For International Delegates
If you’re visiting India to attend a conference, you need to obtain a Conference Visa instead of a Tourist Visa. A Conference visa is usually valid for 6 months from the time of issue and also permits tourism.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) specifies the eligibility criteria for a Conference visa as follows:
A Conference visa is granted to a foreigner:
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Whose sole objective of visiting India is to attend a conference/seminar or workshop being held in India ;
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Who holds a valid passport, and a re-entry permit if that is required under the law of the country of nationality of the applicant;
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Who is not a persona-non-grata to the Government of India;
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Who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a negative list or any warning circular or other restrictive list; and
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Who is a person of assured financial standing (the production of a return ticket and availability of sufficient money to spend during his stay in India may be considered sufficient for this purpose).
Application process for Visa
If you’re interested in applying for a Visa, you must fill this Google form with your details October 5th 2023, 11:59 pm AOE. It collects details essential for the organisers of InGARSS to obtain clearance from the Government of India.
- You must then obtain the following documents before applying for the Conference visa
- Conference invitation letter: You will receive this via email as soon as you register for the conference. This letter will be provided to those who fill out the aforementioned Google form.
- Clearance letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (MEA clearance letter): It is expected that we will receive this letter from the Ministry of External Affairs by October 15, 2023. It will be emailed to everyone who filled the Google form and has registered.
- Clearance letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA clearance letter): We expect to have this letter ready by October 31, 2023 or later. It will be emailed to everyone who filled the Google form and has registered.
Note that the MEA clearance letter is required for proceeding with visa applications in the concerned consulate, except for a few countries or travel logistics require both MEA and MHA clearance letters. Please refer to the FAQs in the MHA website for further details on what is required in the applicant’s specific case.