Due to high call volume, a dedicated toll-free number for India visas has been established. Please call 1-800-417-4023 for an Indian Visa Specialist.

A valid passport and visa are required to enter India. Americans arriving without valid passports and the appropriate visa may not be permitted to enter and will be subject to a fine and immediate deportation at the traveler's expense.

Please follow the instructions below. After you read all the instructions, if you have any questions, call us at 1-800-417-4023 before you start the process.

Applicants partaking in the following activities are eligible to apply for an Indian business visa: Attending meetings for general business support, board member collaboration, and technical discussions; Establishing or exploring industrial/business ventures in India; Purchasing or selling commercial/industrial products or consumer durables; Recruiting of manpower; Consultations regarding exhibitions, trade shows, or business fairs; Transactions with Indian suppliers; Specialists monitoring the progress of ongoing projects and/or providing technical guidance; Presale and post sale activities; Visits from Business Partners in the company or functioning Directors. All applicants traveling to India for employment or under a contract must apply for an employment visa (please view our page regarding Indian employment visas for specific details).

Send us your current valid and signed passport. It must not expire within 6 months and must have at least two blank visa pages. If you do not have any blank visa pages in your passport, you must first amend your passport to have pages added. A Briggs will secure your visa using the added pages. If your passport expires within six months, you must renew your passport and then we will secure your visa with the new passport.

Send 1 visa application form completed and signed using the link below. Check your application form for accuracy before sending it to A Briggs. If a mistake is found on the application form it must be completed again with correct information (the embassy/consulates will not accept forms with handwritten corrections or correction tape). All fields that apply to you must be completed regardless if they are stared required on the fillable form (i.e. if you are employed, your work phone number must be provided).

India Visa Application

Important Rules:

• Your name on the application form, along with your passport information, MUST match your passport exactly.
• Your signature on the application form must exactly match your signature on your passport.
• Application forms must be printed on two separate pieces of paper. Application forms printed back to back on a single page are not accepted.
• The reference person in the US listed on the application form cannot reside at the same address as the applicant.
• Travelers under 18 must have both parents' signatures on the application form, along with copies of the information page of both parents' passports.

You must submit 2 passport photographs taken by a passport photographer. Digital, homemade, and non-passport style photographs are not acceptable. Applicants are required to provide photos taken without eyeglass.

Provide a clear photo copy of a US Driver's license or other state issued ID card reflecting your residential address (no PO Boxes).

If you have recently moved and have a new driver's license or if you do not have a driver's license, please include a photocopy of a major utility bill showing your name and residential address to prove your state of residency. Copies of cell phone bills, bank statements, or lease agreements are not accepted.

The address on your proof of residency must match the residential address listed on your application form.

Travelers under 18 must submit copies of both parents' driver's licenses, along along with copies of the information page of both parents' passports.

Submit a computer-generated flight itinerary from your travel agent, airline, or online booking agency. The itinerary must show the applicant's name, date of arrival and departure from India, and flight information.

The itinerary is required because the Indian Embassy wants to know the dates you plan to arrive and depart from the country.

US Born: You must submit a copy of your birth certificate.

Indian Born: You must submit a copy of your birth certificate, old Indian passport, or school leaving certificate.

All Others: You must submit a copy of your birth certificate or any Government issued document from your country of origin.

IMPORTANT:

• The birth certificate or government issued document should be a copy only. Do not send originals.
• The document provided must indicate your date of birth, nationality, and names of your parents. All of this information is contained on a long form birth certificate. Short form birth certificates are usually missing the names of the child's parents and should be accompanied with a hospital birth certificate containing this missing information.
• Documents that do not originate from the US or India must be translated into English and must be notarized.

If your name does not match the name on your birth certificate, please provide a copy of your marriage certificate or official document showing that your name has legally been changed. The name on your proof of name change must match the name on your passport.

NOTE: Processing times are business days and do not include shipping time. The first day begins the day after your package is received by A Briggs except in the case of pre-arranged same day service when available. Prices are per applicant.

NOTE: 10 year business visas are not available for applicants residing in India's Houston jurisdiction (AL,AR,FL,GA,KS,LA,MS,OK and TX). Processing times for applicants in this jurisdiction are 6-8 business days instead of the times listed above.

The A Briggs fees are:

$55.00 for regular service for which we secure your visa from the Embassy in its normal time of issuance; or

$135.00 for rush service for which we secure your visa as quickly as the Embassy will issue it.

$175.00 for same day service when available. Please call 1-800-806-0581 in advance to determine availability.

If Paying by Credit Card
You may pay your consular fees via credit card when filling out our Online Order Form.

If Paying by Check
Send a money order for the consular fees payable to the Embassy of India. The payment to the Embassy must be a money order. Personal checks are not accepted.

Applicants for a business visa must submit an invitation from an Indian Company on company letterhead with the inviter's signature. If the visa request falls under the DC embassy's jurisdiction, the letter must be addressed to the "Embassy of India". If the visa request falls under the Chicago, Houston, New York, or San Francisco jurisdictions, the letter must be addressed to the "Consulate General of India". The letter must specifically request the visa being applied for: 1, 5, or 10 years. All 5 and 10 year requests must support the need for a long-term visa by indicating future travel dates to India and describing the nature of the visit in detail to show that the activity in India is within the description of a business visa. Scanned and faxed copies of the invitation letter are acceptable. Employment activities are not permitted while traveling on a business visa. NOTE: 10 year business visas are not available for applicants residing in Houston and New York jurisdictions (AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, PR, RI, TX, VT, Virgin Islands).

Business visa applicants must submit a business cover letter from a U.S. company on company letterhead with a manager's original signature. If the visa request falls under the DC embassy's jurisdiction, the letter must be addressed to the "Embassy of India". If the visa request falls under the Chicago, Houston, New York, or San Francisco jurisdictions, the letter must be addressed to the "Consulate General of India". The letter must indicate purpose of travel, duration of visit, moral and financial responsibility, and the validity of the visa requested: 1, 5, or 10 years. All 5 and 10 year requests must also explain in detail why a long-term visa is needed (opposed to a short-term visa) and indicate future travel dates to India (spanning over the time frame of the visa validity being requested). Employment activities are not permitted while traveling on a business visa. NOTE: 10 year business visas are not available for applicant's residing in Houston and New York jurisdictions (AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, PR, RI, TX, VT, Virgin Islands).

Example Business Cover Letter

Processing times are business days and do not include shipping time. Keep this in mind when placing your order. We count “days” the same way the passport office and embassies count days: if we receive and submit the document on Monday, then Tuesday is the first day, Wednesday is two days, etc. (we do submit documents every business day).

Please review the consular fees section above for embassy processing times.

A traveler that selects 4-day visa processing from the embassy may experience fulfillment times of up to 7 days including shipping.

Non-US Citizens Only: Non-US citizens are subject to longer processing times which the embassy/consulate determines on a case by case basis. Non-US citizens with long-term permanent US residency must furnish a copy of their US Permanent Resident card. Non-US citizens in the US on a valid US visa may only apply for an Indian visa in the US as long as he/she has maintained a current US visa status for 2 consecutive years. When a referral is needed, a $20 reference fee must be paid. Non-US citizens are not eligible to apply for long-term visas. The maximum tourist visa validity is 6 months and the maximum business visa validity is 1 year. Non-US citizens must use their last known address in their country of citizenship under "permanent address". Their address in the US must be used under "present address".

Pakistani Citizens Only: In addition to the requirements above, the Indian consulate requires all Pakistani citizens to complete 4 copies of the following application form with 4 photos:

Pakistani Additional Application Form

NOTE: Pakistani citizens and persons of Pakistani origin are subject to a minimum 6 week processing time.

Special Bangladesh Application: In addition to the requirements above, the Indian consulate requires all Bangladesh citizens to complete 2 copies of the following application form with 2 photos:

Bangladesh Additional Application Form

Persons of Indian Origin Only: Persons of Indian origin are subject to longer processing times which the embassy/consulate determines on a case by case basis. The Indian government requires all applicants born in India to surrender Indian citizenship.

Those who were naturalized and received US citizenship before June 1, 2010 must provide one of the following:

• Most Recent Cancelled Indian Passport
• Most Recent Uncancelled Indian Passport, Renunciation Fee of $20, and two completed Renunciation Forms

Those who were naturalized and received US citizenship after May 31, 2010 must provide one of the following:

• Certificate of Renunciation (issued by the Indian embassy/consulate)
• Original Indian Passport with a Renunciation Stamp

Those who were naturalized and received US citizenship after May 31, 2010 and have not renounced Indian citizenship, or cannot show proof, must provide all of the following:

• Two completed Renunciation Forms
• Renunciation fee of $175
• Copy of US Naturalization Certificate (for minors who were not issued naturalization certificates, copies of the parents naturalization certificates and a letter explaining that citizenship was obtained through the parents is required)
• Most Recent Indian Passport (along with copies of the first 3 pages and last 2 pages of the passport)

***Persons of Indian origin applying for a visa through the SF consulate's jurisdiction must provide the passport in which the applicant entered the US along with copies of any passport pages containing US entry stamps.

Dual Citizens Only: The Indian consulate requires all dual citizens applying in the U.S. to apply with their U.S. passports.

You must complete the Online Order Form.

The order form gives us your name, address, shipping informationand payment method. Multiple applicants can be entered using one order form. Please print two copies of the confirmation page. Include one copy with the documents you ship to us and keep one copy for your records.

While completing the online order form in this step, you will be asked how you want to pay A Briggs. You may pay our fees online with a credit card or enclose a personal or business check or money order.

Click here to fill out the online order form.

Note: Additional shipping costs must be charged to a credit card for each package shipped to an international destination and the following locations: Alaska, Hawaii, and all U.S. Territories.

Saturday Delivery is an additional $14 when available to US destinations.

Failure to follow these instructions may cause a delay in processing, and could also result in additional charges on your order for shipping, such as: before 8:00am delivery, Saturday Delivery, etc. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us toll free at 1-800-806-0581.

Contact our office in:
Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Hope, Houston, Los Angeles, Lynchburg, Miami, New York, Norwalk, San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington, DC.