Irrespective of the country you belong to, to have a stay in India you need to have Indian Visa with authority approval. This is the most important part that will authenticate your identity as a person who has made a visit to the overseas country to have a temporary stay. And it is the same for people of the United States of America who plan a trip to this wonderland. There has been a lot talk on visa approval between India and the US lately. However, after a long deliberation, the complexities have been obviated. The new measures are making the process much easier compared to earlier one. Here, is the step by step guide to obtaining an Indian Visa online for US citizens.
First of all, if you’re planning for a visit to India there are two options available to you. For those who are traveling on a short-term basis i.e up to 60 days, you have to have e-Visa applied online. And if are staying beyond two months, you need to have your passport sent to apply for a long-term visa.
There are many benefits of e-visa. It does not matter what your location is, you can apply for it. The only thing to remember here is that it is obligatory to have your visa approved regardless of your nationalities before visiting India. As e-visa is valid for only 60 days, the period starts from the day of approval, not the date of arrival. Therefore, it is a prudent move to get your visa approval as per your touring duration, else you might face problems with the expiry of your visa.
Now, let’s have an overview of the applying e-visas for US citizens.
E-visa takes less amount of time to get approval. And the most convenient way of getting it. The US citizens are relishing upon their chances on such process. Though it is sometimes referred to as “Visa on Arrival” due to the short duration visit, still you will have to apply for it in advance. Today, citizens from 161 countries can apply for e-visa for a travel to India. With new provisions come to play, the span of stay on “visa on arrival” has been extended to 60 days (30 days earlier). You can apply for e-visa four days prior to the arrival and such process is applicable twice in a year. In other words, you can only apply for e-visa twice in a year. How can we forget the cost factors? The cost for an e-visa approval varies from country to country. Today, a US citizen will have to pay $75 excluding a small admin fee to obtain one.
The Indian government has built an online portal to make visa approval process faster. You need to visit indianvisaonline.gov.in to apply. Then go through the checklist that mentions all the requirements. The process could appear a bit lengthy. But you need to have patience and careful enough while putting a check mark on every document requirement. Special attention must be given to your photo uploading. It must meet the requirements, else your application will be discarded. Here, the disheartening fact is that your processing fund will not be refunded. Once done with the process, your visa confirmation will be mailed to you. While traveling you must carry the hard copy of your e-visa and at the airport, the confirmed visa will be affixed to your passport.
Thus, the e-visa approval process takes place. As the process Indian Visa has got much easier, the visit of many US tourists each year is backing its originality.
