Indian E-Visas – Application Overview

In a recent blog, we discussed some of the most challenging countries to take international depositions – one of which was the exotic nation of India. Besides requiring prior permission from the Indian Central Authority, all deposition attendees must have a visa to enter the country. In years past, this process would take between five and seven business days (duration was subject to the Indian government) and required stacks of documentation for approval. This made taking late-notice depositions practically impossible.

However, the Indian government recently made e-visas available for “casual business trips,” and they can be approved in as little as three to five business days (Please note that a “casual business trip ” has not been defined by the Indian government and should be cautiously interpreted). Though the process has been shortened tremendously, there are still vital details and steps to be followed to ensure visa approval:

1. Applications should be filled out at least three to five business days before the deposition date(s).
2. All travel arrangements must be made beforehand since specific details are required on the application (port of entry, arrival date, destination in India, etc.).
3. When selecting the type of visa, deposition attendees will need to choose “Business Visa” for Visa Service and “Attend Technical/Business Meetings” for the reason.
4. It is important for individuals to fill out their own applications, as it requires personal information such as family history, home address, work history, religion, etc.
5. A copy of the applicant’s business card, scanned version of their passport, and JPEG picture (e.g. copy of your passport photo) should be ready for download.
6. Though not stated on the e-visa requirements, an Indian firm/sponsoring entity along with their contact information must be listed on the application.

Even with the current requirements, the new e-visa process creates greater accessibility for deposition attendees, significantly decreases the wait time for visa approval, and overall simplifies one of the steps in the Indian deposition process.