General Provisions
All foreigners entering India must have a passport or any other internationally recognized travel document and visa. Visa is not a matter of right and it is entirely up to the competent authority of Government of India to decide on the issue of a visa to any foreigner.
Maldivian nationals travelling to India for the purpose Tourism/Medical/Business do not need prior Visa if their period of stay in India is less than 90 days in preceding six months. There is no Visa fee for Maldivian nationals except in case of emergency Visa applications, wherein MRF 590 is charged as Emergency Visa Fee.
Gratis visa is granted to diplomats and officials, UN officials travelling on duty or those travelling to India on invitation of Government of India as its guest. Those granted a scholarship under Cultural Exchange Programs is also granted a gratis visa. However, the grant of Gratis visa is subject to the guidelines issued by the competent authorities of the Government of India and cannot be claimed as a matter of right.
Guidelines for Applying for Visa
There is no outsourced agency or service provider authorized by Embassay of India, Maldives.
Passport should have a minimum validity of six months and three blank pages for visas. The passport should be in good condition. Damaged passports will not be accepted for issue of a visa.
Photographs should not be stapled under any circumstances but pasted neatly in the given boxes.
Suppression of facts and information will not only result in delay or denial of visa applied for but will also debar the applicant from applying under this system in future. Incomplete forms are liable to be summarily rejected
The applicant should submit a copy of air ticket for forward journey only in respect of transit and long term visas and copies of return air tickets in respect of short duration visas for a period less than one year. Non-refundable tickets or reservations should not be purchased until all visas and passports are secured and are in your possession.
The applicant may be required to submit proof of their sound financial standing such as a bank statement for the past month for some categories of visas.
The High Commission reserves the right to interview the visa applicants before grant of visa. Decision of the High Commission in the matter shall be final.
Visa fee once tendered is not refundable. The fee is accepted in CASH only.
Visa for a Maldivian passport will be issued normally within 24 working hours. However, in some exceptional cases it may take more time Visa applications of all other nationalities take 96 working hours for processing. But in some exceptional cases may take some more time. It is in the interest of the applicants to submit their application at least 10 working days ahead of their journey.
Please indicate if you have dual citizenship and bring both passports if applicable. If applicant does not meet any of the visa type standards mentioned on this page, they must apply for Entry visa.
Journalists travelling to India will need to apply for a Journalist visa regardless of the nature of the trip.
Validity of Indian Visa starts from the date of issue and not from the date of travel.
Please verify your particulars on the Visa sticker after collection of your passport.
Important Notice :-
Grievance and complaints regarding services and emergency visa requirements can be forwarded to the Ambassador Office at the e-mail id :-
BAN OF USE OF THURAYA / IRRIDIUM SATELLITE PHONES IN INDIA
Foreigners visiting India are hereby informed that bringing satellite phones (like Thuraya / Irridium etc.) to India without prior permission is prohibited under Section 6 of Indian Wireless Act and Section 20 of Indian Telegraph Act. Foreigners should not carry any satellite phones to India without informing local Mission.
NOTICE
MISSION HAS IMPLEMENTED BIO METRIC INSTALLATION.
HENCEFORTH ALL INDIVIDUALS ACROSS ALL
NATIONALITIES APPLYING FOR VISA TO INDIA WILL BE
REQUIRED TO ENROLL THEIR BIO METRIC
DETAILS/AUTHENTICATION AT THE EMBASSY FOR
OBTAINING VISA.
INDIVIDUALS ARE REQUIRED TO COME PERSONALLY
FOR ENROLLING THEIR BIO METRIC DATA.
NOTE: MALDIVIANS TRAVELLING IN
DIPLOMATIC, OFFICIAL, UNLP PASSPORT AND
CHILDREN BELOW 12 YEARS AND INDIVIDUALS
ABOVE 70 YEARS ARE EXEMPTED FROM BIO
METRIC AUTHENTICATION.