Foreigners whose sole purpose to travel through India to a destination outside India requires a Transit visa. A Transit Visa will ordinarily be valid for a single journey and for entry within 15 days from date of issue, unless otherwise specified. In any case, the period of validity of a Transit visa will not exceed that of the visa for the country of ultimate destination.
A transit visa is only valid for direct transit, irrespective of the period of stay in the transit, which cannot be more than 3 days for each visit. For a stay in India beyond 3 days, a visa of the appropriate category should be obtained.
Persons in direct transit through India:
1.Travel by Air:
A Transit Visa is not required by a foreigner passing through, in direct transit by air, and travelling onward through India, provided he/she does not leave the specified precincts of the airport.
2. Travel by Sea:
A Transit Visa is not required by a foreigner who does not leave the ship while it halts at an Indian port. In case the foreigner intends to resume his/her journey from the same place by a scheduled Air service for which he/she holds a valid ticket, he/she will be allowed to leave the ship to proceed to the designated airport to catch his/her flight only with the prior approval of the competent authority.
Key points to remember:
Note: Direct transit facility is only available at major ICPs and not at smaller ICPs. Hence you are requested to confirm the availability of the facility at ICP before planning your journey.
