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India; Tourist Visa and re-entry

India; Tourist Visa and re-entry

Old Mar 8, 2011, 12:37 am
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India; Tourist Visa and re-entry

I'm a regular business visitor to India, and normally just get a tourist visa, as it requires less paperwork and hassles with my client.

Yes, I can hear the "You should know better" shouts

Anyway, my latest visa arrived and I noticed the new restriction that re-entry to India can't be within 2 months of leaving. As I normally take the opportunity when visiting India to 'pop over' to some South East Asia countries, I thought this could create a problem.

I reviewed the issue online and tried to address it pre-departure. Well both the consulate in Houston who issued my visa and the Embassy in Washington failed to reply to repeated emails, and I had the usual issues actually trying to get to talk to anyone.

I found some excellent online references to the issue stating that if your travel itinerary required you to return to India, for your return flight home, and that you carried a copy of said itinerary, and kept to it, there would be no problem with re-entry.

Upon arriving for the first time in Delhi, I mentioned this issue to the immigration officer. He looked at my itinerary and said "No problem".

After a few days I left India eventually spending time in Thailand. When departing Bangkok back to Mumbai Jet Airways said I needed to sign a waiver as I was returning in less than 2 months. OK, except the waiver made no mention of visa issues and simply said that I was liable for any and all expense incurred by Jet Airways if the plane could not land, was diverted, suffered losses, etc.

"HOLLY ...." ! I could end up paying for Jet Airways entire costs of this flight. Of course, I refused to sign the waiver as it was not specific to my visa issues, to which their 'Airport Manager' basically said, "No problem, enjoy your time in Bangkok" !

I made it clear to him that I had been assured there was no problem with my re-entry, even showing him some print outs of online information. He said, "I don't care, your visa says, no re-entry within 2 months, end of story" .

We started to discuss the waiver and I agreed to sign it, providing they added, "In relation to VISA/IMMIGRATION issues only". They agreed.

Now I'm on the plane and spending 4 1/2 hours with my butt muscles clenched thinking what if they refuse me entry ?

I SHOULDN'T OF WORRIED

Indian immigration immediately said no problem, fill out this form, and then after we have stamped it you hand it to immigration when you leave the country. They could not have been nicer or easier to work with.

The problem : The Jet Airways airport manager Sanjay, who thought he knew better, when in fact he knew f'all.

This is just a heads up in case anyone has a similar problem;
1) It's not a problem to gain re-entry providing you abide by Indian Immigrations rules.
2) It is better to address and resolve the issue pre-departure, but achieving that may be difficult (Even the guys in Mumbai laughed when I said I tried to get Houston/Washington to respond before I left)
3) Don't allow some trumped up little jobsworth to put the fear of god in you, because he doesn't know better !
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Old Mar 8, 2011, 6:41 am
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Originally Posted by BritBoyInFL
Don't allow some trumped up little jobsworth to put the fear of god in you, because he doesn't know better !
^^^

This is a wise lesson for anybody seeking to visit a developing country!
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Old Mar 10, 2011, 4:16 am
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Originally Posted by B747-437B
^^^

This is a wise lesson for anybody seeking to visit a developing country!
Nothing to do with a developing country

(1) I had a similar experience transiting through Portugal (used to be a developed country presume it still is classified as such) with TAP. Huge problems waiver forms etc in Brasil lots of attitude from the (Portuguese) TAP airport manager But as usual with the Europeans nowadays with their economy up the wazoo, all that they wanted from me was money ...25 Euros for a transit visa on arrival at LIS. They were courteous and helpful, unlike the obsteprous airline manager out in Brazil

(2) Another time Ive been harassed by BA ""security"" at check-in in London asking for prooof that I was going to SIN on business (I dont need business visas for SIN but do as a tourist) The conference email was not enough I had to wake up my counterpart at 0500 SIN time to get them to fax a letter through Again, once in SIN, no problem no documentation requests etc
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Old Mar 11, 2011, 3:16 am
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In defence of the guy in BKK: all he saw was TIMATIC and your visa, both of which said you have to stay two months outside the country before reentry. What was he supposed to believe? Hearsay or documents?
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Old Mar 11, 2011, 3:25 am
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at the end of the day the rule is pretty clear about no re-entry within 2 months....it may be a stupid rule but its been put in place & if you don't want any hassles then just get a visa that allows for re-entry whenever you want....
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Old Mar 12, 2011, 4:11 am
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Answer .... Know the rules !

Originally Posted by oliver2002
In defence of the guy in BKK: all he saw was TIMATIC and your visa, both of which said you have to stay two months outside the country before reentry. What was he supposed to believe? Hearsay or documents?
If he has been empowered to make decisions regarding who flies and who doesn't, based on immigration rules, than "He is supposed to know and understand what ALL the rules are". And yes, he should have believed the printed documents I provided which had been taken from the OFFICIAL US INDIAN CONSULATE !

Hope that answers your question.
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Old Mar 12, 2011, 4:16 am
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Tourist visa DOES allow for re-entry

Originally Posted by Keyser
at the end of the day the rule is pretty clear about no re-entry within 2 months....it may be a stupid rule but its been put in place & if you don't want any hassles then just get a visa that allows for re-entry whenever you want....
As the post of my title states, the tourist visa DOES allow for re-entry within a 2 month period, providing you follow the clearly publicized rules. All I ask is that if anyone is to make critical decisions based on immigration/visa status, then they and their employers MUST ensure that they understand ALL the rules, not just the ones they just to read/implement.

As my original post states, I HAD NO PROBLEM WHEN ARRIVING IN INDIA AFTER ONLY 3 DAYS OUT OF THE COUNTRY. They have rules and a system that I kept to, allowing me trouble free re-entry on a tourist visa.
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Old Mar 12, 2011, 10:41 am
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I encountered this very issue today.

I am on a two week vacation in India. For whatever reason, I decided to visit Dhaka for a day.

When I got the tourist visa, I had explicitly asked and they said it was no problem; the two month requirement kicks in only if you return to your home country, but to be safe, you should have a copy of your full itinerary.

Anyhow, at Dhaka airport the checkin guy looked at my visa, saw the text about the two months, and said I couldn't get on the flight because that would be inconsistent with the visa. I tried to explain what I was told in NYC. At some point, he might have mentioned something about my signing a waiver, but it seemed like he wasn't inclined to let me board. After I got pissy with him, he decided to call the India High Commission in Dhaka, who appeared to tell him exactly what I had been telling him.
He didn't want to admit I was right, so he continued to insist that I might run into problems with immigration in Delhi upon arrival. He gave me my boarding pass and didn't make me sign a waiver.
In Delhi, the immigration guy asked me a question about my travel. I briefly explained my itinerary, he quickly conferred with the guy next to him -- based on body language, he seemed to say it was no problem -- and I went on through relatively quickly.
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Old Mar 12, 2011, 11:48 pm
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Originally Posted by BritBoyInFL
As the post of my title states, the tourist visa DOES allow for re-entry within a 2 month period, providing you follow the clearly publicized rules. All I ask is that if anyone is to make critical decisions based on immigration/visa status, then they and their employers MUST ensure that they understand ALL the rules, not just the ones they just to read/implement.

As my original post states, I HAD NO PROBLEM WHEN ARRIVING IN INDIA AFTER ONLY 3 DAYS OUT OF THE COUNTRY. They have rules and a system that I kept to, allowing me trouble free re-entry on a tourist visa.
the guys at immigration knew the rules & let you through....so good for you....but you tried to get around the rules by getting a tourist visa instead of a business one....if you ran into trouble then the ONLY person to blame is YOURSELF....
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Old Mar 15, 2011, 4:14 am
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Airlines employees are no supposed to be immigration experts, so such data is prepared for them in a simple form using TIMATIC which they are supposed to follow blindly. If the airline industry has not updated TIMATIC correctly, that the right tree to bark at, not the frontline employee who is stuck between an angry customer and an aircraft getting ready to depart.

DL gives you free access to TIMATIC here: https://www.delta.com/planning_reser...tion/index.jsp

The TIMATIC on the 2 month reentry restriction says the following:


- Holders of multiple entry Tourist Visas (visa type code "T"), with a validity ranging from above 3 months and up to
10 years, are required to have at least 2 months between visits. For details, click here

--> Additional Information:

- Holders of multiple entry Tourist Visas (visa type code

"T"), with a validity ranging from above 3 months and up to
10 years, are required to have at least 2 months between
visits. This will be noted as a stamp in their passport upon
their departure from India.Those wishing to re-enter before
two months have expired must contact an Indian mission
abroad to obtain permission, which if granted will be in the
form of a letter. Within 14 days of re-entry, the visitor is
required to register with the Foreigner's Regional
Registration Office (FRRO). Any waiver of the restriction
will be endorsed on the visa page.

Last edited by oliver2002; Mar 15, 2011 at 4:19 am
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Old Mar 16, 2011, 2:35 am
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Originally Posted by BritBoyInFL
All I ask is that if anyone is to make critical decisions based on immigration/visa status, then they and their employers MUST ensure that they understand ALL the rules, not just the ones they just to read/implement.
.
All airlines across the world use the information in timatic web to ascertain your admissibility at the destination.

If you feel this strongly about the issue, might I suggest an email to timatic with the supporting documentation to update their database is in order.

And perhaps obtain a business visa for your subsequent visits?
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Old Mar 16, 2011, 3:14 am
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Originally Posted by SQ421
And perhaps obtain a business visa for your subsequent visits?
^^
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Old Mar 22, 2011, 3:19 am
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Originally Posted by SQ421
All airlines across the world use the information in timatic web to ascertain your admissibility at the destination.

If you feel this strongly about the issue, might I suggest an email to timatic with the supporting documentation to update their database is in order.

And perhaps obtain a business visa for your subsequent visits?
The blame has to be shared with the Indian immigration authorities, who have done a rather poor job of communicating the policy with the public. Nevertheless, the Consulate General of India - San Francisco clearly states the following:
Foreigners holding Tourist Visas, who after initial entry into India plan to visit another country largely on account of neighbourhood tourism related travel and re-enter India before finally exiting, may be permitted two or three entries, as the case may be (need based), by the Indian Missions/Posts subject to their submission of a detailed itinerary and supporting documentation (ticket bookings)...
The Immigration authorities in all the Immigration Check Posts may also allow such foreign nationals on Tourist Visas arriving in India without the specific authorization from the Indian Missions/Posts upto three entries into the country (need based) subject to production of an itinerary and supporting documentation (ticket bookings)
Provided someone has an itinerary and ticket bookings showing a clear intent to use India as a jumping-off point two or three times to other countries and provided the total stay in India from first entry does not exceed 6 months, it is perfectly legal to re-enter India after less than two months.

The airline's waiver is understandable given the somewhat vague wording of the policy. Still, the waiver should be clearly worded to cover only immigration issues and airlines -- especially those based in India or with lots of flights to India -- should train their employees to deal with fairly routine situations like this that arise because of India's policy.
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Old Mar 22, 2011, 4:55 am
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So the two month rule does not apply with a Business Visa?
Also can anyone confirm is visa type "B" is a business visa?
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Old Mar 23, 2011, 2:17 am
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Originally Posted by jahason
So the two month rule does not apply with a Business Visa?
Also can anyone confirm is visa type "B" is a business visa?
Yes and yes. The two-month rule only applies to holders of tourist visas -- it does not apply to business visas or to any other visa category. The FAQs on CGI - San Francisco website have pretty helpful information and the answers do not just apply to U.S. citizens.
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