• All visitors, except for nationals of Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives, need a visa to enter India.
• Maldives nationals need a visa only if they intend to stay in India for longer than 90 days.
• Nationals of Nepal need a visa only if they will enter India from China.
• A citizen of Bhutan entering India by land or air does not require a passport or visa for entry into India, unless entering India from a place other than Bhutan. In that case, a passport is a must. However, he/she must have a passport and visa for India if he/she is entering India from China.
• For diplomatic and official passport holders, many nationalities are exempted from the Indian Visa. The detailed list can be accessed at http://mea.gov.in/bvwa.html

• In case you are applying for a visa other than a tourist visa, it is recommended that you apply 3 to 4 weeks before your travel date. Although the visa itself may only take a few days to process, it is always advisable to add as much buffer time as possible in case any issues arise during the process.
• Tourist visas (eTV) can be applied for 3-4 days in advance. The e-Visa is processed within 72 hours of filing the application and making an online payment.

No, it is not possible to apply for an India visa at the airport. Eligible citizens travelling for leisure/tourism purposes have the option to apply for an Indian ETA visa online before they depart for India.

• e-Tourist Visa is a completely online application for which no facilitation is required by any intermediary/agents, etc. However, its validity is 30 days, and it is only valid for single entry into India.
• The e-Tourist visa allows for visa on arrival issuance only for arrival and departure from the airports in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, and Varanasi.
• If arriving or departing by land, by sea, or from any other airport or port of entry, please apply for a traditional Indian visa. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

• More information on visa can be found on concerned Indian Mission and Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) as well as online visa portal ( https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html ). The instructions for filling out the form and scheduling the appointment can be seen at Instructions for Regular Visa Application. Important technical information for filling out an out an online Indian visa application can be referred to at Technical Instructions.
• The status of the visa application can be seen on the https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/VisaEnquiry.jsp  for Visa Enquiry.

A tourist visa can be granted to a foreigner whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sight seeing, a casual visit to meet friends or relatives, attending a short-term yoga program, etc., and no other purpose or activity.

For more information, please refer to http://mha1.nic.in/pdfs/MaterialTV_02062016_01.pdf

A foreign national coming as a volunteer for honorary work with the NGOs registered in the country, may be paid a salary up to a ceiling of INR 10,000 per month. http://mha1.nic.in/pdfs/ForeigD-ClarifEmpVISA-Guid.pdf

The salary threshold limit of US$25,000 per annum includes salary and all other allowances paid to the foreign national in cash. Perquisites like rent-free accommodation, etc. that are included in'salary’ for the purpose of calculating the income tax may also be taken into account for this purpose. However, perquisites that are not included for working out the income tax should not be taken into account for working out the salary threshold limit of US$ 25,000 per annum. The company or organisation concerned should clearly indicate in the employment contract.

(i) the salary and allowances being paid in cash and

(ii) all other perquisites, like rent-free accommodation, etc., which would be taken into account for the purpose of working out the income tax payable by the employee. Such perquisites should also be quantified and indicated in the employment contract.

http://mha1.nic.in/pdfs/EmploymentVisa_080114.pdf

No, foreign nationals already in India on business visas are not allowed to convert their business visas to employment visas. He/she has to go back to his home country and reapply for a fresh visa. http://mha1.nic.in/pdfs/BusinessVisa-300514.pdf

No, it is not necessary for an Indian organisation or entity sponsoring an employment visa to necessarily be the legal employer of the person.

Note: The employment visa has to be endorsed by an Indian “host” company.

http://mha1.nic.in/pdfs/EmploymentVisa_080114.pdf

Senior management personnel and/or specialists employed by foreign firms, who are relocated to India to work on specific projects or management assignments can apply for an employment visa. http://mha1.nic.in/pdfs/EmploymentVisa-300514.pdf

No, change of employer shall not be permitted during the term of the initial employment visa within India except in respect of change of employment between a registered holding company and its subsidiary and vice-versa or between subsidiaries of a registered holding company. The change of employment in such cases could be considered subject to some conditions.