Conference Travel Eligibility

A conference visa is granted to those foreigners who like to visit India for International conferences on specific subject. This visa is granted to delegates who have an invitation to attend a conference/workshop/seminar and other meetings organized in India by a Ministry or Department of the Government of India, State Government, Central Educational Institutions, Public Sectors, Public Funded University or an organization controlled and owned by the Government of India, UN, Statement Government or any specialized agencies and reputed or well-known NGOs.

Procedure for advance clearance of conference visa for attending seminar/workshop or an international conference.

The visa holder must get the prior clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs so that he or she can attend an international conference/event/seminar/workshop. However, it has some conditions which are written below:

If an applicant is from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, foreigners of Pakistani origin and Stateless persons and

If the participants are from restricted or protected areas in India such as Jammu & Kashmir and the North Eastern States other than the States of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

However, if the applicant is going to attend an event on the states mentioned above, and is being organized in India by State Governments, Ministry or Department of the Government of India or UT Administrations, Central Educational Institutions, Public Sector Undertakings, an organization, Public Funded University controlled by the Government of India, UT, United Nationals or its special agencies. Wherever the conference held, the applicant needs to forward the proposal with complete information, details to the Ministry of Home Affairs at least 30 days in advance about the commencement of the event.

In respect of invited participants belong from foreign countries or mentioned above countries must follow the formal and specific format before sending the proposal to MHA.

Sl. No	Name of applicant	Father’s / Husband’s Name	Nationality	Date of Birth	Place of Birth	Passport Number	Date & Place of Issue	Date of Expiry	Address
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

The applicant needs to follow this formation mentioned in the table before heading for MHA with a proposal.

However, in case the event/conference/ board meeting/ or any kind of meeting related to the progress of the company, institute, the organization is held in India by a private organizer; such as NGO or private institutes, then the applicant also need to forward their proposal with complete documentation and details to the Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division) within 60 days in advance to the commencement of the event, which you are going to attend with full information about your participation in the same formation as mentioned on the table above.

The participant from foreign countries must specify their requirement when he or she visits the online platform to apply for a conference visa at the Indian Mission.

All such proposals or requirement needs prior clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs in terms as mentioned above paragraphs and the details should be addressed to the Section Officers (CC), Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division), Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, India Gate, New Delhi-110002.

When the application or proposal is cleared, the Ministry of Home Affairs will inform the Missions or Posts for the application for a conference visa is applied, and then the Missions will inform authorization to grant of visa in respect of specific individuals or separate applicant.

Duration of Travel

Conference travel are generally granted to those foreigners whose sole purpose is to visit India for conferences/meetings and attending an event. The visa is valid for three months with a single entry to India. The traveler must leave India before the visa expires. However, if the traveler remains in India after the expiry date of the conference visa may face detention and significant penalties. If your intension is to stay in India for more time, then you are requested to apply for a new visa before your existing visa’s expiry date.

Special instructions

Delegates (other than Pakistani nationals) on Conference Travel, coming to attend conferences in India can combine tourism travel with the conference travel. However, the Indian Missions may grant travel for some required or requested period.

However, if a foreign national intending to attend an international conference/workshop/seminar while he or she already in India on Employment/Business/Student/Research visa may need advance permission of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned by producing a suitable application along with all the information and relevant details.

Requirements for Conference Travel

• 1.Strictly no amendment in the application form, and every single detail should be in type written (*must not forget to type exact details which are written on your passport).
• 2.Uploading of photographs. The Embassy or the authority of immigration wishes that all photographs which you are going to upload must match the given instruction: apply for the Basic Life Support (BLS or Medical care) International centre. The photo should be the same as the 2x2 picture attached in the application form.
• 3.NO scanned signature.
• 4.Foreign Nationals or citizens desire to come to India with Conference Travel must provide an explanation letter why they're applying for this travel. *Hand written is not allowed.
• 5.The proposal must apply before 30 days with the application for conference travel.
• 6.Passport with a minimum validity of six months from the date of visiting India.
• 7.You must have a photocopy of the passport bio page.
• 8.Invitation letter from India and company where you are going to attend the conference or meeting or seminar, etc.
• 9.A guarantee letter from Indian company.
• 10.Photocopy of passport (back and front).
• 11.Certificate of employment with compensation (if you are invited by any private company/organization or authority.
• 12.You also need to have your copy of the reservation Ticket. And not Confirmed ticket (return ticket) needs to be produced at the time of submission of the application (two-way ticket).
• 13.For attending Conferences/board meetings/or any event in India, you must have your letter of invitation from the organization or institute for attending a conference and approval, if you have any. However, the organizer must have permission by the Government of India for holding or organizing the conference or meeting, and that document must attach to your application.
• 14.For participation in such conferences/meetings/events, you should have an approval.
• 15.However, the applicant also must have a clearance letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, Union Territories and Nodal Ministry, State Government that holds jurisdiction over the conference which you are going to attend. For example, an educational conference or meeting needs to have a clearance letter from the Ministry of Education.

*Embassy may ask for the additional document if needed from the applicant.

Documents and other details

All pages of the Conference visa application form must be printed on the letter-head paper and an invitation of the Company, organization where you are going to attend meeting/event/conference. The Undertaking must be signed with date and stamp. Two copies of the filled application form have to be submitted with the Undertaking to the Embassy of India, and should contain the following information which is written below:

Documents required for Conference Travel: Firstly, the applicant needs to submit his or her application for Conference Travel with these documents

• 2 recent Passport size photos.
• Original Passport.
• Photocopy of the passport with the relevant pages including residence visa page
• Application Form
• Undertaking
• Detailed Synopsis
• Itinerary (Ports of entry and exit from India to be indicated)
• Bio-profile with details:
• Name and surname as featuring in the passport
  1. Contact coordinates - telephone & e-mail address
  2. Profession
  3. Nationality
  4. Date and place of birth (Day/ Month/ Year)
  5. Passport number & validity

The foreigners who are coming in India on Conference Travel will have to register him or herself with the Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned so that they can stay in India until the conference is done during that specific period.

Processing time for visa grant

The processing time for the conference visa grant may take time because it is totally upon the discretion of the High Commissions of India and its Consulates in other countries. However, the processing time may take longer than others:

Applications in the following categories, which take a longer time, are:

• Nationals or origin of Pakistan may take 7 to 8 weeks
• Nationals of Sri Lanka, China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the UK may take minimum 15 days
• Non-UK passport holders or applicant who lives in the UK for less than two years may take 6-8 days
• Regular nationals or applications may take 3-5 days

Also, the immigration department or the High Commission or the Consulate General may call the applicant for an interview, by offering you the date and time of the interview.

Note: Duration of Travel or the number of entries in India is purely the discretion of the Indian Embassy, or Consulate has no role in order to make any approach or process. The applicant has to observe and realize that Travel will not be a subject of right, and, hence the Embassy / Consulates might deny the visa if no longer observed the eligibility / or does no longer have adequate supporting documentation. If the process is not matching according to the demand from the authority will not grant a Conference visa if you request more days or time in India. So, provide your details and information before you submit your application, and must pay your application process amount. There will be no clarifications on this regard, and the resolution or decision of the Embassy / Consulate will probably be final.