Originally Posted by
oliver2002
Nope, xyzzy got one last year in NYC (to join me on one of my India trips) and he has no Indian roots whatsoever.
The unofficial policy is that 10 year visas are only issued on "reciprocal" basis (viz. to citizens of countries who issue 10 year visas to Indians). So Brits, Americans, Canadians, etc... are eligible. Other EU nationals are usually restricted to a maximum 2-5 year validity for tourist visas unless they have Indian roots.