Advisory on Tourist visa for India 09 November 2021)

Tourist visa

A Tourist visa is granted to a foreigner whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives. Tourist visa is non-extendable and non convertible.  Change of purpose is not allowed. Multiple-entry Tourist Visa may be granted for a maximum period of 10 years to the nationals of Canada, Japan, UK and USA.

Bio-metrics capture is compulsory for all the applicants. Applicants between 12-70 years of age are exempted for Biometrics.

Document Requirement:

• Duly completed, printed and signed visa application form.
• Two recent colour passport size (about 51mm x 51mm) photographs in colour showing full frontal face against a white background to be pasted on the application form.
• Current valid passport with minimum of 190 days validity and must have minimum 2 blank pages.
• Proof of address: driver's license/utility bill/Govt issued ID(Photocopies)
• Last held Indian Passport with surrendered stamp and Surrender/renunciation certificate issued by Indian mission along with the Canadian citizenship card/certificate. Such surrendered passport and certificate should have a unique number of surrender transaction.

Additional document in case of Minor applicant (below18 years), copies of 

• Valid passport copies of both parents.
• Minor consent form which should be duly completed and signed by both the parents. Consent Form is available at https://www.cgivancouver.gov.in/pages.php?id=185
• Copy of birth certificate with name of both parents on it.

 Processing Time:

After receipt of an application in the Consulate and if it is complete in all respect, generally visa is granted in 2 – 5 business days but in some cases it may take a longer processing time hence a definite time frame for grant of a visa cannot be offered.

 If an application is incomplete, any required document is missing (including later called additional document), it may be rejected. Any visa application may be rejected by Consulate without assigning any reason to the applicant.

Any additional document may be asked.

There shall be no refund of fee for any reason. 

Tourist Visa - Re-entry restrictions

The restrictions on repeat/consecutive visits into India on a Tourist Visa have been relaxed for foreign nationals. However, there should be a gap of at least 2 months between two visits to India on a Tourist Visa on re-entry of nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Maldives, foreigners of Pakistan origins and Stateless persons.

This stipulation of two months gap between two visits does not apply on any other type of visa, i.e. Business (B) or Entry (X) types of visas. It also does not apply to OCI card holders.