / Required to submit Letter from the Sponsoring organization. Student Visa / For the duration of the academic course of study or for a period of five years whichever is less / Proof of admission to recognized Universities/Institutions in India The site lists other documentary requirements and advised to check out the Indian Embassy/ High Commission/ Consulate based in the country from where the candidate intends to depart for India. You are requested to contact the nearest Indian mission for details. I guess it won't be hard to secure VISAS for as long as you have the documentary requirements that they seek. Oh, you might also want to check out the FAQ section of www.boi.gov.in - the website of Bureau of Immigration (Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India) (Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration and Tracking). There's an Overview on Research Visa there. Perhaps the information there is just what you need.
Hello, @Peter! Welcome to the forum! Well, I noticed that you're a US citizen so with citizens from America, you have the option of applying for a long-term Indian visa. These are the requirements: Application form completed and duly signed. Order form and additional particulars form from Cox and Kings Global Services. Proof of address. Photographs pasted on the application form. Supporting documents (I will discuss these later). Passport valid for at least 6 months with at least 2 blank pages. Now, for the supporting documents, these are based on category. Your category is research, so here are the supporting documents you can give: Information about the subject of research and what places you intend to visit. Also include what are previous places you have visited and where your institution is located. Include as well who is going to fund your research. Download the proforma from the Government of India website. Fill up seven copies of this and this should be submitted along with the application form. An original copy of admission letter is also required. Invitation from a central institution or state university. For the long-term Indian research visa, here are the fees: Consular Fee - $140 ICWF Fee - $3 Reference Fee - $0 Service Fee - $4.70 The total is $147.70 for a 1 year of stay in the country. Since you're staying for 2 to 3 years, you'd have to pay more. You must apply for the visa at least 6 weeks before your departure for India. The visa will be valid 4 weeks after it was issued. The visa is valid until your research is done. It isn't that difficult to apply for an Indian research visa as long as you provide the authorities with the required documents and proofs. I hope this helps!
You really have to look at that and just kind of shake your head at all the hoops that you have to jump through just to travel. I get it, there are all sorts of concerns that come into play, but just on some level it is still weird to think about. All you want to do is set foot on another piece of land, but you have to bring your papers and your individual history. Sometimes I just wonder what a simpler life would be like...and then I wake up and drink lots of coffee.
