Ever since I got my India X visa for a spouse through the Foreign regional registration office( FRRO) Gurugram, I have been thinking about writing an article about it. So here it is.
Now, a myth-buster! There is no specific visa called Spouse visa for India. For any foreigners married to Indians, you can get an Entry visa (X) through any of the FRROs in India.
This visa doesn’t give you any rights to be employed or do business, but you can stay for a long term in India on this visa. And you can open a bank account, as well as apply for a PAN card and Aadhar card. Although whether or not you will get it is a separate story.
I converted my tourist visa for India to an Entry visa and the conversion process is the same if you are on a different visa such as a work visa or student visa. After you convert it, you can also extend India Visa X in FRRO.
The best part about this visa is that you don’t need to leave India for this. You can get it in India, keep on extending, leave and come back.And you actually have to be in India while you wait for the spouse visa. The process takes time and effort. You need to be patient. And even though now with e-FRRO, the whole process is online, be prepared to make at least one trip to FRRO.
And after being married for more than 2 years, you can apply for OCI Card.
Can You Get Married on Indian e Visa and Get Entry Visa for India?
Note that while it is possible to get married on an online visa for India, that’s usually issued for 90 days, and I personally know people who have done this- I simply wouldn’t take the risk.
After getting married, converting an e visa to any other visa is not gonna be a cakewalk.
If you are getting a spouse visa through an embassy of India in your country, the process is different. This article is for spouses of Indian citizens who are already in India.
Table of Contents
Start Early
FRRO recommends that you start the conversion process at least a month before your current visa expires. It’s normal for the conversion process to take 3 weeks or more.
So once you are sure that you want to get an India spouse visa, get the ball rolling.
FRRO Offices in India
There are many FRRO offices in India, so no matter which part of India you are in, you won’t be too far from one. While they say you don’t have to visit and the whole thing can be done online, in my experience it is not always like that.
So be ready to make a trip to an FRRO if needed.
You can check the locations and contact info for different FRROs in India in the map below.
Documents for India Spouse Visa
The list of documents for the spouse visa is quite long. There are ten documents in total and you need to upload them all to the e-FRRO portal.
Except for the photo, all the other documents must be uploaded in PDF format only.
1.Indian Marriage certificate
This is the most important document you need. You can’t go wrong on this one.
I would strongly suggest you get married through the Special marriage act only.This involves going to the court, signatures, and no religious stuff. This act is specifically for people from two different religions to get married in India. Even if your religion is the same as that of your Indian spouse, you can use this act.
Now, in India, you can legally get married through different laws.
There is no uniform civil marriage act. The most common one is the Hindu marriage act. If you get married through a religious ceremony and all, you would get a certificate that can be in Hindi or any other Indian language.
Then there is a Christian marriage act for example. If one of the parties is a Christian and has a certificate from the church to prove it, you can take this route.
While I personally know people who have successfully obtained India X visa with a certificate from the Hindu/Christian marriage act, it was a bumpy ride and everything was delayed.
2.Undertaking from Indian Partner
Your Indian partner gets a notarized affidavit saying that he/she will take full financial responsibility for you. This letter should have both of your names, passport numbers, etc and he/she has to sign it.
The first time, I applied for India Stay Visa or spouse visa, my husband and I also went to the notary to get it notarized on a 10 rupees stamp paper. But this is not necessary.
You should be able to submit an undertaking letter simply by printing out one and signing it and then by uploading a scanned copy. After uploading it if the FRRO asks you to get it notarized, then only you should do so.
Here is the undertaking letter format you can use.
3.Undertaking from the Applicant
You, the foreigner have to get an affidavit that says you will not get employed or do business while in India, and that you want to convert your visa to a spouse visa.
Again, upload the document without notarizing, and wait for the FRRO to reply. I personally know people who didn’t get the undertaking notarized and their application was approved.
4.Undertaking from the Applicant’s Parents
This is not really required for the spouse visa, but since it’s listed, you can’t sidestep it.
You can either upload a blank page in its place or a simple write-up written and signed by your parents. Something that has their names, passport numbers, and says that they give permission to marry.
I uploaded a blank document that had the text “Not Applicable”.
5.Residence proof
A rent agreement or utility bill will totally work. In case, you are staying in a hotel or Airbnb, you can get a Form C.
I uploaded the rent agreement.
6.Proof of Financial Soundness of Indian Partner
This is to verify that your Indian partner can put food on the table.
So the Indian partner needs to get the bank statements of the last 6 months in PDF format and upload them. They don’t mention how much is good enough, but anything more than 2000 USDs would work, I guess.
In my case, my husband got the PDFs from an online banking account and I uploaded them.
7.Passport Bio Page of Applicant
You need to upload the passport bio page and the page bearing the last Indian Immigration arrival stamp. If they are on different pages, you can join them as a single PDF online and upload.
8.Your Current Valid Indian Visa
As you must have come to India on a visa, you need to provide a copy of that. Make sure that your visa is valid.
I uploaded a copy of my India tourist visa.
9.Passport or Photo-ID of Indian Spouse
Anything like an Aadhar card, Driving license, or passport of your Indian spouse will do the trick. However, it’s best to upload the passport copy.
10.India X Visa Photo Requirements
You need to upload a recent color photograph in white background, in JPEG format with a size from 10 KB-1 MB.
How to Apply for India X Visa on e-FRRO Portal
The first thing you need to do is to register on the e-FRRO portal of India. After you do that, click on “Fresh/New Application Submission”. On the next page, you will need to fill in some information.
State and city
This is to determine the FRRO that will process your application.
Visa Conversion Type
Choose this as ENTRY VISA and subtype as X-1. When I applied for it, I chose the subtype as X-2 and got an X-2 visa, but many people have filled in X-1 only. I believe there have been some very recent changes with the visa subtypes.
Normally X-1 is for persons of Indian origin and X-2 is for spouses of people of Indian origin. I would say not to fret over it.
Once you click on submit, it will redirect you to the next page where you will need to fill in info related to your current visa and other details. They will ask you for how long do you want the India spouse visa.
You will get it for one year even if you want it longer. After you complete this form, you can see the list of documents to upload.
Once you finish uploading the documents, and finish reviewing your application, and submit your application, you will receive an email from e-FRRO saying that your application is under process.
Police Verification for India Spouse Visa
Getting the India X visa involves a visit from the cops, who should be from the police station in your area of residence. The primary reason the police verification exists is to confirm whether you live where you say that you live.
That sounds quite simple, right? Not really.
The police are notified by the FRRO to do the verification once you submit the application.
They will physically verify your residence and will write a report on plain paper saying they are fine with your visa conversion. This report has your details and signatures from two witnesses from the area you live in.
The witnesses need to provide attested copies of their address proofs that prove that they live in your area.
You will need to provide documents such as copies of the marriage certificate, passport bio page, a copy of the ID of your Indian spouse, and rental agreement to the police. Then they send all these to the FRRO along with the report from the police station.
There are two ways to go about it.
1. Wait for the Police to Do their Job
With this approach, they might show up when you are not home or in the worse case not show up at all. In my case, there was some kind of mixup and the police didn’t come to verify even after a month.
This is exactly why I recommend the second approach.
2. Go to the Police Station Yourself
If after two weeks of your application submission, the police haven’t shown up, go to the FRRO which is taking care of your application. We waited for the police to show up for a month.
After that, I and my husband went to the FRRO Gurugram and brought a form from the FRRO along with the police station details. This was the form that had already been sent to the police station.
We took the form to the police who were as clueless as us. They then wrote a report in Hindi and gave it to us to get the witness signatures. Once we got the signatures, IDs, and other documents, the report was stamped by the police.
We didn’t want to leave anything to chance. So, we took the report along with the documents to the FRRO personally.
Online Payment for India Entry Visa
After the police verification is done, you will receive an email from FRRO to make the payment. The visa fees can vary a little depending on which country you are from.
Usually, the India X visa fees for a spouse visa is around $120 USD.And if you have a long time left on your current visa, you will need to pay much lesser. I had 9 months left on my tourist visa for India, which is why I didn’t have to pay 120$.
You can log in to your e-FRRO account and make the payment using a credit card or debit card or net banking. After the payment, you will see a payment receipt. I would suggest you to save it.
Receive the India Entry Visa on Email
After making the payment, you will receive the spouse visa as a PDF in your email. It takes a few hours to a day to receive the email. There is no visa stamping involved.
Normally you get the visa for a year which you can extend when it expires. Since I had 9 months left on my tourist visa, the spouse visa I got was valid till the date my original tourist visa was valid.
How Long Does the Process to Get India Entry Visa Take?
If everything goes smoothly, you should get the India Entry Visa for Spouse in three weeks. Although the whole thing is online now, be ready for a trip or two to a police station and the FRRO that handles your application.
Email and call the FRRO every week to be updated about your application status.
Once you have filed for the conversion, don’t worry if your current valid visa expires. As long as it’s under process, you are safe.
India X Visa Extension
Once your new spouse visa draws near expiring, be ready to extend it. As I mentioned before, the visa is given for a year maximum. You can apply to extend India X visa one month before your current spouse visa expires.
Here is my experience on Indian visa extension for spouse twice, once in FRRO Gurgaon & Delhi.
And, after two years of marriage, you are eligible for an OCI card ( Overseas Citizen of India), using which you can work or do business. It has lifetime validity as well.
The Visa Project’s Comprehensive Visa Series: Guides & Experiences
Visa requirements are always changing. Here on The Visa Project, they are kept up-to-date and should answer most visa questions.
And not just guides and tips, we also rely on real people’s experiences on visas, coz’ we know how much visas change based on your nationality, financial status, age, ethnicity, etc.
In the South Asia Visa series: Experiences
Have you tried getting an India Spouse Visa?
If you got a spouse visa in India, let us know in the comments. The visa process is constantly changing and it will help me updating the article if there is any change. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have.
How to Get India Employment Visa in 7 Days – My Comprehensive Guide to Working in India as a Foreigner
Get 1 year Indian Tourist Visa from any Indian Embassy without Hassle
Get 90 Day Indian Online Visa Easily: India eTA e-Tourist Visa Experience
It’s an absolutely amazing article, which makes things clear. I’ve just got a message that I need to pay 8600, and very much confused, why the fees are so high!
Hi there. Yes, that’s the right amount only. I know! That’s what I paid when I extended my spouse visa for one year. I was surprised when I saw that amount as well. You pay less only when you are already in India with some other visa and you are converting it. But after that, every time you extend it, you pay close to 8640 which can vary a little depending on your nationality.
Thanks a ton! Your information helped me a lot..you made my process very simple…thanks again😊
So glad to hear it Arbaaz.:)
I would like ask questions, Does India visa only marriage 3 to 6 month process without interview approved?
Claudie… I am a malaysian citizen and my husband is an indian. We have obtained marriage certificate in India. Is that sufficient to apply Xvisa… As our marriage registration process in malaysia yet to take place
Hi Sati,
Yes the marriage certificate from India is enough for the X visa process.
Hey could you help me out with visa process ??
Hi Claudia thank you for this comprehensive article. I spent the last 9 months on a voluntary work visa living with my Indian partner. Can I apply for an X2 whilst I’m on a work visa? I note you have to agree not to work or do business so wondering how that would work?
Currently UK citizens can not have an evisa and can only get a 1 month paper tourist visa. I believe you have to be India more than one month to marry.
I’m a bit overwhelmed with how complicated it all is. So any advice would be appreciated.
Hi Suzanne,
I believe you mean employment visa? In any case, yes you can convert to an X visa based on marriage or you can get married and continue to work on your employment visa.
Marriage in India can get complicated depending on where you live and the documentation. It would be easier in big cities. You do need at least 2 months or so keeping everything in mind.
Hi there
I’m indian right now I’m in india waiting for my passport under processing.my wife is from philippines.we both married in Philippines.i want to invite my wife in india I don’t know if tourist visa which visa is good for her like convertible visa which one good for her then we can convert her visa in india into x visa.please response me .
Hi,
Yes she can apply for a regular tourist visa in the Indian embassy.
Hi there on what visa you came to india I mean E visa or Regular paper visa. My wife is filipina I want to invite her in india.we both married in Philippines. Indian embassy manila philippines also email me my wife is eligible tourist and x visa .I am in india and waiting for my passport its already under process
thanks very much for this article. I was looking for this exact information. Cheers and good luck.
🙂
Hi , Im new on this can you help me with some doutbs please, I will. Travel with evisa tourist to india 1 month during that time can I marry on special marriage ? Wont be a problem with my visa? Then what steps I have to follow I heard something about frro
Hi Yelitza,
You can get married on e visa. But 1 month is not enough for that. It would be better to come on a long-term visa to do that. Please read my article on the tourist visa. https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/indian-tourist-visa-one-year/
Hello Claudia, could you help me to answer this as well. I am from UK, but with Czech passport so I am applied for eVisa with VFS and this visa is valid for 1 month currently. I would like to get married to my Indian partner while I am there in November(Special marriage act would be according you the best option) but I would like to get more advice as I can not stay longer. Where could I get more information or if you have more knowledge please? Any help is appreciated 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Nik,
1 month is a very short time to get married in India using special marriage act. Almost impossible I would say, although it depends on the place. I would ask you to get a long-term visa and come. However, you can surely do the religious marriage and apply for a certificate through that. In case you are not planning to live in India, it wouldn’t matter much. Then if you would want to register the marriage in the Czech republic, you would have to check with the Czech embassy if they would recognize it.
As per your other comment, India doesn’t recognize civil partnerships. It doesn’t even have a unified marriage law.
Hi,
I am from Texas and living in Bangalore, married to an Indian citizen and currently going through this process. I am having a hard time finding guidelines and a format for the letter of undertaking. Can you advise me?
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for stopping by. I am in Banglore as well. 🙂 Hope you are having a good time.
I have updated the article with a sample undertaking letter for future reference. Hope it helps.
When you got your X-visa, is getting out of the country every 180 days compulsory?
No Priti. No need to leave India as long as you can get the extensions.
Hola claudia una. Consulta saves quien puede tramitar ese tio de Visa x te agradeceria muchas gracias
Hola Betty,
Si te casaste, puedes sacar la visa.
Hi …Am Indian and my husband is Brithish. He is currently in UK And am in India . He is planning to come to india now. Is the entry visas are open now? How to apply?
Is it wise to apply from Uk and come here Or he can come here on tourist visa and change to entry visa here.? Kindly guide us ..
Amazing article, It is really informative for me. Thank you for writing this things about Indian Visa. Keep sharing.
Thanks for stopping by.
Once visa extension granted on the entry visa and receiving stay visa for one year, if again need to travel for short duration to own country within the extension period, is it required to issue exit permit before leaving to India?
Hi Sampa,
You wouldn’t need an ext permit.
Great Article, thanks. It’s very relatable to anyone who has had to suffer the rocky and convoluted mess that is the Indian bureaucracy. One question that came to mind is whether this X-visa is worth it if a foreign spouse already has an employment visa. an the two go hand in hand? Or should the spouse just wait two years and apply for OCI directly which gives the best possible deal (lifetime visa, no registration, employment allowed)
Hi Kumar,
Totally agree with you. The bureaucracy is sometimes a little too much to tak, but believe me when it comes to visas, it happens everywhere. To answer your question, not really. If the foreign spouse has an employment visa, he/she can legally work.The spouse visa doesn’t allow you to work. The spouse can wait for two years and apply for the OCI directly. That’s a much better route.
Thank you for responding and for this informative page. India really needs to do a lot more to standardise its visa process and make it more user-friendly. Every consulate / FRRO seems to have its own set of rules and there is little consistency or predictability.
Hi
Do tell us which rules are different in ‘every’ consulate/FRRO that you went to?
Claudia,
Amazing article! I will be saving this in my bookmarks for future use when my spouse needs to go through this. Question-
If the couple is living in a foreign country, can the foreign spouse apply for OCI card directly after 2 years of marriage?
Hi Sameer,
Yes, of course. It’s actually easier to do so outside than in India.
Dear Claudia,
Thanks for this!
However, can you tell me if my French wedding cerificate would work in place of an Indian certificate? Also, do you think its worth applying for an X visa for my husband or directly apply for OCI (we finish two years of marriage in December)?
Cheers,
ND
Hi Neeti,
Yes, the French wedding certificate would work for sure.
However, you would need to get it translated to English and that must be accredited/apostilled by the French embassy. You can surely apply for the OCI directly.
But you need to have a long-term visa (that’s not a missionary or mountaineering or Tourist) valid for at least 3 months if applying in India. You can go through my article on the OCI for more details.
Hello!I’m krim rose lofamia a filipino citizen. I am here now in india with my baby and have only 30 days to stay, today nov.26 is the expirationif our visa. I am married to an india national. We went to frro to extend or convert our visa but theu tell us to exit india before 15 days of the time they gave. Is it possible we can apply or convert for spouse visa even our 30 days visa is expired.? I really need to stay long here in india because our marriage reception will held on February 2022. Please guide me what i can do. Thank you
Hi Krim,
Sorry to hear about your situation. You can get the X visa in the Indian embassy in the Philippines based on your marriage. That would be one solution. Or you can try finding an agent who can help you converting it here. But since they already asked you to exit, I doubt the agents can do much. Or come back with another e visa in February.
Hi! Thank you for this blog post! Does anyone know if someone can get legally married on a work permit in India? And the continue living and working here, and then getting an OCI card after two years? Basically skipping the “X” visa entirely since you cannot work on it?
Hi, yes you can get married on a work visa, and continue living here as long as you have a valid work visa. And then after 2 years, you can get the OCI card.
Hi. Thank you for such a helpful article.. I have 1 question. Iam Indian. My girlfriend from Ukraine. She was came to India on 2019 march.. On a 6 month tourist visa. After that’s she didn’t go back couse of some medical reasons. Finally she got exit permit. And after due to covid19. Exit permit was extended evry month. Now she have 40 days exit permit. We can get married in this schedule? Thank you
See, you can get married without any issues I believe. The problem will be when getting a visa based on the marriage. During that time, you would probably need to pay some fines.
Amazing very useful article !!!! Claudia !!….. Is perfect for people who are in the process !!! Very very nice blog !!!
Hey, my spouse is stranded in USA since early March of this year actually, and I am in India. She went back to USA there to assist with her sister’s shoulder surgery, and then got stranded because of the lockdown! Will they do emergency conversions when not in India, so that my spouse can repatriate using Vande-Bharat-mission? She is still currently on a long term 10 year tourist visa with a maximum 180 day stay, and cant get in. It has been 8 months, and we will be eligible for an OCI in 2 week (completing 2 years). Please help, any advice? Dont know how to go about it and what to do …. Also wondering if the OCI eligibility of 2 years has a requirement of LIVING together for 2 years in marriage or simply the marriage subsisting for 2 years? Any help will be much appreciated. My parent’s are finally supportive of our bi-national marriage, but are also clueless about the processes and are no help either. (they will give a blessings undertaking etc. though of course)
Hi Vibhas,
I can totally understand your dilemma. Some of my friends are in the same situation as well. Happy that your parents are supportive of your bi-national marriage. In the same boat.
The good news: India is now open to foreigners coming with non-tourist visa. This is a very recent development and this means that it will surely open to people with tourist visas. So hoping that your wife will probably be able to travel to India soon.
Living together for two years is not a requirement for OCI, although it would help. After two years of marriage, she is eligible for OCI. Getting the OCI can take 3-4 months and depends on a lot of factors.
One alternative would be for her to contact the Indian embassy in the USA and ask them if they can give her the Indian X visa, the one I got in India. Do give it a try.
Here is what the website of the Indian embassy says:
“Applicants within the consular jurisdiction of the Embassy of India, Washington DC requiring urgent travel to India are requested to contact the Embassy by email [asovisa.washington@mea.gov.in and visa1.washington@mea.gov.in] to initiate the visa process.”
If she is in usa, she can get emergency visa to india on basis of medical emergency in i dia,but condition is ill person must be spouce,parents or siblings,hospital or doctor letter will work.
She can get emergency visa to India on medical emergency basis.provided medical emergency must be of spouce,parents or siblings. A letter from doctor or hoapital will work.send letter to the applicant and one to the consulate from where visa will issue.if she is indian origin she will get x1 visa of 6months.which can be extended in india. Mine is same case
Thank you Claudia – that is a detailed note. I had a couple of questions:
– If we get married in a western country(let’s say USA), will that marriage certificate be good to apply for a X-2 Visa?
– Do i need to have a valid Indian visa to apply for a X-2 Visa or can i directly apply for one while still being in USA
Thanks for your help in advance 🙂
Hi Shinod.
Yes if you get married outside India, you can apply for the X visa in an Indian embassy abroad. The process will vary a little since a lot of Indian embassies have outsourced this to third-party agencies.
No need to have a valid Indian visa to apply for X visa.
Thanks Claudia – appreciate that quick response. Also can the person holding the X visa work for a foreign company and earn money directly into their foreign account?
Yes they can. They can’t be employed in India, but foreign employment is not an issue.
Hello Claudia. Thank you for your detailed post. I wana ask one question. We just applied for visa X. Im indian and my husband is Russian. His tourist visa will expire in 2027, but his 90days single stay will be over soon. But we still dont have any updates about our visa conversion. Can he stay in india during the application process or he will have to leave india and come back. I tried finding answers but couldn’t find any. Thank you
Hi Regina,
Yes, he can stay in India when the application is under process.
Hi Claudia, I’m so lucky to found this great blog.
I am from Taiwan, My fiance is Indian. we are getting married.
Could you give me some guidance about X-VISA (X-Misc)? Could I apply X-Misc for visit my fiance’s family and get married?
thanks for your help in advance
Hi Miya. Thank you for your words.
You can get the X visa after getting married only. You can get a tourist visa to visit India, get married and then apply for X visa.
Or if you get married in Taiwan, you can apply the X visa through the Indian embassy there.
Hello! But x-misc visa can be issued to those who do not fall under one of the categories of visas and can explain why he urgently needs to go to India.
Hello Claudia,
Please Can I use my wife’s address as an address proof? I stay in Bangalore and she lives in another state in India. Can we use her rental agreement since I will be moving there soon?
Secondly, my student visa is remaining few days to expire, if I put the application before expiry date, will it be a problem?
You should definitely apply for the visa before the student visa expires. And you should move in asap and apply at the FRRO close to where you live.
Hi Claudia
Thanks for the amazing article. I am Indian Citizen living with my Nigerian girl friend in Ghana on resident permit. We have decided to get married next month through Online USA marriage. I went to indian highcommission in Ghana and they told me it’s better I do the marriage in India and than apply conversion visa from tourist to X Visa in india only. They will give tourist visa to my wife for 90 days. If we do online USA marriage will that certificate is valid or you need to apostille from Ghana Government or USA since they provide those services. Kindly suggest whether we marry through Online USA marriage services or go to India to do a proper court marriage and than apply for conversion from tourist to X 2 Visa??
Hi Amit,
I believe it would be much easier and better to do one of the following.
1. Your gf comes to India with a tourist visa and you get married in India, and then apply for the X visa.
2. Get married in Nigeria and then apply for an X visa through the Indian embassy there.
Thanks for such a great article! It helps us a lot.
One question: my wife has 2 kids, 10and 13years old. Do you know if we have to do an additional process so they can get attached to her X visa?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Serge, Thanks for stopping by.
I believe since they are minors, they should be tagged to your wife’s X visa or your work visa as dependants, through family reunification. So they don’t have to apply for a visa separately. The only thing I am not sure is whether there is any age limit. Would really appreciate if you can confirm this once you go through the process.
Hi Claudia,
Thanks for your reply.
I’ll definitely reply and confirm here about the dependants visas once I finish the process.
Thanks again!
Hello Claudia, thankyou for this post it is very informative and helpful. I would like to ask you some questions if possible. I’m a British citizen and next year I’m planning on moving to dimapur nagaland to marry and live there. Is it possible for a British citizen to gain a permanent visa to stay there? What steps do you reccomend I take? Also is there any way around not working or setting up a business for two years? Any advice you have for me would be appreciated as this is the only blog/post/website I’ve found that has the answers to similar questions I have about Visa as there are many different visa and rules to each visa. Kind regards and many thanks again – Joshua
Hi Joshua,
Thanks for stopping by. So interesting that you are planning on moving to Nagaland. While there are some restrictions on foreigners visiting north-eastern states in India, I don’t think there would be any issues with living there if you are married to someone from the state. I have a friend who is married to an Indian and they live in Assam. That being said, the process might be different for each state. In India, different states often have varying rules and the process of getting married might also be different. Since Kolkata FRRO office is the one responsible for processing all such applications from North-eastern states, I believe it would be a great idea to write to them or call them or if possible visit in person. Just to be on the safe side. You can find their contact info on the FRRO map in the article.
There are definitely ways around not working for two years. The best way is to be employed for a company outside of India, if your profession permits you to work remotely. Same goes for freelancing or working online. Another rout is to get a job in India and convert the X visa to work visa, but that would again involve a lot of bureaucracy. There are foreigners who work in under- the-table arrangements and get paid in cash and have managed without getting in trouble, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Something else you can try is to live somewhere for two years where you can legally work and come to Nagaland once you have the OCI.
Hi, my name is David and I am married with Japanese and we also have son who is three and half years old now.
We got married by court on 2016 in mumbai.
And I went to japan and we lived in japan for 3 years and our son born in japan.
Now we wanna live in india, I was looking for the article which includes kids as well.
Do my son can be included in this spouse visa?
Or I have to make seperate visa for my son?
It will be very helpful if you have some knowledge or experience about it.
Can you please share some information.?
Hi David,
From your comment, I understand that you are an Indian citizen. In that case, your son can get an OCI rather than getting a visa. You can apply for it in the Indian embassy in Japan.
And since you have been married for almost 5 years by now, your wife can get an OCI as well. There is no need for a visa for your son or your wife.
Hi There
Thank you for a very clear brief, really helpful 🙂
As you have mentioned the approval is generally for 1 year, has anyone gone thru the process of renewal ? Is the process the same as fresh application or different
Please advice
Thank you for your views
Hi Sanjay. Thanks.
Yes, it’s similar. I wrote an article about that as well: https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/extend-indian-visa-online-frro-bangalore-delhi/
Your artile was very helpful for me to get spouse visa for my wife.. Thank you very much.
Thanks Deepak.
Thanks for the post. Very helpful!
I am also a foreigner married to an Indian. I recently applied for the conversion and received the notice requesting the affidavit of undertaking and financial soundness of my wife (Indian) but I was a bit confused as to what exactly I’m supposed to write. I was given a phone number to enquire but of course it was never reachable.
Hi Camilo,
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, the phone number is unreachable sometimes. The affidavit is pretty simple. In the section “Undertaking from Indian Partner”, I have provided a real sample. You can use the same. Or I can email you a copy.
Hi Claudia,
Thank you so much for your reply.It took a while but finally received the X visa. I’m wondering if you know what options does one have to open bank accounts. Any recommendation?
Hi Camilo,
Happy to hear that. You can try to open a bank account in HDFC or ICICI bank. HDFC is easier. Go for a joint account where your Indian spouse would be the primary holder.
Could you please email me a copy of undertaking as well. sarahlovewilds@yahoo.com
Also do you know the minimum amount in bank for financial stability?
You can use the undertaking in the article. As per the rules, there is no minimum amount. I know people who showed 2 lacs INR. I guess that would be fine.
Great Post! This is an amazing article. Thanks for Sharing such a great post. Keep Posting!!
Thanks so much Claudia,
Very helpfull article, could you guide me about the proccess for to get married and get the Indian Marriage certificate cause there are a lot of information on internet and in many places said that is gonna be a long proccess more than 2 months waiting for the apelations and everything.
Hi Fab,
Getting married would actually be another article. I hope to write it some day. For now, I can tell you that it may take somewhere close to a month or two to get the marriage certificate if everything goes right. It will vary a little depending on where you are getting married. I got married in Gurgaon. I needed 3 witnesses to make two visits to the court. Needed a lot of paperwork as well. The hwole thing was quite complicated to tell you the truth.
Hello claudia thank you for ur article.
I am an indian and my girl is an Belarussian, We are planning to marry in india .
Do she need to be physically present for submission of marriage application.
Can i share marriage application by post and get it signed by her and submit, so she will come at the time of registration?
Hi Yaswanth,
Technically it is possible to do that but I haven’t heard of anyone who tried that route. You can give it a try.
Hi Claudia, Really informative article. I think FFRO website should redirect your this article on FAQs page. 🙂
Apart from this, i have a question:
I understood that after living in India for 2 years on spouse visa, i can apply for OCI card. Does that mean that I will have to return original passport (from my own country) and then only I can get OCI card?
Hi Lourdes,
Thank you for your kind words.
Yes, after being married for 2 years, you are eligible for an OCI card. No, you don’t have to return your original passport to get this. Not at all.
Hi Claudia, If I am on a tourist visa and want to convert it to an entry visa. Same process? My mum is an Indian origin. I apply as a person of Indian origin? Please advice. Thanks
Hi Jag,
Yes you can follow the same process to get an entry visa. But I think you will be eligible for an OCI. Would probably be a better idea to go for the OCI route.
Thanks for the reply.
I found out that a tourist visa can’t apply for OCI, have to convert to an entry visa first. You have to stay 6 months continuously in India before applying for OCI.
The process conversation of Visa is the same as u mentioned. The only difference is that you have to get your birth cert attested by your Embassy & by MFA. For MFA attestation, you have to go through a Certified Agent.
My tourist visa is expired 1yr/7 months.but am married with indian.what can I do to get spouse visa is it possible.
Hi! Such an amazing page. Finally some straight forward information. Thank you so much!
Just wondering- my Indian husband and I (foreigner) are starting Sole Proprietorship firm in India. Basically my husband will be the owner and me his employ (didn’t find any other way as I am a foreigner), as employ of my husband am I eligible for the employment visa (later on applying for OCI)? Basically skipping the Entry visa? Any ideas?
Thank you very much and happy new year!
Hi Veronika,
Thanks for stopping by. Happy new year to you as well.
I think you can do it but getting an employment visa through it would again involve a lot of paperwork and probably a visit to your home country. As far as I know, an employment visa is not being issued in India these days. So you need to keep that in mind. And in this specific case, I think you can officially become an unpaid consultant or volunteer on paper, if you get my drift. There are many ways to handle this.
And later you can get the OCI.
It’s really helpful . I got so much information just by reading everything. However I have some questions. So I am from India and my partner is from the US. We both are getting married this month. He is under business visa. So when you say the applicant has to give a declaration that he won’t do a job or business do you mean no monetary transaction should be there to him from India site? Because if that’s the case then it’s all right as he never took a cheque from India site. Also his business visa is expiring on March 2021 so as long as I apply for his spouse visa it should be fine?
Your article is really great. I hope to get some answers from you. Thank you in advance.
Hi Aunkita,
Thanks for stopping by.
Yes, the declaration means that he won’t be employed or do business in India. So as long as any monetary transaction in India is not there, that should be ok. For example, if he is doing a remote job in the US and gets paid there while being in India, that is fine.
Yes you should apply for the spouse visa before his business visa expires. Let me know if you have any other questions.
hey I like a girl from pakistan , im an indian citizen
how should I go about it?
In your post you have also mentioned “one can open a bank account also” while on X-visa. Can you please tell what is the process for that. I need that information so so much for my wife asap.
Hi Narendra,
I opened mine in HDFC bank. I had provide the copy of the visa, rent agreement, a copy of my passport bio page and a pic I think. It is better to open a join account with both you n your spouse on it, rather than only for her, coz’ with an individual account, they don’t give you a debit card. She can open the account after being in India for 180 days.
If you don’t mind, who was the primary applicant in your joint account, you or your husband? Second thing, what kind of bank account is it, if it’s a Resident savings account or a NRO account, and also what does it show in nationality in your bank account.
I am asking all this because when I went to ICICI Bank(Bangalore) to open an account for my wife they said they would give an account immediately but they were selecting her nationality as Indian. I didn’t go for it as it didn’t seem right.
Thank you so much.
You did the right thing.
The problem is that in some branches, even the bank officials don’t know much. You need to educate them. You can open a savings account and be the primary applicant. Your wife’s nationality will remain the same.
Hi Claudia, God bless your God works here. My wife is a x visa holder now and it’s gonna expire soon. My question is will there be police verification involved in visa extension? because first time visa conversion from tourist to x visa involved a lot work. Thanks in advance
Hi Samuel,
Yes there is. https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/extend-indian-visa-online-frro-bangalore-delhi/
Claudia,
I am a US citizen. I met my Indian Love while she was here on a marriage visa while awaiting her divorce (we fell in love during the legal separation). The visa becomes obsolete upon the divorce and she would then have to return to India. I was thinking to marry her here before she departs and my intention is to leave here to start a life in India with her. What would the process be if we took that path? I may or may not be able to join her on the trip back depending on what loose ends I have to tie up here first. Should I first enter India on a Tourist Visa and then convert once I get to India or should I go through the Indian embassy either here or abroad and try to obtain the X Visa? Thanks for this article!
Hi Pat,
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
You can marry her in the USA and get the marriage certificate and then apply for the India X visa for yourself in the Indian embassy. That way when you come to India, you won’t have to worry about border runs with a tourist visa. The only problem that I foresee is that her visa would be obsolete when she is divorced and then she would lose her legal status. And while there might not be any issues in getting a marriage certificate, I am unsure whether the Indian embassy will process your Spouse visa when your spouse is out of status. This, I think, is a grey area that you need to consult the embassy about.
Now if she gets a U.S. visa based on marriage and then you apply for the India X visa, that’s a different story, although this will take much longer. But this will give you time to tie the loose ends.
Or you can get married and come on a tourist visa and then convert it to X visa.
Dear Claudia,
Thank you very much for excellent guidance you have provided to get Entry Visa – X2.
My daugether in law who got married to my son on 25.11.2020 and having Business Visa – eBV valid till 6.2.2021.
As explained by you, she has to apply for visa conversion as Entry Visa – X2. Now please guide us whether we should apply for this at eFRRO site for the same and mention her husband details or some place.
What about payment of visa fee ? When we have to pay ? After all procedure is completed ?
Hi Sanjay,
yes, she can apply through the eFRRO website. As per the address, she needs to mention her current address and depending on that, they will assign the FRRO that will process her application. I gave my address in Gurgaon and the rent agreement as proof, and my case was processed by FRRO Gurgaon. I guess she is living with your family, in which case it will be the home address and then she can provide electricity bill or something as proof.
The payment will be done only after the visa is approved. They would send an email.
She can follow the steps in the article for the process.
Thank you very much.
I am Indian and got married to a US Citizen in July 2019. Do we have to apply to get X viss first, then get OCI card, or can we apply for OCI card straight away? Currently, my wife is working in India on a work visa. Should we apply right after completing 2 years or can we apply a couple of months before?
Hi Nitesh,
Your wife can apply for OCI card only after completing 2 years of marriage. She doesn’t need an X visa for this. She can apply for it on work visa.
Hi Claudia,
Very informative Post. Can the spouse visa be held along with any other visa? For example, can someone who has an X visa, apply for student or research visa at the same time? Or can they hold only one and the X-visa has to be foregone to apply for student visa?
Hi Siva,
Not really. You can hold one visa at at a time. They will cancel the existing visa if you get a new one.
Hi Claudia, thanks for the super informative article it helps clear up a lot of things!
In your article it mentions that the Indian partner needs to provide bank statements for the past 6 months & anything over 2000 USD is good. Could you please tell me is it 2000 USD a month or 2000 USD over the last 6 months?
Hi Yakshita,
Happy to help. I would say a running account that shows more than $2000 per month is definitely better than $2000 over the last 6 months, but it is not a deal breaker. It all depends on the official checking your documents and what he/she thinks of it.
Hi Claudia,
I would like to ask if it’s possible to use an Entry visa to visit my Fiancee in India since I can’t apply for E-Tourist Visa due to this COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions, and as of now the only open visa that I could get is this.
Hi Chel,
This would depend on where you are and if the Indian embassy there is accepting applications for entry visas. But technically, yes, it is possible now. But by your comments, I understand you are not married? Then you won’t be able to get an entry visa.
You can get X-Misc Visa. Its very much possible
Hi Claudia,
Thanks a a detailed article.
I have a question regarding address proof. My Thai wife is living with me in my house so all the address proofs like Aadhar cards and all are in my name. So would they still be ok?
Second question is for how long the spouse has to be in India before applying for this X visa?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Hi Arpit,
If it is a rented accommodation, you can try the rent agreement. Usually that’s the best way. If not, you might need to look in to how to register her with a Form C with FRRO. All the hotels and hostels do it for foreigners.
She can apply for the spouse visa right away if you have all the documents.
Even relatives can do it if one is staying with them for free.c form online registration
Thank you Claudia for Your article!
It was really helpful, we took your Undertaking letter as an example and it worked fine 🙂
I was prepared to wait at least a month for work to be done ,But was really surprised by fast work of Delhi FRRO, I got my visa conversion within 2 weeks, without Police verification or even a single visit to FRRO.
Maybe due to corona they want to minimize any contacts with applicants, or just nowadays procedure became more simple 🙂
Glad to hear that Anastasia. Yes, even I got mine in 15 days last time. And no police verification either. Definitely due to COVID. 🙂
I am Indian origin and currently in the US. I got married to a US citizen(American origin). We plan to go to India for our marriage but due to covid he can’t get a evisa. Is this way valid for him to apply for spouse visa to visit india?
Hi Shreyaa,
If your marriage is registered in the US, your spouse can get an X visa through the Indian embassy there. He can apply for it here.
Hi
It a very useful and the things are explained in a very simplified manner. I have a question also. If a girl from Uzbekistan comes to India on a medical visa. Is she allowed to marry here and then apply for conversion of this medical visa into a X visa.
Right now they are not getting a tourist visa. Only business visa and medical visa are provided.
Thanks
Hi Sunil,
See technically speaking, there is no issue with getting married on a medical visa. What you need to keep in mind is that the purpose of the medical visa is to get medical treatment. So later if you want to convert it to an X visa or say get the OCI, you must be able to explain why she got married on a Medical visa and if the real purpose of the visa was getting married. I am not saying it is, but you need to know this to avoid issues in future. A business visa is better in this case. But if she is not planning to live in India, then you should be fine.
Hi Claudia, thanks for the detailed articles. I would really appreciate if you can help me with my queries.
My girlfriend is a Thai, she’s currently in Bangkok, we want to get married in next few months in India. But due to the current travel restrictions, she is not able to come to India.
My questions are:
– Can she come to India through India Tourist Visa or India Online eVisa?
– If she can, would India Tourist Visa be the better option than eVisa?
– If she comes via India Tourist Visa, what would be the right process to get married and ensure that she can stay here as long as she wants without any restrictions?
Awaiting your response in anticipation.
Thank you.
Hi Mandeep,
Thank you.
yes, right now there are travel restrictions so she can’t come on a tourist visa or e-visa. But once India opens up, she can come on any of them. It is better to get a tourist visa that will allow her stay for at least 6 months without doing a visa-run. Also easier to convert to X visa. You can check that in my tourist visa article: https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/indian-tourist-visa-one-year/
You should plan to register your marriage as soon as she comes through special marriage act in a court. That again is a long process.
Hello Claudia!
thanks for helpful article for many people who have problem with Xvisa.
If you know the answer about this question, please tell me!
I am Japanese and came to India in November 2019 with eVisa(tourists,5years).
I got married with Indian in January 2021 recently in Varanasi,UP by court marriage.
After that,I applied to convert from Evisa to Entry X1 visa by online in February.
Now already under the process, if I want to go back to Japan, FRRO can stop the process and can I go out of India with Evisa or exit permit?
Basically during process, what I know is I can’t go out of India,but now my mom is little sick, so I want to go back to Japan.
Thanks,
Yumi
Hi Yumi,
Thanks for stopping by.
Leaving India when your visa conversion is under process, can definitely complicate the process. The process wouldn’t stop automatically, but what if they call you for an appointment or the police wants to verify your address. And you also provide a copy of your last entry date with the application. So if you leave and come back, that will change.
Since you applied in February and it’s been more than a month, you can make a round of the police station and/or the FRRO office to know where it’s stuck.
Or you can write them an email to cancel the process, leave for Japan, do the X visa there or come back and do it in India.
Thank you for reply. I can make sense.
I talked to FRO just now,and verification will come soon,so I should wait for entry visa first and will go back to Japan.
Hi Claudia
Thank you very much for this amazing article. It did helped me but I have a big trouble finding one thing.
My foreign fiancée has a child, I got the idea how to apply for her X visa but I don’t know if I can apply for her child( who is not mine)
Hi Suresh,
Thanks for stopping by. The thing is that your fiancee would be eligible for an X visa after getting married. The child can come on a long-term tourist visa and then, can get an OCI card once your wife gets the OCI card.
Another route could be adopting the child as yours and then applying for an X visa for the child, but adoption is a long-drawn process in most countries.
Hi, This is one of the best blogs and it addresses a lot of queries. Thank you for such an effort. My wife is on X1-visa(spouse). How can she apply for a conversion to employment visa if she has a valid offer? Cause with x1-visa she can only start working after 2 years. But that’s a long time to be without a job. ANd to travel bac and again come back with employment visa is going to make it complicated and has a lot of health risk as well. Please help me with this.
Hi Sudipta,
I get your pain.
She can apply for an employment visa if she has a valid offer. But I don’t know whether they are issuing employment visas in India now, and often, getting an employment visa needs the applicant to apply for it in their home country. It’s complicated and , is risky, given the circumstances. So the alternate would be to be employed for a company outside India and work remotely or something similar online that would be legal.
Hey Claudia,
This is a great article. Nice work! I bet this is helpful for a lot of people.
Quick question, could you point me to any govt. guidelines/regulations that state that working remotely for a foreign company or freelancing so that you’re being paid into a foreign bank account is ok while you’ve applied or are on the X visa?
My partner is Australian. We got married a week ago and are thinking about the X visa. But we don’t want to apply for that if it means she stops working for her Australian company. Apparently, the FRRO officer in Bangalore said she can’t work in India (i assume he meant for an Indian company)
Thanks,
Ashank.
Hi Ashank,
This is a grey area really and there is no such guideline that I am aware of. I don’t think it should be an issue for her to work remotely but I am not a legal expert. You can consult an immigration lawyer on the same.
Thank you.
Hi,
im an indian citizen, my husband is canadian
how can i apply from canada for his visitors visa so we can go to india for less than six months
Hi Aparna,
Right now, it’s not possible for foreigners to apply for e-tourist visa due to the COVID situation. But your husband can try a regular tourist visa. And he can also get an entry visa directly from the Indian embassy in Canada.
Hello, I am an Indian citizen and I have married and American citizen in Srilanka.
Which means we have a Srilankan wedding registration.
Can you let me know how can we retrieve Indian entry visa for my spouse here from Srilanka?
Hi Shobhit,
Your spouse can apply for the entry visa in Indian embassy in Sri Lanka.
Hi
Im a uk citizen. My future wife is indian. Im concerned about the undertaking letter as my future wife does not work and i finacially support her. Not her support me. Your circumstance had your indian husband supporting you so the letter is not correct for my circumstance and still want to apoly for x visa and eventually OCI. hope you can answer this dilemma. Its worrying me.
Hi Andrew,
I understand your dilemma. Yes, the whole undertaking thing is such a drag. You can apply for the visa in the UK through VFS and see if they wouldn’t need it. But should you want to apply for it in India, your future wife can simply write the undertaking. And it can be in a plain paper based on which FRRO you apply at. Also depending on the FRRO, they might or might not ask for bank statements. But your spouse can show some amount in her bank statements just in case even though she is not technically supporting you.
I know this is not the solution but bureaucracy often doesn’t leave us with many choices.
Hello
Thank you for this beautiful post.
Can you please describe the process of marriage registration under the special marriage act?
Would appreciate.
Hi Arfi,
It’s just like any court marriage in India more or less with some differences. The whole thing is too long for a comment. Maybe we will write an article someday about it.
Here is Claudia’s comment on it: https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india-x-visa-entry-for-spouse/#comment-316
manoranjan jordaar/crystal methballs!🤣 u must be quite the couple… great article..thanks!
🙂
Thanks for the informative article, Claudia!
Is it possible to convert an emergency visa into a Tourist or Business visa within India?
Thanks, CS
I highly doubt that. If you log into the FRRO portal, you wouldn’t see any options for converting an emergency visa. But feel free to pay a visit to an FRRO. Maybe they have a solution offline.
Hi Claudia,
Just applied for the X-1 (Entry Visa) for my wife who is a Belarusian citizen. However, we got the marriage certificate under the Hindu Marriage Act as it was a religious marriage as per the Hindu rites and rituals and she adopted Hinduism as her religion. Let’s see how bumpy the ride will be to get the Entry visa. Will keep on updating here so it can help others too. I wanna Thanks to you for such an informative article. It helped a lot to understand the process fully and have uploaded all the necessary and extra documents as suggested in the above article.
Thank you very much Saurabh. Wish you all the best.
Hi Claudia,
Thanks for your awesome post. I think somewhere above my question was answered but I will clarify with you if you have time xx
So I am on a business visa which expires around 20th October, we haven’t even got married yet, so I am assuming that we won’t have time to get married and convert business visa to Entry X before my visa expires?
Do you have any other advise on how I can stay on longer in India? Can I covert it to a tourist visa? I think that only gives another 2 months. Due to covid I am unable to go back to Bali where I live and also New Zealand isn’t where I want to be 🙁
We would love to get married but the timing seems a little hard. Also we live in Dharamashala and I don’t think they have the government offices we need to process the marriage certificate anyway 🙁
I appreciate your time and thoughts xx
Much love
Maree
Hi Maree,
Thank you for your kind words.
I believe you can still pull off the marriage in 2 months if you start right now. You can get married in a court in Dharamshala using Special marriage act. I am sure there would be a district court where that would be possible since there are Indians who get married using this act as well. You could probably take help from a local lawyer to help you out.
If everything goes well, you would receive the certificate within 30-45 days and then you can apply for the visa. As long as the application is under process, you are fine to be in the country with an expired business visa.
Converting a business visa to tourist visa should be possible but I don’t know anyone who did it. You can check this with the FRRO.
My husband and I keep on planning to live in Bali. So great that you have a base there already. 🙂
Love,
Claudia
Dear Claudia
Thank you for this educative article. I have a question. My wife is indian living in another city. I currently live in Bangalore and we just got married in Bangalore. Please which address should I submit for my application? Is it okay I move in with my wife and use that address? I also know the hassle that comes with FRRO transfer.
Please give me a suitable advice. Thanks
Hi Hernandez,
You and your wife should be living at the same address. It would be used for police verification( please read the section on that). And that address must fall under the FRRO where you are applying the visa.
Address is always a hassle in India.
Hello, dear Claudia.
I have 2 questions:
1- is it necessary a letter from the Indian guy parents? In case, if they dont agree with the marriage and the couple decides to do everything without their knowledge and tell them only after all done.
2- Is there any obstacle about big difference of ages between the couple, or one is single and another is divorced… things like this? Can they deny the request for marriage in Special Marriage Act?
Thank you, so much. Namaste _/\_ Claire.
Hi Claire,
1. No, of course you can do everything by yourself. In the letter from parents, simply type N/A and upload it. Or a blank page.
2. I don’t think age difference would be a factor if you are both adults. Legally they can’t deny based on that. In case one of you is divorced, then they would ask for the divorce papers I believe.
Let me know if you face any issues.
carry on this type of good work for society. you are too good human being
Hi Claudia. Thank you for your very informative article, hmmm, I am sitting with the exact challenge. I work in Kerala on a business visa, met my dream woman whom gave my life back to me, and of course a surrounding YES, we are getting married. Now, I work in India as consultant, employed directly by the chairman/owner of a large group of companies whom is based in Dubai, whom I invoice directly, getting paid directly into my Fujairah account. There has been a lot of speculation abound regarding tax, visa applications etc. Once married, I can apply for a X2 visa? With that, being employed outside of India? Does that still mean I cannot work for 2 years being paid outside of India?
Hi Alan,
I understand. First of all, congratulations.
I hope I got your question.
Since you are working in Kerala on a business visa, would not it be much better to continue the business visa and just get married. You could continue working. Why would you need an X visa?
And if you are planning to be outside of India, why would you need a visa? Or an X visa for that matter? You can come and go with a tourist visa, if that’s the concern.
Whether you live in India or not, whether you get a visa or not, you could always get the OCI card after 2 years of marriage.
Taxes depend on where are you from, income and many other factors.
Hi Claudia,
Thanks so much for the article. It is a great help! My soon to be fiance (female) is in Bangalore, and I am an US citizen (male). Here is our situation thus far. We met online and I am flying there in one week time. There were very few options for visas due to COVID, and I have genuine medical issues that need to be checked out, so I am going on a medical visa. We want to have the engagement ceremony in two weeks, take lots of photos and therefore have proof for when we start applying for future visas. Ideally I would like to marry her in a few months time in Bangalore, say the beginning of next year. We have heard conflicting counsel from various people. Some say do not do a formal ceremony while on a medical visa, while others say it is totally fine. Some of her friends say that we should go ahead and do a court wedding while I am there so that things will be easier to process in the future.
May I solicit your advice in this scenario? I am not sure what the best path forward is. But considering how stringent the Indian government has been in allowing visas and all that, I feel like doing a court wedding while there is our best shot at getting a spousal or fiance visa processed for the wedding in a few months. It seems that we should go the extra mile in doing a formal ceremony and presenting all that to the court during my stay there.
Note: One friend of hers said that we could be in danger of visa fraud for trying all this in one go, but I don’t see any evidence to back that claim.
Would love to hear from you on all this. Thank you Claudia!
-Christopher from US
Hi Christopher,
I agree with her friends who say you should just go ahead and do the court proceeding. Since you are visiting due to genuine medical reasons, getting married on a medical visa is fine in my and my husband’s opinion. The thing is they could ask about this in future when you apply for the X visa and OCI card in case you want it. I don’t think it amounts to visa fraud per se.
The formal ceremony can happen after the court thing, before or after receiving the certificate. That’s not an issue at all. They are both separate and for all legal purposes, you could use the marriage certificate from the court and the date mentioned there. I myself did this and a lot of my friends.
Sending prayers from Bangalore for your good health.
Hi,
I posted earlier this year about converting my tourist visa to x-2 entry visa. Since the last post we have married and am waiting for my marriage certificate. Here in goa you do not receive it straight away can take up to 3 weeks. I will then be embarking on conversion od tourist visa. If im successful i will write a comment on my experience if thats ok. Wish me luck.
Hi Andrew,
Congrats on your marriage. It takes a month or so in other parts of India as well. 🙂 All the best!!
Namaste thank you for the detailed article!
I am a uk citizen marrying my indian fiancè in india in December, currently im in the UK as my tourist visa is suspended and wondering if the X visa will allow me entry to india to get married and then permit me to stay for 1 or 2 years till i can gain an OCI?
If so are most of the documents needed the same?
Many thanks for any help!
Hi Charles,
You can get the X visa only after you get married, be it in India or somewhere else. You can apply for the OCI 2 years after the marriage. I have also written an article on that.
Hi just an update when applying for entry visa in goa. The frro is in panjim which isnt marked on your map. Also another tip befor you try to upload documents ( like your experience to extend visa) only 4 documents are asked for. These documents cannot be more than 1mb in size or it wont upload. It gives you a choice to upload other documents. Having used your advice i sent all the documents you reccomended. They all uploaded and it let me finish and print out my application. Im waiting for a reply from frro but hope ive sent enough they wont ask for more. Will keep posted
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the update.
I haven’t listed Panjim as it is not there on the FRRO website. But I will add it now that you have confirmed.
Yes, they sometimes don’t ask for all the documents in the beginning and come back to you for extra docs.
Do keep us posted.
Latest update
My application for conversion is still in process. Ive had all the visits from police. Ive uploaded more documents. Its now with frro in mumbai which covers goa. I call them every 2 weeks and still they say “its in process and to wait. It will take time.” 5 months to date. My 5 year tourist runs out in june. I hope its done before then.
Not a quick process. Will keep you updated.
P.s. they still havnt asked for payment yet.
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for the update.
This is quite unusual but it does happen. I believe that the application is stuck somewhere. You should probably plan for a trip to the FRRO if possible and try to sort this out in person, although you still got time on your side.
Hi,
This article is very comprehensive, I’m glad I found this. Thank you. I just have one question, my bf and I are planning to marry in my home country (🇵🇭) before I go to India, can I directly apply for this kind of visa instead of getting the tourist visa first?
Thank yoi
Hi Benjie,
You surely can as long as there is an Indian embassy in your country, once you get married.
I had to re-submit multiple times because my affidavit was not in the correct format. Finally, the FRRO sent me their blank affidavit format. I’ve linked to it here, to save anyone else the headaches and delays.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ozR5wye-9JRGYTv6U0wUaAe8LMlp_37q/view?usp=sharing
My boyfriend is a US citizen and we plan to get married here in India. He’ll be traveling here on a tourist visa and I wish to get it converted to a spouse visa. The issue here is that I am not financially stable but he is. So I was wondering if he will get approved for the same even if I cannot provide financial documents.
Hi,
Right now, you have time to build up your account balance. They don’t ask for a lot of money.
Hi
Are they giving visa to foreigners who want to get married to their Indian partner in India?
Nancy, I got an emergency X-Misc entry visa for this specific reason, but it wasn’t easy.
I had to kind of plead my case to the local US Indian embassy. Then I we both had to get signed/notarized affidavits from our parents (my parents and her parents) saying basically: “Yes, these kids want to marry each other.” Then finally, the Visa was granted.
Good luck.
Congratulations John! My partner got the same visa but for 1 month single entry we are trying to extend it for court marriage. And yes we had to beg for it from Indian Embassy in the Netherlands. And they issued it after 2 weeks but from the date we applied hardly giving us time to stay just for 2.5 weeks!
Hi Claudia,
Thank you for sharing your experience and allowing this information to help us all. I found your article very helpful. I have a few questions even ones that may be obvious but would appreciate your help and clarification if possible?
•Do i need to get an affidavit “that says I will not get employed or do business while in India, and that I want to convert your visa to a spouse visa” in India or Ireland?
•Would i need an apostille for my documents eg. birth cert when i go to India?
•X Visa is given for a year but can I extend this without having to exit after the 180 days? Also for my knowing, when the 90 days are over for tourist visa, do I need to exit India or whole of Asia
•After 2 years of marriage, upon receiving the OCI card do I need to apply for an extension of my X visa?
•is it mandatory to get proof of parental consent for marriage to my Indian partner?
•Do all the scanned copies need to be a particular size when uploading? I see MAX is 1mb?
Hi Natasha,
Thank your for your words.
From your comment I take that you are an Irish citizen, and you are planning to get married in India.
In that case, yes you do need an affidavit that says what you mentioned about employment.
There is no need to apostille the birth certificate in India. You can get it done from Ireland or in Irish embassy. This might be needed for marriage, but not a requirement.
You can extend X visa without exiting India. I have written an article on that as well.
Coming to the tourist visa, yes, you need to exit and reenter after 90 days. I recommend to get a long-term sticker visa that would give you more time.
The parental consent is a requirement but you can simply upload blank documents if you don’t have it and reason with them.
The documents cannot be more than 1mb in size or it wont upload, I believe.
All the best!!
Thank you for your time and help! I just need to please ask what is the long term sticker visa? I can’t find info on it.
Exiting India after 90 days, do i need to exit only India or whole of Asia in order to regain entry again after?
I appreciate your help!
Hi,
Sticker visa is something that they would stamp on your passport. Not the eVisa. Please read my article on that.
https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/indian-tourist-visa-one-year/
You can get married on eVisa but you might face issues and things could get delayed in which case you would have to leave and reenter. So I recommend a long-term sticker visa. But if you already have an eVisa, that is totally fine.
You only need to exit India, not whole of Asia.
Good day, Claudia!
I was wondering if I could consult with you. I’m getting married having stamp tourist visa, but the things got delayed thanks to bureaucracy, my visa is expiring and I might not be on time to apply for X-visa (not even a day in spare).
I can’t really travel back to my country, so was thinking of leaving to the closest country and applying for tourist e-visa and coming back. Would I be able to apply for x-visa with that 30 days e-visa? Will I face any problem if it expires while my application is in process?
Hi,
You can surely take that route. It might be a little tricky and they can ask for more documents for sure. Or you can go to your home country and apply the X visa there.
Even if the visa expires when your application is under process, you are good.
Hello and thanks for putting your time and effort on this article very informative.
I have a question about what kind of Visa does my wife need based on the present situation to enter India?
She’s a US citizen and I’m a Indian citizen. We need to visit India for about 8 weeks only. We also have her sister who wants to come with us and not sure what visa she can apply for.
Thanks
Shan
Hi Shan,
I believe Indian govt will start issuing eVisas for tourism in from 15 October or something. So that would be the best for your wife and her sister. Keep an eye on the news.
Here is my article on that: https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/indian-online-visa-90-days/
Hello,
Thank you for your article, it is very helpful. Can you help me with a question, I am travelling to India from Ireland and will be getting married to my Indian partner. Can I apply for the e-Visa and once married apply for the X Visa? Or do I need to apply for the Tourist Visa in order to get the X Visa after marriage? I am a little confused now as I am not sure between the two.
You can get married on eVisa. I have replied to your other comment on this.
Hi , im on x-1 visa can i go to my country for visit 1/2 month and then come bck india with the visa again , is it valid visa for get a trip to malaysia im malaysian married with indian i get x-1 visa that will expired on september now im at malaysia so can i go back with that x-visa to india , thanks
Hi Shabby,
Yes you can do that as long as it is valid.
Hi i am from germany i am a german passport holder but i want to get married in india with hindu marriage act and stay there. My husband will be fullfilling all the requirements that i need to stay there what will be the procedure?
And what documents are needed to be submitted ? Plz help
Hi Aisha,
I would recommend to do a court marriage using Special marriage act and the Hindu marriage both. Get the certificate from the court only. They are both independent and can be done in parallel.
There are a long list of documents and the process is quite long to explain in a comment. Please see my other comments about it.
Hi Claudia,
Thank you for this very informative write-up. It was more useful than the government website. I had another question for you – My husband has an X2 visa and has recently been made a really good job offer. He applied for an employment permit and was rejected on the basis that an X2 visa holder cannot work for 2 yrs post marriage. We haven’t found any such rule on the MHA website regarding employment. The only rule is that OCI eligibility starts 2 yrs post marriage. Do you have any experience with such an issue? Would appreciate any advice as we are lost here and cannot find any information online regarding this. Thanks much!
Hi Sunaina,
Usually they ask people to apply for the employment permit outside of India. So if he has secured a job, he should be able to transfer to a work permit/visa. X2 visa holder can’t work until they get the OCI. But if they transfer that to a work permit, they should be able to work.
I personally havent come across anyone who has done it but I thin it is possible.
Hi
Thank you for your article. Can you please tell me if my documents have to be apostilled or notarized for marriage in India. I will be getting married. I live in Europe. I have contacted an indian mission in my country and also India FRRO and they don’t give me answer
Hi Maria,
If you will be getting married in India, then you would need a bunch of docs, 2 or 3 witnesses depending on where you get married, making rounds to courts, and all. Some day I will write an article on it.
Hi Claudia, thank you for this post and step by step guide on visa conversion. A quick question if you can advise on. My wife is Canadian citizen, marriage registered in India. She is on e-tourist visa in which the stay should not exceed 180 days in a year. We already put the application for visa conversion over 1.5 month ago but still waiting for final confirmation. Can she stay in India past 180 days while conversion is getting processed or will have to leave the country and come back. I tried looking for this information online but couldn find it. If there is a link you can share pertaining to this as well, it will be very helpful. Thank you once again.
She can stay when the visa is being processed.
Hi,
Can you please provide me with link to format for letter. Sorry i forgot to ask on last comment
Elron posted previously.
I’m not able to download the document so that I can use it. How can i get this?
Hi Claudia
My fiancé got misc X visa for our marriage which expires before court marriage date. We already applied for extension through FRRo but what if the current X misc visa expires before he gets extension and the extension application is under process? Will he be fined if he doesn’t leave the country on the date of expiry of visa or will he need to apply exit permit?
Hi Nancy,
As long as the X visa is under process, he is fine even if the current visa expires.
Hey there Claudia, thanks for the amazing article and truly helping people out when there is not much information on government websites.
My Indian wife recently acquired Portuguese citizenship through descent and she is employed here in India, while being employed she applied for surrendering Indian passport and other documents, and applied for x1 visa.
Now she is in that gray zone wherein she is a Portuguese citizen, waiting for her X1 visa, and employed in an organisation. Meanwhile she has raised this with internally with her HR and they are checking with immigration teams. But do you have any advice in this scenario.
Is there a grace period allowed by the government to serve notice period in case my wife resigns?
Regards,
Rishabh
Hi Rishabh,
🙂
I wish I had some advice for you but I don’t. The problem is that she can’t work on X visa. She would need to get a work visa. This, I know for sure. What I don’t understand is why she didn’t apply for the OCI. That way she could work and everything.
Hi Claudia, thank you for you artical. I would like to ask you if there is any civil partnership status in India, between me and my Indian partner, which I could obtain as European coming from UK on 30 days eVisa next month? I would need it for our gov. to proof our relathionship. Thank you!
Hey, luckily i found your article and got many answers after such a long period of researches.
My situation: Me and my indian fiance are in germany currently, getting married in denmark in 1 week and we both fly back to india, me on a buissnesvisa. in india i have 6 weeks till my buissnes visa expires.
will that be enough to convert it to a entry visa? will they accept the marriage in danemark?
i m not sure if we get the apostille done in this time or if i can just show the marriage certificate without apostile.
thank you:)
Hi Marion,
I am assuming that you are a Danish citizen. As you are getting married in Denmark, the best option would be to simply get an X visa through the Indian embassy in Denmark. It would be easier and faster.
However, if you end up doing it in India, you must have solemnized the marriage in the Indian embassy in Denmark and then get it translated (if not in English) and apostiled. You can check with the embassy on the second part. This would be needed when you apply for the X visa in India.
While your X visa application is under process, it is fine if your business visa expires.
I am a german citizen. the certificate will get an Apostile by the ministry of denmark.
uffzz…to get it legalized by the Indian mission in germany will take another age.. you think they dont accept without? i mean its an international marriage certificate
No they wouldn’t accept it. See this comment from someone on the other article:
https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/extend-indian-visa-online-frro-bangalore-delhi/#comment-1942
What a great article, thanks. I’m not quite at the marrying stage yet, but I will keep your article for when I am! I wonder if there is any information or comments on this site about the rapidly changing situation with getting a visa while India ‘opens up’ after Covid. It’s seems particularly challenging for a UK citizens who seem to the only country for which India won’t allow Tourist e-Visas!
Hi Lisa, great article! Thanks for taking the time to help others.
I’m British (living in England) and I’m marrying my Indian fiancée (from Mizoram) in December 2021. She’s here on a marriage visitor visa. We will be moving to India shortly after the wedding.
I cannot get an e-visa as they have stopped doing that for now, so I’ll need to go to an embassy. After we’re married, do I simply apply for an Entry Visa (X)? And then register with the FRRO in India?
There is one slight issue which is that I want to work in India fairly soon after settling. Can I convert that to an employment Visa if so? Many thanks!
If you are getting married in England, it is better to get the X visa from the Indian embassy. You can register with the FRRO after coming to India. Easier.
And if you want to work and have a job lined up, better to simply get the employment visa in England and come to India. In order to convert the X visa to employment, you would need to go to England in any case. They won’t allow you to convert inside India.
Thanks Claudia! Also, sorry for getting your name wrong 😛
Hi, such an informative article
Thanks
Hi Claudia,
i have a simple query regarding document no 2). Undertaking from Indian Partner. In this undertaking, is it compulsory to give passport no by indian partner also?? what if indian partner does not have passport?? can he/she give some other identity proof.
Thanks again
Hi Sandeep,
Yes, you can provide aadhar as well.
Thanx a lot claudia
Hi Claudia,
My girlfriend is from Colombia and we are planning to get married soon. I just wanted to know who or where will my girlfriend need to apply for single/no objection certificate. We got it done through Notary in Colombia but here in India they are saying that then need it on letterhead of ministry or embessy. Embessy of Colombia said they don’t issue this document.
Can you guide us
Hi Pavan,
Can you tell me where are you getting married? Is it a court where foreigners get married usually?
I got mine from a notary from Colombia and got it translated there, and then got the translation apostilled by the foreign/external affairs ministry. I would recommend getting a lawyer if that can help.
Yes, we are getting married in a court. My girlfriend got an “Extra juicio de soltera” with Notary, so we have to first get it translated and then the translated copy need to be appostile. Correct?
I meant in which city/state?
Yes.
I am Bangladeshi. I will get married in January to an Indian citizen. I want to live with my husband in India. My husband is a central government employee. What can i do madam??
Help me.
Hi Bonna,
I believe for Bangladeshis the process is a bit different. You might be asked for some more proof and may be asked some more questions. But you can apply the same way I did and get started. Please update how it goes so that it can help future readers.
Financial docoment :govt salary pay slip for last six is granted???
They need bank statements. Last 3 months’ worth bank statements will be fine.
thank you for your sharing. I have applied X visa and uploaded PCC in 2 and half months back. i came to india with Medical visa because other visa don’t allow in this covid period. Normally can’t change Medical visa to X visa. I visited to FFRO nad checked with officer. They allow to apply and i have submitted every documents and PCC. But after submitted PCC, there is no more update from FRRO. There is no update for payment also. It become almost 2 and half months. i have called and asked but officer said under process
I just want to know how long will take time to make payment after PCC
X Visa have rejected or not
did they contact to my home country or home country address for clarification
please help me to answer when you have time
Hi Sreekanth,
I suggest you check with the nearest police station to find out if they have received any intimation from the FRRO to a verification for your residential address. If they haven’t(this happened to me), you need to visit the FRRO and get the intimation yourself and start the process. Sometimes, it gets stuck there. It also depends on the FRRO you applied at. Some FRROs are slow.
Thank you for your answer
I got updated from FRRO and I did payment. After I did payment, next day I received mail which is my application ID against have been deleted. But I didn’t get results yet
My doubt is that is it normal? Or something wrong? Can you please suggest
Hi claudia,
i just came across your blog while looking out for visa extension information.
right now,India is giving an e tourist visa for 1 month(which is also free) and my fiancee is planning to come in january and upon her arrival we are planning to register our marriage in delhi.
what should i do in this situation to extend/convert her e visa?
i would be really grateful to you if you can help/guide.
regards,
shobhit
Hi Shobhit,
I don’t think you can register the marriage within 1 month. It takes longer than that. Much better to come with a long-term visa. Not sure if they are allowing to extend the e-visa in India during this time. Please confirm with the FRRO.
Hi claudia,
Im shobhit this side.
first of all,your articles are amazing and very helpful to understand the different aspects of Indian visa for foreigners.
you are doing a noble work and keep it up!
Kindly look into our situation and assist if you can,we will be grateful to you-
firstly,
my wife who is a russian citizen will be coming in january on e tourist visa (which is right now offered for free but only for 1 month’s time) and we are planning to marry and get marriage registered which my lawyers say the process can be fastened up if we pay more.so shall i create her online account now only on the website of FRRO(delhi)?
secondly,
while we apply for her extension of visa i.e from e tourist visa to x visa,
what if her current visa validity surpasses its expiry date?
can she still stay in India if shes legally married to me and waiting for her extension application to be accepted by FRRO?
i request your kind attention to my query so that i can make arrangements timely.
thanks in advance and god bless you!
regards.
Hi,
I have responded to your first query in another comment. Not sure about your lawyers. Maybe you can get married through Hindu marriage act and it will be faster.
Regarding the second query, no worries if the visa expires when the application is under process.
Hi claudia,
hope you are in good health there!
thanks for your quick reply.
Yes,i am checking up with some more lawyers for marriage registration.
i have heard hindu marriage act is little faster than spec.marriage act.
so lets see!
thanks again!
Hi again,
as there are two ways of getting your marriage register i.e either through hindu marriage act (which is fast) or through special marriage provision,
so both act’s certificate is valid at FRRO?
Thanks in advance.
They are both valid.
Hello, can i please ask on which website are they offering the free e-visa?
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
Hey Claudia,
I’m a Indian citizen and my boyfriend is a USA citizen, we plan on getting married in February in India but VFS global are currently not accepting visa applications in the United States. Is there any other way or visa that he can get to come to India for atleast a period of 90 days and which is also convertible to the x visa once married? I know evisas are currently available but they are only single entry and 30 days also non convertible. I really need your advice and help.
In case of an emergency visa can you please help me out and tell me how to go around with the process.
Or if we need to talk to the Indian embassy out there for any other way that he can get here.
I’ll be really grateful if you can help me with the same. We have been looking forward to this day for more than a year now and we really wish to get married in February.
Thank you so much for the article may God bless you.
Hi Anna,
I understand your frustration. The pandemic has complicated everything.
Can your bf get a student visa through the embassy of India in the US? They are not that hard to get.
You can take a risk with getting married on the e visa ( maybe Hindu marriage act) and take some help from a lawyer, and then try to convert it.
Hello Claudia!
Thank you so so much for your article… Please help!!
I am a Uk citizen who has been waiting to get back to my Indian Bf in Kerala since they closed their borders…
Uk can only get a 30 day paper tourist visa (for some reason UK are not eligible to get e-visa currently?!)….. the first available apt I could get at the london embassy is Jan 6th 2022 and my flight is booked for Jan 13th…
We truly hope to get married within that 30 days as his family have everything arranged… at both a Hindu religious ceremony and at the government signing office….
Will i then be able to apply for spouse visa or can I start applying from when I get to India as I can only be there 30 days… I don’t know what to do!
If I fly to Sri Lanka on my 30 days can I wait for the admission of spouse visa to india there?
Please help/ any advice!
Thank you so much 🙏🏻
Emmeline X
Hi Emmeline,
Please ask in the embassy whether your sticker visa can be extended in India and the process for the same. If yes, that’s great.
You can get married and probably get the Hindu marriage certificate in 30 days if you plan ahead of time. 30 days are not enough to get the special marriage certificate that I got.
Once you get the certificate, apply for the Spouse visa. You would need to be in India when your visa application is under process. Once you apply for the visa conversion, no worries if your current tourist visa expires.
Another option would be to come to the UK and do the spouse visa process there but that again would involve some complications.
Please update how it goes. It would help many others.
Love, Claudia.
Thank you sooo much Claudia! I will keep you updated…
Do you think maybe it’s best to go to the FRRO office in Trivandrum soon after I get to India (although I may have to quarantine for a week being from UK 🙁 ) to ask them my options and give proof of my marriage date?
If I have leave India can I apply for an entry visa from Sri Lanka? Or do I have to be in England? X
Thank you so much Claudia!!
I will absolutely keep you updated.
Is the special marriage certificate the one you get from the government register office?
do you think i should visit the FRRO office as soon as I arrive to get the process going?
And do you think it’s possible when married to start application whilst waiting for the certificate? X
Hi Emmeline,
Yes, the special marriage certificate is the one that you can get from a court. Doesn’t involve any religious ceremonies. FRRO has nothing to do during the marriage process.
You can apply only after you receive the certificate.
Hi, I see that u mentioned u have a flight booked for India on 13th Jan when the borders are closed until 31st Jan at the moment? I don’t understand. I have been delaying travelling there as well due to this. I would appreciate a response
Hey Claudia
Thanks for your quick reply
We are both Christians so we plan to go for the special marriage act.
Also will he need any kind of documents proofs from Indian institutes or needs to enroll to any course here for the student visa ? And can the student visa be converted to the spouse visa once we are married ? I’m so sorry for so many questions I’m just so confused and frustrated with the current situation. The travel bans are like never ending at this point.
Hi Anna,
There are many institutes actually. He can get enrolled in a language course. Dance schools in Delhi also help with this. Or something with Ayurveda. Depending on where you live, you can find out universities and see if there are short-term courses where he can enrol. Many universities in Bangalore for example have courses.
Since you are both Christians, you can get married under Christian marriage act if he can’t get a long-term visa and comes with an e visa. You can get the certificate faster.
The student visa can be converted to Spouse visa in India. That’s not an issue.
Hey Claudia,
Thank you so much for your prompt response, I’m so grateful to you. That’s so sweet of you.
I have one more doubt is the e tourist visa convertible as someone on the next comment has said. Cz it says non extendable and non convertible on the website. Having that option available is going to be so helpful.
Thank you so much for the information, you were so much helpful than FRRO itself. I have one question, I came to India with the e tourist visa for one month, we have already gotten married and now I am applying for the visa conversion, do you think they will let me stay even if my current visa expires? I am already on the process to upload the documents by tomorrow. I am just worried because although I have filled the application and not later than this week all documents will be provided to FRRO I have only one week left in India.
Hi Cytlali,
Yes, as long as your application is under process, you are fine.
Hey cytlali,
I have a similar situation, can you please help me with how you got your e tourist visa converted? It says non convertible and not extendable on the website. I’ll be really thankful if you help me with the procedure.
Hello. thanks for this.
I got my marriage certificate.
Im here on medical visa which expires january 5, 2022.
i applied for entry visa but didnt see all options. I just uploaded affidavit, photo, passport page, and that’ sall. i still didnt’ hear from them.
Better to go visit FRRO?
Hi James,
I think they will ask you to upload the other docs soon through an email.
Hi.
I’m here on medical visa. It expires January 5, 2022.
I registered the marriage and got the certificate.
I followed your steps but didn’t have anythign to upload bank statements or marriage certificate or all that.
So i submitted photo, passport photo, affidavit of residntial place where i live, photo of visa i came on. that’s what it asked for.
Its been 6 days.
What to do ? better to go to frro office.
thank you.
i’m just nervous because my expires in like 3.5 weeks.
(We have been married since february 2019 but just regisred it last week. took a few weeks to register but finally have marriage registration certificate)
we are both muslims so we did special marriage act.
Hi Hassan,
No need to worry as the application is under process. They will ask you to upload other docs.
Did you get results?
Hello Claudia!
Thank you so so much for your article. i have one request that can you please post a blog on “How to get marriage registered under Special marriage act in india”. i mean your experience and documents required. it will also be so helpful to people, as these visa things are related to it.
Thanx
Hi Claudia,
Came across your wonderful article.
I am an OCI and my husband and infant son are US citizen. We plan to visit India soon. Can I apply for x2 visa for both of them while I am still in USA?
Thank you!
Hi Ritu,
You certainly can do that.
Hi Claudia.
This is certainly the most detailed article I have seen on VISA. Cheers. I appreciate your work.
I am an Indian Citizen Myself. My Girlfriend is currently living in Pakistan and she is a Pakistani Citizen. We want to marry in near future. She is interested in pursuing her post-graduation here in India.
I have quite a few questions,
-Can we get married (special marriage act) if she’s on a student visa in India?
-In case, If she doesn’t get a student visa which initial visa would you prefer for a Pakistani Citizen to get married here in India? And then to extend this with another long-term VISA which type of VISA do you prefer to her as a Pakistani citizen?
-Pakistan doesn’t allow marriage between a Hindu & Muslim. So will she be punishable by Pakistani law if her VISA expires and somehow we just couldn’t get another VISA and she has to travel back to Pakistan? or is it that she will simply be unmarried by Pakistani law because they don’t recognize the Special Marriage Act which is only recognized by India? (this is the worst-case scenario) (We are hoping for the best for both of us)
-Can she get an OCI after 2 years of marriage as you stated above?
I am only asking these specific questions because you must know that the relations between these two countries (India-Pakistan) have not always been great. I am eagerly waiting for your answer I hope I have been specific enough with my questions. Please answer as many questions as you could.
Any help/advice will be much appreciated.
Thanks, Prem.
Hi Prem,
Thank you for your kind words.
You can certainly get married while she is on student visa, and then convert to a spouse visa. I can’t comment on what would happen in Pakistan. I think you could check about that with the Pakistani embassy in India and see if a such a marriage can be registered in Pakistan through them.
However, what I can tell you is that you should be ready for extra documents, interviews and lengthier processing times for every process starting from visas to OCI and all. While filing the application, the portals specifically have different questions for citizens of Bangladesh and Pakistan. So you can expect more bureaucracy at every stage. But I don’t think it is impossible at all.
I don’t personally know such a couple so maybe you can update us on how things are going on and maybe some day, write an article for us. 🙂
Hey. i was mentioning this great post a view weeks before. i need to add some clarification for marriages in denmark. You told me the FRRO Offices will not accept the danish certificate with Apostille.
Now I am in India and did the Application to convert ny Visa in a Entry Visa. First i got told to get an Attestation from the german Embassy. there thy told me,this is bullshit, as this certificate is legal in india too.
I asked for help from MEA and they supported me and already advised all FRRO Offices to accept certificates with Apostille. No need of extra Attestation.
Facit: Convertion from a Visa in a Entry Visa is possible, even with a certificate from a third country like Denmark. There should be a Apostille and the country of the marriage should be part of the Hague Apostille Convention.
Hi Marion,
So glad to hear that. I think they are finally catching up. Will update the article with this info soon.
Thanks YOU for your great blog. This helped me a lot:)
Thank you so much for sharing you article, it’s big help for me. I wanted to ask about things that me and my wife are concerned with. Kindly let me describe my situation shortly.
I’m from Poland, Europe and I’m registered In ISKCON Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (temple) and staying in India on student visa (expires in July 2022). I got married in September under Hindu marriage act in Arya Samaj. My wife is from Delhi. I want to convert my visa from student visa to entry visa.
We did legal marriage but we will marry according to ISKCON rituals in 2-3 months. Until this time my wife will stay with her parents in Delhi (family will not allow to stay together without religious ceremony). After marriage ceremony we want stay in Navsari, Gujrat in rented house.
One FRO agent told that if we want to stay in Gujarat, I have to get RP transfer certificate and apply for visa conversion from Gujrat FRO(Ahmedabad?). He told also that I have to give good reason of why I want to convert my visa. The fact that I got married and want to live with my wife in India (I speak Hindi as well) is not enough?
Whether I can shift my registration from Bhopal ISKCON Temple to Navsari on the basis of rent agreement? In other words, to be registered on the address of house/flat that I’m renting, not in ISKCON temple?
One of the documents required for visa conversion is notarized affidavit saying that my wife will take full financial responsibility for me (probably supported by bank statement). The problem is that she is not employed, doesn’t have any income, or even bank account. What can be done in this situation? Can we use bank statement of her father?
Is Hindu marriage act sufficient for obtaining OCI card in the future? Thank you, in advance for answer.
Hi Madhuvrata,
I will try to answer your queries one by one.
1) When you say you did the legal marriage, I take that you mean got married in a court using special marriage act. If yes, that is the certificate you would need to convert the visa. The religious marriage in ISKCON wouldn’t have any effects on the visa process. But then I see you are asking about the Hindu marriage act. If you got married using the Hindu marriage act, then yes, it can also be used for OCI in future.
2) Don’t worry about the reason to convert and all. You got married is reason enough.
3) The jurisdiction of the FRRO and registration is as per your address. If after the marriage, you are planning to live in Gujrat in a rented accommodation, then you should apply for the conversion in Gujrat. The address should be where you both live together.
4) Regarding the bank statements, I would recommend to open a bank account for your wife and have some money in it. It can also be a joint account with a family member like her father. You have enough time to do this I believe. This would be helpful even if she is not employed.
Thank you for your response. I spoke with few people who suppose to be informed about the matter but all the “experts” give contradictory replies. I send my marriage certificate to person from FRRO and he confirmed that this marriage certificate will work for visa conversion.
Now the main confusion is about what path to choose. There are two scenarios:
1. I am registered as a student in ISKCON temple in Bhopal, MP; I say FRRO that i will stay in Bhopal with my wife and apply for visa conversion from there. In this way I can avoid transferring my RP. Then after visa conversion we move to Navsari, Gujarat (we changed mind or something…). But what are possible risk associated with this approach in the situation where I have to stay in Gujarat, Navsari and my wife in Delhi (till religious marriage is done)? Can I convert my visa without moving my RP and then change my address to Navsari? Are they(police?) going to check whether we are staying together in Bhopal? Even while staying in Bhopal we cannot live in the temple. I will have to get some house on rent.
2. I am registered as a student in ISKCON temple in Bhopal, MP; I move my RP to Gujarat (FRO Ahmedabad). Then do visa conversion.
This approach looks much more straightforward and doesn’t involve any creepy moves 🙂
But there is only one thing that makes me hesitate and I have to clarify before choosing the right path.
I have already done once RP transfer from Tamil Nadu, Salem to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu I was staying in an ashram as a student of yoga there. Then i had to move to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh to continue my study there. As me and all involved remember, it was long and bumpy process. Although I know that things improved significantly since that time. But I was moving from one university to another university. I shifted within the same infrastructure of the same institution. ISKCON as an eucational institution takes full financial and medical responsibility for their students.
Now the question is how I can possibly transfer my RP from ISKCON Bhopal to Navsari if there is no ISKCON institution there? Some were saying that i can do it on the basis of rent agreement (my new address in Navsari). But is it possible to do that? What is the process?
Regarding undertaking letter format you shared. My wife cannot mention that she is working because she doesn’t. I can provide maybe the bank account with some amount on it, but they may ask where from many will come from on regular basis. One FRRO agent told that Indian spouse parents can also take financial responsibility. Is it true? In this case should I modify your letter somehow? Do you have any suggestions here?
RP transfer and this financial responsibility along with financial statement of my wife are the things that I am concern with.
I will be very grateful for any advise in this regard,
Warm regards, Madhuvrata
Hi Madhubrata,
I think the second option would work out better. I did the RP transfer myself, and it does involve police verification at the address from where you would be moving. This can be done if based on the address of a rented accommodation. You should ideally initiate it after moving into a new address in Gujrat. This can be done from the eFRRO portal. It can take a fair amount of time though.
I have heard that the parents of the spouse can take financial responsibility, but don’t know anyone who actually took that route. Worth a shot. It can be a notarized document from the parents, the same way I have proided and they would probably have to provide an identity/address proof.
Hi Claudia! I’m very grateful for your help with my visa conversion.
Shortly I will go to Bhopal and apply for visa conversion from there. That’s what a FRO officer suggested to do. After conversion is done we can change our address to Navsari, Gujarat.
One of the documents that have to be uploaded is residence proof – “Lodge/ Electricity bill /
Landline Telephone /
Municipal Bill of the landlord
in case of staying in a house
of a relative or friend along
with a letter and photo-id
card of the landlord.”
Do you know where I can find format of this letter?
Thank you in advance for reply,
Madhuvrata
Hi Madhuvrata,
Glad to hear from you, and glad to know that your application is moving forward.
If you are renting, then the rent agreement would work fine. As per the letter, you could write the letter yourself in a plain paper and have the friend/landlord sign it, and provide a printout of an ID proof like Aadhar/ Driving license and attest it.
Hi again! I’ve got my visa converted into entry visa and I’m very grateful for your help. Right now I have to transfer my rc/rp from Bhopal (Bhopal FRRO) to Navsari (Ahmedabad FRRO).
The thing is that while still being registered at rented house of my friend in Bhopal, me and my wife live in rented house in Navsari (Gujarat). It’s rented on my name. Do you think that it’ll not make any problems? Like, I’m registered in Bhopal but rental agreement is made 5 months back for instance.
Do I have to take my wife with me for police verification in Bhopal?
Do you know what is the exact process for transfer?
Hi Madhuvrata,
So glad you were able to convert it.
Note that RC/RP transfer should be initiated while you are in Bhopal as it usually involves police verification. This will come under Bhopal FRRO. The house being rented on your name is not an issue really. They might not need your wife for the verification.
Once you apply for the RC/RP transfer, you would need to upload the documents such as rental agreement (for Bhopal in your case),passport bio page, present RC/RP copy and visa etc. You need to provide the reason why you are transferring and other details.
Once approved, they will transfer you to Ahmedabad.
You can apply for this on the eFRRO portal.
Hi Claudia,
I converted medical visa to Xvisa 4 months before at Chennai. Yesterday FRRO said to make payment. After I did payment, Today I got one mail from FRRO which is Registration Certificate for foreigners against application ID….. has been deleted. I don’t understand meaning of that because I didn’t get any results yet why they deleted? Or they send mail like that everyone after did payment? Could you please share me your experience? I am very worry now. I called to them but they said to send mail. I did mail also no reply. I afraid to get reject thus why very worry. Did you heard before any reject case? If yes, how to try again? Could you please suggest me?
Thanks
Hi Shun,
I have never heard of this delete email. Someone else commented on this in another article so there is some correlation it seems. I have emailed you. Plz send me the screenshot to understand this better.
Hey Claudia,
Thanks for the great article.
I have a few questions maybe you can help me with, I’m traveling to India in February to get married to my girlfriend she is currently unemployed for the last 2 years due to covid situations. And doesn’t work. So technically I’ll be supporting her while in India financially. I’m not sure if she can submit an undertaking and bank statements with 2000 USD, is there any solution or way to to this ? Also since we are not even left with enough time to act on.
Hi Ryan,
They don’t ask for proof of employment, just the bank statements and a letter from the partner. She can ask friends/parents to transfer money and build the bank account. If she starts now, there is enough time I would say.
Hello! Great article! I’m about to do the SMA and apply for X visa. I think you mentioned you can’t convert an e-visa so just apply for “new visa”?
You can convert the e-visa.
After this amazing post, got an idea on the process and applied for my wife’s visa conversion and extension. In 15 days, got the visa converted and also a stay visa extension for 1 year.
Total fees 1000 (conversion) + 8640 (visa extension).
But surprised to receive RC/RP/Registration certificate and a newly converted visa valid for just 1 day and a single entry on which the application was processed. But the stay visa has a validity for 1 year but the entry is still Single.
Any idea?
Dear Palash,
Did you get the visa conversion done from tourist visa to entry visa. If yes was the tourist visa a sticker based visa or e-visa
If you do not mind can you share your wife’s nationality and which FRRO did you apply to
I require some urgent help
Hi Claudia,
Such a helpful article, thanks for this. I have a question, if you could help would be great. I am getting married to a Colombian here in India in a couple of weeks and after that she was planning on leaving for Colombia for some work, but we are not sure if we should apply for the visa conversion here in India or back in Colombia. What do you think would be the better approach? And also after applying for the conversion do you think she can still leave India or only after receiving the visa should she leave?
Hi Vipul,
Congratulations.
After getting married, she can apply for the visa conversion in India or Colombia. It might be a little faster in Colombia. She can leave India with the visa she came with.
Hola Claudia,
Thank you for your wonderful blog, it is so educational for us who have foreign spouse.
I recently got married (Special marriage Act) to a Russian citizen when she was on a travel visit visa, now she is back to Russia. We now have marriage certificate too,
We just discovered that it takes minimum 2 yrs for her to get a OIC card.
Can you please tell us on which visa she has to apply to join me in India ?
Gracias,
Cheers,
Santee
Hi Santee,
Thank you for the kind words.
Your wife can apply to convert her travel visit visa to an X visa in Russia, the same one I did in India.
Hi claudia,
i hope you are doing good there!
(im once again writing to you)
my fiancee from russia has got e-tourist visa which is valid till 17th of april and we plan to marry with arya samaj first and then registration under special marriage act in april only.
now my only concern is whether etourist visa will be converted by FRRO after registering our marriage or not.
i contacted FRRO (delhi) but theyre not attending any calls and asked me to write an email to them,which i did.
FRRO office replied –
“You may apply conversion from e tourist visa to entry visa (X-I) with registered marriage certificate.
regards”.
what do you think?
Hello! Are you able to update us for those going through a similar situation?
Thanks!
Hello, your post has been very helpful to understand the procedure, thanks a lot for that, I have a small query, you have mentioned that you know people who got x1 visa using christian marriage act. I’m married with Indonesian citizen under christian marriage act but the registration process is not allowing me to register the wedding since my wife is not a Indian. But the Frro is asking for the registered marriage certificate. I’m confused on how to proceed further. Thanks in advance
Hi John,
You need to go to the a registrar that registers Christian marriage and get the certificate from them.
Greetings! I’ve been following your weblog for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and
give you a shout out from Humble Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the great job!
Hola Claudia,
Your article is excellent! Thank you for sharing such incredible experience with your entry visa in India.
I would like to talk to you in private, I am married to an Indian citizen and I need urgently some advice. I don’t know what to do with my FRRO situation. I hope I am not in trouble. Would you please send me a direct message ? Muchas gracias 🙏🏼
Hi Elsa,
Please write to us using the contact us page.
Hi Claudia! Loved, loved LOVED your article! This is hands down the most informative article I have seen. I came across it while searching for answers regarding tourist E-Visas. I was wondering if you could possibly answer a question. I would be so grateful. I just got my tourist E-visa approved. I am a US citizen going to india to marry my fiance who is a citizen of india. Plans are for him to get a green card and live with me here in the USA. SO the issue I have is the visa is only approved for a 30 day stay. I need to stay 60 days. Can you tell me what I can do if anything to be able to stay 60 days and not 30. I need more time for the marriage. I’ve asked the consulates and cannot get a good answer. I will be leaving for india in a few days. Thank you so much! Keep up the great work!!!
Hi Stacia,
Thank you for the kind words.
You can’t extend the e-tourist visa while you are here, but you sure can do a border run and get it again for 30 days and come back. Or you can try to get a student visa from the Indian embassy in the United States, so that you can stay longer.
All the best. Do let us know how it worked out.
Dear Claudia,
Thanks for the great article and sharing your experience
Tried contacting FRRO they are saying that conversion of tourist visa to entry visa is no longer convertible and asking me to go back to my home country and apply directly for the entry visa.
Do you know anyone recently (within 2 months) who got their Tourist visa converted to Entry visa
Any help will be highly helpful
Hi Maya,
This is the first time I am hearing it. Did you come with an e-toursit visa, the electronic one or the sticker visa that is stamped to the passport? And may I ask your nationality?
Dear Claudia,
Thank you for replying.
Regardless of any nationality they are saying the same for all.
I came to India on a sticker visa
Is there any higher authority who can be reached to get a confirmation on the same.
Dear Claudia,
Did you get any information or confirmation from anyone you know or anywhere regarding the mentioned query
Who is head of all F R R O s any idea
Also is there any higher authority who can be reached to get a confirmation on the same.
Kindly reply
Hello. Are you able to let us know what happened in your scenario?
Hola Claudia, yo vivo en India y tengo visa de trabajo. Me voy a casar en Mayo, pero no tengo claro que documentos necesito para registrar el matrimonio. Me han dicho que tengo que traducir y apostillar mi acta de nacimiento. ¿Sabes algo de este procedimiento?
Hola Claudia
Generalmente cada Estado o ciudad tienen tramites diferentes, primero debes ir a la corte de la ciudad donde te vas a casar y preguntar cuales son los requisitos para el Special Marriage, en mi caso yo si lleve mi acta de nacimiento traducida al ingles por un traductor certificado y apostillada por mi país. Cual es tu nacionalidad? esos tramites quizas puedas hacerlo desde India y pedir que te envien los documentos por correo certificado.
Hi Claudia I just read your article as me & my husband just got married here in India. I came here on a 1 month e tourist visa & not too long when I got here we had a marriage ceremony & we both went to get a notarized affidavit & we went to the government office here to register get our marriage certificate though the special marriage act & well we got the marriage certificate but we don’t want to keep leaving India every month to extend my visa so we plan on getting the x visa since we are already legally married . I saw that you said that some people do get married on a tourist visa but you wouldn’t risk it but I’m concerned because we plan to get a marriage based green card to get him to the US ..
Were you able to covert your e visa? Thanks!
Hello Claudia,
the FRRO can be a scary place , but you are definitly helping many of us with your articles. Thank you !
You mentionned that one can cover the two years on a X-Visa by working as a freelancer in India. I know that remote work can be quite a grey zone for many countries. And the X-Visa states that you can’t work in India and can’t do business in India (same as on a tourist visa). So working remotely for a foreign company, like one in my home country, while on a X-Visa in India would be allowed? I want to apply for an OCI card in the future and want to make sure that my financial income and source won’t create a problem for that.
Thank you
Tanya
Hi Tanya,
That really is a grey zone because the visa holder can not be employed in India. Remote work does fall in that grey zone. So it would be upto you to decide.:)
Hello Claudia,
Great writeup! thanks a lot for consolidating a massive process.
As you said the process keeps changing, so I need few clarifications from you.
I’m an Indian and my wife and my son are Sri Lankan’s (married in 2019). I have registered my Marriage in Srilanka (in 2019) and got the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation too (last week). With that, I have applied for Entry Visa for them for 6 months (in person, 2 days ago) and hopefully it will get thru. I now want to know what process should I carry out in India when I bring them there? and how should I extend it?
Can you please help?
I’m little confused after reading multiple writeups from different forums and FRRO website. So, I seek your help.
Thank you!
Hi Sathiya,
Yes, you should get the visa. Once they are here, you need to register them under an FRRO depending on where you live. This can be done online. Different FRROs cater to different states. You can check the map I have on the article.
Once they are registered, you could apply for the OCI rather than extending the visa since you have been married for more than 2 years. After registering, you can open a bank account, get a PAN card etc. These would come handy later.
Hello Claudia,
Do you know or heard about anyone very recently (this month or last month) who got their Tourist visa (either evisa or sticker visa) converted to Entry Visa
Reply 🙂
Thank you
Hi Maya,
No I have not.
Hi,
Good article! I have some questions hopefully you can help me out.
My indian bf and i are planning to get married in august and live in India. I cant apply for oci because 20 years a go i was in militairy. Is the x visa for max 5 years or can be extended forever? We will live in father in law house so we dont have rental contract. So what should send then.. is it still possible to apply for indian citizenship? After how many years..
Thank you
Hi Sylvia,
You can still get a rent agreement through your father-in-law. You don’t actually have to pay rent, but simply have an agreement notarized. Totally possible. If not, ask him to apply for a Form C. That will also work.
Hello,
I am dutch and get married to a indian in the summer. I cant get a oci card after 2 years because i have a militairy background. Is it possible to get the x visa extenden to 7-8 years so i can apply for indian citizenship by registration? Its not allowed to work on x visa but is it allowed to do remote work with the e residency of estonia and with x visa i can go in and out india as much as i want and are there no rstrictions regarding time between visits? We cant live only on his salary so what is your advise on live 75 percent per year in india and workwise?
Thank you so much already
Hi,
I don’t think working in military automatically disqualifies you. There would be more scrutiny and more questions. You probably need to get some high-level clearance. Even after you manage to get the OCI, getting the citizenship will still be long process.
Is there a reason you need Indian citizenship? It doesn’t allow dual citizenship and you get almost all the rights with an OCI.
You can extend the X visa at least for 5 years without any issues. After that, you can go for a cooling-off period and get the extensions again. Or convert it to some other kind of visa for some time. There are different options.
Coming to work, that would be a grey area. It is totally upto you on how you interpret this. With remote working, the equations have changed quite a lot.
All the best.
Hello,
Thx for your reply. I only want citizenship when oci is not possible. Cant find any information about oci and militairy. Any idea where i could inform about this? Askes some lawyers but they all give differant answers and not even 1 said it isnt issue be in militairy.
Thx again
Hi Sylvia,
I don’t really think it is possible to get the citizenship without getting the OCI first. This is how it would work in most countries in the world. I could be wrong. If you live in Bangalore, I could recommend you a lawyer who reference I got from other expats. Haven’t used his services though.
I agreed that information on this is really hard to find. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think being from military automatically disqualifies you or would be an issue.
“””
Q: Are foreign military personnel of Indian origin eligible for OCI cards?
A: No, foreign military personnel either in service or retired are not entitled for grant of OCI. No person who has earlier served in a foreign military organization is eligible for an OCI card.
“””
This is from the FAQs on OCI on one of the Indian Consular websites. https://www.cgisf.gov.in/page/faq-s-on-oci and there are other articles from 2016 and onward where the government made the rule that persons with a military background cannot get an OCI card.
Hope this helps!
Dear Claudia,
This is a wonderful article and is helping a lot of people out there. Kudos!!
I need some information and please guide me. My partner is currently on a student visa with the ICCR scholarship.
1. Here in Maharashtra state they are asking for an Adhar card and passport as proof of documents for both of us and nothing else. I am confused why they are not asking for a single certificate or something from the embassy. Can’t, we apply for the application without an Adhar card for her? The concerned person said that if you don’t have an Adhar card, give me a passport and visa and I will help you to get the Adhar card. Can a tourist/student visa person get Adhar card?
2. As you have mentioned the whole procedure for tourists to X2, Is it the same for student visa to X2?
Also is there any criteria for minimum salary as a proof of income.
It would be helpful for us. 🙂
Hi Nitesh,
1. Aadhar card is not required for the visa application. A lot of foreigners don’t have aadhar card even after having OCI. Try to reason with them. The requirements section never asks for aadhar card. Just passport of your spouse should be fine.
That being said, someone with a student visa can get an aadhar card.
2. Yes, the process would be same for converting from tourist to X visa. You just have to upload the student visa scan and maybe a document or two for the student visa.All the other documents related to the X visa such as undertaking, marriage certificate, income proof still remain the same.
3. There is no criteria for minimum salary.
Do update us how it went, so that others can benefit.
Wish you all the best,
Claudia.
Hi Claudia,
Thanks for your reply.
Few more doubts:
1. If I am managing to get the marriage certificate(Entitled with Special Marriage Act, 1954) only with the Adhar Card and Passport for both of us, is there a need of single certificate/no objection certificate from partner embassy as a backup? Will someone ask me for this in the future. Or I’m getting the marriage certificate then nothing matters.
2. Once the marriage certificate (Entitled with Special Marriage Act, 1954) is available, the X visa should be relatively easy to get?
Hi Nitesh,
Once you get the marriage certificate, it will be enough for your visa application. There is no need for any NOC or single certificate. All those things are needed before you get married.
The X visa is easy to get if you have all the documents in order.
Dear Claudia,
This article was great support for us and thank a lot.
I would like to inform that we got married by Special Marriage Act and then applied for change of Visa. My wife got her X entry Visa, but the validity stayed the same as that of the old student visa.
Now we are planning to shift to Europe for some opportunities and I don’t know whether she should de-register from FRRO or else not because we might keep visiting India. Also, if we shift, how to extend the visa from outside India? Actually we want to eventually apply for OCI for her so that it will be easy in coming years, but that is possible only after 2 years of marriage. Also is it required to stay continuously in India for her to get the OCI?
What would you suggest incase we travel outside India, to come back and apply for extension or apply again from outside?
Hi Nitesh,
If you would be living outside of India, she could apply for the OCI after 2 years of marriage through the Indian embassy there. No need to live in India for this. But if she wants to visit in between for a short time, a simple e-tourist visa would be fine as well. Alternately, she can also apply for X visa extension abroad through Indian embassy if it is for a longer period.
Hello Claudia,
Do you know or heard about anyone very recently (this month or last 2 months) who got their Tourist visa (either evisa or sticker visa) converted to Entry Visa
Reply 🙂
Thank you
Hi , i recently got married to south African citizen , he was on a business e visa, his visa expires in july the 4th 2022, however the 180 days expires in june 20th 2022, we have already applied for his new visa and it got approves,, business e visa, my question is should i apply now online or should we fly out and come back for the new visa to get activated and the n apply kindly suggest as the time frame is less , what if it taks more than a month.
I understand that your spouse has not applied for the X visa based on marriage. He has applied for the business e visa. Before the 180 days period, he would need to leave and reenter with a valid approved visa. The old visa is effectively voided when the new one is issued. So he can leave and come back with a week or two.
Hi Claudia,
Thank you very much for this informative article. I have a question- Me and my girlfriend, who is a dual-citizen of U.S. and Russia, are planning to get married in India this year end 2022. What kind of Visa should she apply for, that will make things easier for us to get married and later get the spouse Visa? Is tourist Visa good enough to go with; in the tourist visa should we mention the purpose as “meeting friends & family”, or “Sight-seeing”? What other factors should we keep in mind to get married here in India?
Once again, Thank you so much!
Pranay
Hi Pranay,
Tourist visa would be fine. She can mention the reason as sightseeing or visiting. That will be much easier.
All the best,
Claudia
Hi Claudia, brilliant article, my partner came on medical visa and got married, can she apply for X visa or she needs to go back and come on Tourist visa and then apply for X VISA?
Hi Tanbir,
Yes, she can apply to change from the medical visa to X visa. However, in this case, they might ask for more documents, since I believe she came on the electronic visa. If it doesn’t work for some reason, it is better for her to apply from her home country.
Hi. Just thought i would update you on my experience of obtaining my spouse visa. Its in the form of a list. So here goes.
Applied …….. 16th sept 2021
In process….. 17th sept 2021
No reply… visit frro 5th oct 2021
Told to wait for further instuctions and visit from police.
House visit from police 19th oct 2021crime police
Visit by local police 9th nov 2021
10th dec. Additional doc upload
10th jan 22…. asked to uoad again. Visit frro office panjim.
10th jan…. contacted via email mumbai frro. regifrro.mum-ivfrt@gov.in attached marriage certificate.
10th jan…. rang mumbai frro. Found missing upload. Ring tomorrow.
11th jan…. rang mumbai frro. Confirmed all docs and in standby.
12th… finally accepted file of marriage cert. Now wait for further instructions.
25th jan….rang frro mumbai. Told everything ok could be up to 2 to 4 weeks to process.
28th jan….. asked to upload 3 more documents. Done.
25th Feb. Called for interview at frro goa. Verification statement made.
17th mar. Email to frro mumbai. Still under consideration and the will update my status by email and sms shortly.
25th april 22 sent email to frro mumbai asking about progress.
6th may. Visited frro goa to try find out what is happening.
Looks like they have lost my verification statement and never sent to mumbai. Told to come to frro panjim 10th may to redo.
10th may 11am interview and statement. They found my original so didnt have to do 2nd interview. They said they were waiting for confirmation that the wedding certificate was genuine.
Went to registration office. They said they sent verification in middle of march as requested. Took copy and gave to frro in panjim. They wouldnt accept so requested registration office to resend with official stamp on it. You couldnt make any of this up.
Hopefully now its in their hands again.
17th may. Went to frro panjim. Still waiting for confirmation of genuine marriage certificate.
1st june 22. Visit frro panjim. Told registration office had not sent emailed confirmation of marriage certificate. Visit registration office. Watch them email the documents to panjim frro. Revisit frro pajim. Asked if they had recieved documents. Saw them open the email. So hope now will be forwarded to frro mumbai.
2nd june visit to frro panjim. Asked if they sent to mumbai frro. Not yet they said. Waiting for approval from senior frro panjim. They said they would send this week and told me not to attend frro office again.
8 months 17 days so far.
16th june 2022.
Exactly 9 months after starting my application ive been asked for my fee.
Got my entry visa finally. They gave me 1 year. Start date 16/09/2021 to 16/09/2022. 3 months. So its dated from when i applied last year. Charged me £125 for the privilege. So means in 2 months i have to re apply again for another year. Grrrr
But at least ive got it. Thanks to your website for giving me an insight to getting it.
Hi Andrew,
Thank you very much for posting this. This is just crazy!!!
Totally agree. And during that time my tourist 5 year visa was still valid. It expires on 29th july 2022. You couldnt make it up. Thanks for all your help.
Hi, did you needed to exit India? i mean how about your tourist visa expiry?
Hi, I would like to extend my X entry visa, possibly dealing with some penalties for late extension. How can I come across with such situations and dealing with them. I was pregnant and had my c-section and could not possibly focus on these extension processes.
Hi Rehana,
You have file the extension and then get in touch with the FRRO to know the exact fines. If possible, pay them a visit.
Hi …I am in the process of sending the Lucknow FRRO Undertaking Letter and financial Resource Proof as requested(Bank Statement) I normally received a monthly salary which is spent on house stuff and rent, so how do i prove that i have adequate financial support for my spouse?
1. Will the monthly salary amount be enough or i need to find a way to add more money to the account statement?
Hi Donald,
Yes, monthly salary should be enough.
I WANT TO HELP HOW TO X1 VISA APPLY INDIA
Hello! Thank you so much for this helpful article!
I am coming to India soon and I’m planning to get marriage registration done with an Indian citizen. I am from European Union. I have a question regarding the required single status certificate. From what I understand, it is supposed to be certified with Apostille. Is it necessary to certify the authenticity only of the original document, its translation or both?
Hi Jubely,
If the certificate is not in English, you need to translate it. You can apostille the translation and original both. Always better.
Hi,
i got married to my fiancee in the month of april,2022 and right after getting the marriage certificate (special marriage act) we applied for her visa conversion through e-frro.We waited for around 2 months and recently (on 14th july) she has been granted a stay visa which is valid for next 3 months (till 14 oct 2022) instead of X Visa. So we are both happy and confused about it..do we have to apply for extension after 3 months again or should we now apply for visa conversion (i.e from e tourist visa to x visa)?
if possible for you,can you please guide me.
Much Thanks!
shobhit
Hi Shobhit,
You should have received 2 documents : RC/RP/Registration certificate and a converted visa. Can you check if both of them say 3 months or one of them is valid for 1 year?
Hi Claudia ,
My Girlfriend is Colombian and we are thinking to get married in India . To start with we are thinking to apply 5 year validity e tourist visa . With this visa she will able to stay 90 days and after that we are thinking to travel to nearby country (Nepal or Bangladesh) and reenter for another 90 days .
In meantime, I have name problem in my documents and I want to correct all documents before getting married.
So first 3 months our focus is to get documents corrected and next 3 months get married and convert e tourist visa to Entry X visa . Do you see any problem with this strategy?
Hi Dhanpreet,
I would ask her to get a sticker visa valid for 1 year. This is the same one that I got. That way she won’t have to make border runs. Also sometimes, e-Tourist visas are tricky to convert.
Hi Claudia,
This is a very good article in regards with the XVisa. Me and my husband got married back in 2020 and I just got back to India again on a tourist visa since then. We have an overseas marriage certificate and I needed to stay here for more than 3 months. How should I go around this? We are trying to register our marriage here in India but that can take at least 1 month. Can we use our overseas marriage certificate to apply for Xvisa ?
Hi Klariz,
Yes, you can use the overseas marriage certificate to apply for the X visa. You can see in the comments that many have done this. You might need to translate and legalise it depending on where you are from.
Hi Claudia!
Thank you for putting together this fantastic and comprehensive guide. I applied for an X-1 visa conversion on the basis of marriage in May. It took several weeks for the FRRO to respond to my request, and then another month for me to get the required documents together. Once I uploaded everything to the website, the FRRO sent several sub-inspectors to my house to verify my residence and collect witnesses signatures. Less than a week afterward, I had my X-1 visa and residential permit! If anything, I’m rather shocked by how quickly my authorizations were granted.
I would like to add an additional bit about my experience: I had initially traveled to India on another, non-tourist visa. When I initially applied for a visa conversion, there was some confusion as to whether I was allowed to convert my non-tourist visa to an entry visa. The FRRO only consented to proceed after I showed them a copy of the Ministry of Home Affairs Visa Manual 2019, which states that conversions may be granted “if the foreigner marries an Indian national during the validity of their visa.”
Thanks again, and best wishes to anyone else starting the process.
Hi Ryan,
Glad to help. That sounds like something straight from a movie!! So happy to hear about positive experiences. My whole experience starting from the original X visa, its extensions and the OCI have all been very positive. And I have applied with both Delhi/Gurugram, Bangalore FRROs !
It is definitely possible to convert from a non-tourist visa to entry visa. You can convert from student or work visa to entry visa easily. Cool that you had the manual with you.
All the best.
Hi Ryan,
I am an Indian citizen and my spouse is on a business visa. I am happy to read your experience here. I will be happy to know more about your experience as this will certainly build our confidence.
While converting spouse visa, did they even ask you for any documents related to your old visa? If you can share more on the documents they had asked for! We would like to know it from the perspective of non-tourist visa.
Looking forward to your response!
Hello there
I am Indian and i married to a Kosovo girl in Nepal.
And India not recognised Kosovo as a country. But we are married in nepal with following law and stamps even the embassy give us stamps.
But she can’t apply tourist visa.
Because in Visa application her country is not in listed
Can you help or guide us
So i can take her in India and we both live here
Any information or contact is helpful
Thanking you
Nitin Rajliwal
Hi Nitin,
How were you able to get married in Nepal since I believe Nepal also does not recognise Kosovo? At least that is what I can find out on internet.
Which embassy recognised it? Indian embassy in Nepal? Can you clarify on that?
I believe one option would be to live in a country that recognises Kosovo. In case you both want to live in India, you can check the refugee/asylum laws and connect with any NGOs who help with such matters to guide you. Our knowledge on that matter is limited.
Hi Claudia,
I m Indian citizen and my wife is from Colombia, we got married in cundinamarca notary on March 2021.
She is planning to come in India on x visa that’s why she visited to Indian embassy in Bogota and they asked her last 3 months bank statement for apply x visa but she doesnt use bank account.
Please assist us regarding this one.
Please can u tell us which is the easiest way to get x visa for my wife.
Apply from Colombia or applying from India.
Hi Aakash,
Congratulations on your marriage.
It would be easier for her to open a bank account and apply after 3 months in my opinion. The other alternative is to come to India with a e-visa and apply to change it to X visa in India.
Thanks for your reply
My wife is applying entry visa from India she filled the form and upload the photo also now they r asking for (dully filled entry visa undertaking). please can u tell me how to make entry visa undertaking
I m sending her invitation letter along with my Bank statement instead of her Bank statement.
Please assist me.
Hi Aaakash,
In the undertaking you simply need to mention your details, take financial responsibility and ask them to grant the visa.
I have attached the format for an undertaking in the section Undertaking from Indian Partner that you can refer.
All the best,
Claudia
Hi Claudia,
Thank you very much.
Finally my wife got India Entry visa for 5 years.
But in visa there is note that registration required if continuous stay more than 180 days.
Hi Aakash,
Yes, you should also have received a RC/RP registration when you got the visa. No need to register again. Please check.
You website links for extend your spouse visa and oci are not working. Error 404 keeps coming up
Hi Claudia,
Is it illegal for a foreigner spouse to have PAN or Aadhar card on an entry x visa? Does it creates problems when applying for OCI after 2 years?
Hi Jatin,
It is not illegal. She can have it.
Hey Claudia,
I was trying to register my foreigner wife on e-FRRO website and one of the required documents is:
6) Surrender Passport:Passport Surrender Certificate from the concerned Regional Passport Office along with copy of cancelled Indian Passport
She was never an Indian citizen, how can she provide certificate for cancelled Indian passport?
Hi jatin,
She can not. Ignore it.
Dear Claudia,
Thank you for your wonderful and well-detailed article, it helped me a lot 🙂 to understand how to apply.
I am a foreigner in India and I am now in the process of converting my student visa to an X Entry visa after I got married to an Indian citizen. So I am following the steps you mentioned, but coming to submitting documents, it shows only my photo, visa, residence proof, and passport are required to upload. So shall I upload all the documents you have mentioned in the other document type Or what?
It would be helpful for us. 🙂
Hi Soha,
Yes, it sometimes does not show all the documents in the first step but when you are at a later stage, it won’t allow you to complete it without uploading all the other documents. If you are able to complete the application by uploading those documents only, go ahead. They will later come back to you and ask for more documents.
All the best, Claudia
Thanks a lot for your reply,
One more doubt Claudia, you mentioned to convert from student to X entry visa, other documents are required, So could you please tell me as per your knowledge, is a (no objection certificate) from my current university is required? or what kind of documents they might ask, as I want to be prepared for what next!
It would help me a lot 🙂
Hi Soha,
I don’t know the whole list but yes they can ask for a NOC and some kind of proof that you are enrolled in the university like ID card and all. It would be great if you could update once you know.
Hello Claudia,
Thanks a lot for this plug it helped me with getting my student visa converted to an X1 entry visa in less than one month and yesterday I received my visa conversion :).
I just want to ask you about one thing: I received only the document of visa conversion but not a Registration Certificate/Residential Permit [RC/RP], So shall I apply separately for this PC/RP, or how is it?
Thanks again, and best wishes to anyone else starting the process.
Hi Soha,
Glad to hear that you got it.
You get registered at the same time when you do the visa conversion. Please check the PDF for RCF no.
Hello Glaudia,
I got my visa conversion in less than one month, Just for other people information as you asked me to update, The police station in my area called me one week after Appling online and they asked me to provide hard copy of all documents I applied online application with. plus they asked me for Bonafide certificate from my college as I was on student visa before conversion. After that they called my husband and they asked few question about his work and stay and asked him to provide them with proof of his residency. One week after that the police went to the court where we got married and did the verification for our marriage certificate and almost 10 days after the marriage certificate has been verified, they sent me the payment email and finally I received my x1 entry visa 2 days after I made the payment.
Hope this information would be helpful for people who are converting from student to x entry visa.
And thanks a lot for your helpful plug It helped me to with understand every step of the process.
Best wishes foe all
Thank you very much Soha. I am sure it will be helpful to a lot of people.
Thanks for the article Claudia. It was a big information.One week before I applied for the visa registration and conversion with undertaking letter on 100 rupees stamp paper both of them. But my visa cannot be converted.it was rejected they didn’t give any reason.simply I got a mail your visa cannot be converted, advised to Leave before your visa expired.please come back with appropriate visa.
Can I apply again. Need to get notarized compulsory,
And she is from Sri Lanka, there is any nationality issue, that’s why she got rejected or else. I don’t know . What to do now. Please guide me Claudia
Hi Palanisamy,
I don’t think being Sri Lankan would be an issue. What is the current visa type of your spouse? And which FRRO did you apply at? And how long have you been married?
You could also look for an immigration lawyer.
Hello Claudia, amazing article, thank you very much!
I’m a British Citizen and have a 1-year multiple entry Tourist Visa (April 2022 until April 2023). I’ve already spent 3 months this year (May, June, July) in India. I’m now out of the country (in Australia, working on a cruise ship).
My partner is an Indian citizen and she lives in India. We have a child together and want to get married soon.
I will be flying back to India at the end of January 2023 (I will have just under 3 months left on my visa).
In your opinion, if I follow your guide, do you think I’ll be okay? I’ve seen the requirements and it all looks okay, I’m sure I can supply everything.
Many thanks again for your wonderful help!
PS As I found it quite tricky finding all the info I needed to get a tourist visa in the UK, I was inspired by your article and made my own tutorial post on reddit and a video on YouTube. 🙂 I don’t suppose you know if it’s possible for a British citizen to apply for an Indian visa outside of the UK do you?
Hi Cam,
Thank you for the kind words. The cruise ship sounds great and glad to know that you are planning to get married.
For getting married, 3 months are definitely more than enough, assuming that you want to go for Special Marriage Act. However, please start the paperwork and have everything ready before you reach India. It would be great if you could get married in teh first week of your arrival.
However, in case you want to convert from tourist visa to X visa, you should plan to have a little more time left on your visa. That being said even if your current visa expires when the X visa application is under process, you should be fine.
Would you mind sharing the tutorial post on reddit or the video? Maybe I can link it somewhere so that it helps others or if you are interested, you could write an article on that topic.
Wish you all the best,
Claudia
Thank you very much for the detailed reply Claudia! Much appreciated. I’ll get everything ready as soon as possible.
Here’s the video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D2hmoDId3o
Lots of links (including the reddit post) can be found in the description.
Hi Claudia,
Hope you are able to respond to my message. Am I mistaken if I say, I might have seen a post about OCI application blog writeen by you in the past?
If yes, I am not able to find the page. It would really help me out if I could see through the details in the page as I am going through the OCI application from India.
Thanks
Hi. I am also about to apply for OCI status but cannot find a link on the site to any information on the OCI process. I would be very grateful if you are able to provide some information on this topic please Claudia. Thanks.
Hello Claudia,
My wife has come to India on a five year valid e tourist visa with multiple entry. Learnt that OCI application cannot be processed on tourist visa hence applied for conversion to X visa.Just learnt that she will have to stay a minimum of six months in India before applying for OCI after the two years of marriage.As we both work at sea and have to get back to our jobs just wanted to enquire if the above learnings are correct and if not when my wife does get a conversion to X visa can she apply for OCI without the six months wait in India. Does she need exit permit to leave India after X visa is processed.Can we stop the X visa process half way through and will exit permit be required then.
Your article was helpful.
Thank you.
Hi Aussie,
Your understanding is correct on the 6-month stay. And she can apply for OCI only after being married for 2 years.
She does not need exit permit on X visa as far as I know. But do verify this with FRRO in case something has changed recently.
If the goal is to apply for OCI, you guys should plan on living in India for at least a year considering the 6-month stay and application etc. or apply it from another country where she is a citizen.
Hi Claudia, it looks like your OCI article from August 2021 has been removed. I think that’s where I had commented earlier this year about my father’s OCI situation, and I had mentioned that I would follow-up since your article was one of the few places I could find online with clear information on the OCI application process for Foreign Spouse. Forgive the length, but it’s a bit of a ride.
Part 1: The Dreaded Apostille
We were applying for OCI from US as a Foreign Spouse because he didn’t have the documents for his parents proving they were born in India (he was born in Kenya). I believe at the time of my post, the consulate had requested some documents that were never mentioned in the application checklist, most notably an apostilled birth certificate, which Kenya does not do since they are not part of the Hague convention. We had sent an original birth certificate with the application which we had obtained through considerable effort. I contacted the consulate after paying to talk to VFS, and asked if apostille was really necessary and if so, if a “legalized” document from Kenya would suffice since that’s the closest thing that they can even do not being part of the Hague convention. They simply pointed me at the checklists which again made no mention of an apostilled birth certificates except for US-born applicants which did not apply to my father. They didn’t respond when I pointed this out, and the clock was ticking on my application. Desperate and having lost hope of this working out, I ended up uploading a copy of the same birth certificate I had already sent them, and miraculously that worked and a week later we received notification that the application had been sent to Mission for decision-making. We were overjoyed (and amused at the absurdity of it all)!
Part 2: The Interview
At this point, my father was in the US and my mother was in India, and the 10-year tourist visas had been reinstated. Through tons of digging, I knew that there is a required interview for Foreign Spouse applications though it was never apparent from the application process/checklist/etc and never mentioned to us. At the time of the application, they had done these virtually through WhatsApp due to COVID since the consulate offices were closed for OCI appointments. Based on a few posts on immihelp.com, I estimated we had about 4-6 weeks before they’d schedule this interview so my father flew to India to reunite with my mom. By this time consulates had reopened in the US for OCI appointments, so I was concerned they’d ask my parents to show in person in the US for the interview, but thankfully he got an email one night before going to bed (business hours in the US) for a virtual interview (I recall it being less than day’s notice). Unfortunately, it was late at night in India, but I had read that the interviews are pretty casual and assured them that they just need to be honest and they needn’t worry since they’d been married for almost 50 years. As it turned out, the interviewer was not happy to find out that they were in India (they asked for a phone number, and my parents asked if they wanted an Indian phone number or a US number) and told them they should’ve applied from India instead of from the US (which of course, it is not possible to apply from India on a tourist visa) and promptly hung up.
Once again, we were deflated and lost hope. We tried emailing them to reschedule and explained why we had applied the way that we did and why they were in India. My father-in-law talked to someone he knew at the Indian consulate. I was going to have them start the Tourist visa to X-Visa conversion process outlined in this article which was always my backup plan for him to be able to stay in India longer than 6 months at a time. It was a depressing few weeks, but about a month after the initial interview they scheduled another one. I’m not sure if our explanation or our consulate contact helped or if it was just part of a normal re-attempt process, but again we were elated. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the email until a few hours before the scheduled appointment time (again only a day’s notice) so I told them to wake up and prepare for the interview knowing full well that the slot may have been taken by someone else since we didn’t promptly confirm. That seemed to be what happened as they declined the call when my father called the number for the interview. I told them to go to sleep, and I’d help them draft an email to try to reschedule, but my father ended up emailing them before going to bed and surprisingly they called back before my father went back to sleep. They did the interview. It was the same lady that had hung up on them, but everything went smoothly and she said they passed and would be receiving the OCI! About 2 weeks later, we received the card concluding almost a decade of attempts, thousands of dollars spent and tons of bureaucratic ridiculousness thanks in no part to a few minor miracles and help from lots of friends and family.
Hopefully this helps your other readers, and I hope your OCI article
(https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/oci-card-application/) comes back as it was very helpful! I think the moral of the story is to be persistent and do your research. You will often know more than the person processing the application.
Thank you Nirav for this update.
We are really glad that you could sort everything out. Hope that your comment helps others.
Thanks Claudia for this wonderful article! We have referred to this many times in the past.
I am an American citizen in a relationship with an Indian woman. After reading your article, we had decided to go for special marriage act without any ceremony and we have already got registered in the court. We plan to get married anytime in November.
Post this, I plan to apply for spouse visa. For the last few months I have been staying at my fiancee’s parents house in India. So at this moment, I don’t have any residence related document such as lease agreement, telephone bill on my name.
In this case, what would you suggest? I remember reading somewhere that we can upload her father/owner’s letter stating about my stay at his house with his ID proof. Just thought of checking from you if this works.
Thanks again for your help! Appreciate it!
Hello Scott,
Glad to know that.
You can do both actually. You could get married in the traditional way and have a big fat Indian wedding. And before you do that, you could apply at the court to register your marriage under special marriage act. They are both separate. Then for all legal and practical purposes, the date of your court marriage registration becomes the marriage date for reference. Not an issue at all.
Staying at your fiancee’s parent house is not an issue. Her father can do a Form C for you by applying to the FRRO.On top of that, You can even get a rent agreement or some sort of notarised agreement where they mention that they are allowing you to stay at their house.
Thanks Claudia, this is helpful!
I used to think that Form C needs to be filled only by hotels/guesthouses where the monetary transaction is involved with a foreigner. It seems very confusing on the internet. Is it mandatory to register if I am staying at my fiancee’s parent’s house? I am worried that It might go against our spouse’s visa application. Hope they won’t penalize us for not registering earlier. I have been staying at her parent’s house for more than 3 months now without any registration. Information is not very clearly available on internet.
Also, I am on a business visa and it seems it is not easy to convert business visa to spouse visa. So should I go back to tourist visa and then after few months, convert it to spouse visa. I read on the portal that now tourist visa is allowed for 5 years. How about I go to Nepal and apply for a tourist visa from there? I am looking at various alternatives here as my business visa is expiring in first week of January. Our court marriage is planned for first week of Novermber. So I am only left with around 2 months for spouse visa before my current visa expires.
Thank you for your help. Your advice is very valuable here
You don’t have to have a Form C. You can simply go for a rent agreement with that mentions a nominal payment like 500 INR per month or something. That would work as your address proof.
And the rent agreement can mention since when you are living there. You could provide that agreement as the proof of address.
Is this a long-term business visa? Should be valid for 6 months at least, right? I don’t see why it should be an issue. People have been able to convert from student to spouse visa. You can find a lot of cases in the comments.
Having 2 months left on the visa is not an issue. As long as your application is under process, you are fine even if it expires.
Hi Claudia,
Thank you for your response. Appreciate it!
We are looking forward to a celebration after I get a spouse visa.
Is Form C essential? Actually, I have been living at their house for more than 3 months now. And we never filled the Form C. And now if they register me, this might go against them as Form C should be filed within 24 hours of arrival. We never chose to fill it. We thought hotels/lodge should fill this document.
Also, I am on a business visa for 1 year. I went to Nepal before 180 days expiry. As per my visa document, I should be registering at FRRO after my aggregate stay of 180 days is over. But when I try doing this they ask for many documents such as my income tax return, company’sP&L statement. I don’t have these documents as I only came for some business meetings.
I hope not registering at FRRO will go against my spouse visa application. We are anyways converting business visa to spouse visa. What would you suggest here?
Also, I have a navy experience for 1 year which counts under military. I was discharged after 1 year and didn’t complete the whole term because of non-compliance. This happened in 2012. Do you think this is going to affect my application. I am not even sure If I should mention I served military as I had never completed my term. As per FAQs page, Foreign nationals serving military are not eligible for OCI.
Hi Scott,
I have replied to your comments in another comment.
About the military thing, since you did not complete it, I guess it won’t be considered as military service. I believe you are not getting any benefits/pension that veterans get. It would be your call to mention it or not. 🙂
Hi Claudia,
My wife arrived and staying with me since August 22 on X1 visa. I have got her PAN Card made based on the FRRO registration which acts as her identity proof.
What are the easiest option to get address proof for her?
Added her as a joint account holder in HDFC Bank but still they are not issuing her the add-on credit card.
Hi Farukh,
The bank account passbook would act as an address proof. Make sure to have her photo in the passbook with the cross-signature.
They can surely issue debit card, if not credit card.
I want to know that this is VISA is applicable only for female or male also can get it.
It is for both, Sanjoy.
Hi Claudia,
First of all, I want to thank you for all the valuable information on Visa conversion/extension. Your blog has been very useful for many of us.
I have a small query regarding registration/visa extension. My wife got visa conversion and extension from Gurgaon FRRO but later we moved to Bangalore and currently staying in Bangalore. Do we have to get our registration transferred to Bangalore FRRO or we can directly apply for visa extension when it is due and registration will be transferred automatically.
Thank you in advance
Hi Pavan,
Appreciate your kind words.
Yes, she has to get the transfer first : https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india-x-visa-entry-for-spouse/#comment-2252
You should start this asap.
Hi Claudi,
We started the registration transfer and apply through Bangalore FRRO but they are saying we have to apply from Gurgaon FRRO. I tried reaching out to them for clarification but they are not reachable. Can you confirm while applying should we select Gurgaon and Haryana as our current location or do we have to go to Gurgaon and apply from there
Hi Pavan,
Yes, you need to select Gurgaon as the location. It is better if you are there, but you can also ask someone to do this for you by providing all the documents. It depends a little on the police station.
Hello , how r u?
Can u help me for my issue ?
My friend had married an Indian girl. Just now residing on tourist visa. So now what should be further process?
Hi Claudia,
I have a question. But first wanted to say: Wonderfully comprehensive guide, thanks for putting more effort than even the government organizations did on this.
My question: For this visa (multiple-entry X Visa), are there any rules about how frequently you can (leave and) enter India, and how many days/months you have to stay outside before you re-enter? Or is it really as free as it sounds?
Again, thanks for sharing your information for everyone!
-Gamin
Hi Gamin,
No there are no such rules that I know of. However, in case you are planning to apply for OCI in India, it is better not to stay too long outside of India.
Hello Claudia,
I first of all want to thank you for such an informative article. I am from USA and married my Indian husband in September. For 2 years I did research before I was able to come. Your article gave me more confidence in the process of getting married in India and converting my visa. There is very little information online about the process. So your article is very much appreciated. We are now in the process of converting my visa with the FRRO.
Do you happen to know if we are able to open a joint bank account being a foreigner married to an Indian citizen?
Hi Taylor,
Thank you for the kind words. Yes, you can easily open a joint account.
I apologize I see now that my previous question was already answered. I have another question and didn’t find the answer above, so hopefully I didn’t just miss it.
I recently received my X-1 Visa. My husband and I are trying to apply for health insurance. They are asking if I am NRI, PIO, OCI, or foreign resident. I’m not sure which I would qualify as, if any. I know I cant apply for OCI until we’ve been married 2 years. I’m wondering about PIO. I recently read online that spouses of Indian Citizens can apply for PIO cards. Do you know anything about this?
Hi Taylor,
You can get the health insurance as foreign resident. You do qualify. I myself got one before getting the OCI.
PIO cards are for people who have Indian ancestry. I don’t think it would apply to you.
Hi . I am marrying a Filipino citizen. After getting married under special marriage act. Can we directly apply for OCI card or wait for 2 years?
Can my partner work and get paid in Indian bank ? As she does online teaching would that be ok ?
My partner applied for 1 year multiple entry e-visa which allows to stay for 90 days does she has to go out of the country and come back after 3 months if the process in FRRO is delayed ?
Do we need any additional documentation? Do we need to register the marriage at philippine embassy as aswell ?
Please advice. Thanks
Hi Abhiram,
1. You need to wait for 2 years.
2. Technically no. See Elron’s comments on this : https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/extend-indian-visa-online-frro-bangalore-delhi/#comment-3533
3. No once the application is under process, she is fine even if her current visa expires.
4. You should register the marriage at the Philippines embassy but this has no relation with your visa process in India.
Cheers,
Claudia
Can you please update? Wondering how it went from e visa to x visa.
Thanks!
Hola Claudia! que alegria me dio leer tu blog 🙂 también soy Colombiana y el 6 de diciembre me caso con mi prometido. Tengo una pregunta. En el rent agreement, tiene que aparecer tu nombre? o con que aparezca solo el nombre del esposo esta bien? Es que yo vivo con el.
Hola Camila,
Felicitaciones!
Si es muchísimo mejor tener tu nombre en el rent agreement. Yo siempre tuve.
Hiya
I live in the UK but I m an Indian citizen. I would eventually like to get the woman I want to marry to the UK with me. For that to happen, we have to get married in India and she is from Lebanon. The problem that I m facing is that I can’t be in India for a long leave since I work in the UK. I want to get married in India, let her stay with my parents for a period of 3 months after marriage (3 months is the amount of time it takes for the British embassy to process the UK dependent spouse visa) and then bring her to the UK with me. Please guide me, on how she can stay in India without hassle as my wife so that I can eventually bring her to me.
Hi Mohammad,
She can easily get a 1-year tourist visa(https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/indian-tourist-visa-one-year/) and come to India and then stay here easily after she gets married.
What you need to confirm is whether the UK embassy would allow her to apply for a UK spouse visa when she is on a tourist visa in India or whether she has to be on a long-term resident visa such as the X1 visa? If that is the case, then she has to stay here and apply for the X visa. So you need to plan for long-term accordingly.
Or you can get married here in India, get it registered in Lebanon and she can apply for the UK visa in Lebanon.
Hi! This helps a lot! My question is entry visa x-1 can be renewed 5 times what will happen after that? Thank you!
Hi Krisha,
Technically yes, it can be renewed 5 times but before that, you should be able to apply for the OCI.
Hi. Can u plz post text of undertaking from foreigner bride that she won’t work or get a job ,for conversion of tourist visa to entry X1 visa. I got married to a foreign national while she came on tourist visa of 1 month under special marriage act , on applying for its extension before starting process of entry visa ,we have been informed by frro that tourist visa is not extendable and now she has only 11 days remaining of stay .thanx
Here it is.
I, ABC, am a citizen of X with passport number 1234. I got married to XYZ, a citizen of India with passport number 8900 on 01/01/01. I hereby undertake that I won’t be working or be involved in any business activities in India.
Please grant my conversion from a tourist to an X1 visa.
Hello Claudia, thanks for this amazing blog am learning a lot from it.
My situation is such : I have been staying in India for the past 10 years, I currently have an employment visa in Bangalore.
My wife to be is residing in goa, and due to that I have to keep going back and forth in between the two states which create a huge amount of troubles with my work.
My employment visa is coming to an end but I could renew it and suffer some more.
Or I could leave the job, get married with a tourist visa and then move it into an X entry visa but then won’t be able to work for the next 2 years. Which might then be a problem for OCI.
What path would you suggest me to take ?
Hi Francis,
You can get married on an employment visa and continue to work on the employment visa, without changing it to X visa. Then after 2 years, you can apply for the OCI. That way you won’t be out of work.
Cheers,
Claudia
Hi, i need your help. I tried to call these people from frro to ask for some details, they don’t pick up, or they are silent. After our special marriage act, i want to apply for entry x-visa to move with her.
My indian fiancee is self-employed. Is it possible for her to guarantee for my stay? (i intend to move in india, i can’t go back and forth to uk). Thank you kindly
Yes, being self-employed would not be an issue with this. She can still do the affidavit stating that she would take financial responsibility of you.
Hi. Thank you for your very informative post. I’m Corina and I’m from Taiwan. I just want to ask. I currently have an e-tourist visa now. Because in October last year, covid situation in Taiwan is not ok so I just get a multiple entry 1-year e-tourist visa. I recently just got married under an Indian special act. I came here to India last December and my visa will be expired this month in march. I am planning to convert my e-tourist visa to x1. Is it possible? Your reply will be a big help for me. Thank you.
Hi Corina,
It is possible but they can always come back and ask for more documents than the usual. I am hoping that you already got the certificate and have submitted the visa conversion application.
Please update us how it goes so that the others can benefit.
All the best, Claudia.
Hello, can you update us on your experience?
Hi Claudia,
I would like to thank you for writing this elaborate blog. This has helped us a lot and recently I got X-visa for my husband.
I have a couple of questions if you can please let us know the answers!
– Do we need to do any other formalities this year. I still need to check if we can get a bank account for him in India. I don’t think he can get Aadhar card/pan card based on X-visa. Please suggest.
– Do we need to do any further registrations. Please suggest.
I was checking your messages and I saw that you have mentioned about a contact (laywer) in Bangalore. Can you please share the number? We are looking for a good lawyer because we need to talk about OCI in future. There are some exceptions that we would like to discuss.
Hi Sakshi,
Thank you for the kind words.
– Your husband should easily get a PAN card. Then he could apply for the aadhar card in one of the application centres.
– You can open a joint bank account with him for now and once he has the pan card, he can open one easily for himself.
I need to check and see if I have the lawyer’s number. If I find it, I will send it to you.
Claudia,
Thank you again for all the information. This page is such a great resource!
In regards to the bank account, PAN card and Aadhar, My husband (Indian citizen) and I (foreign spouse with X-1 Visa) tried to apply for a joint account and were told I need to have a PAN and Aadhar card first. We’ve since tried to apply for Aadhar card because we were told we need Aadhar before PAN, I’ve since been denied twice for ‘technical issues’. Do you know if I should apply for PAN or Aadhar first? Also you mentioned above that we can open a joint account before getting there cards, do you know which bank this works at?
Hi Taylor,
You can apply for a PAN card without having aadhar. They are separate. You should apply for PAN card first. Once you hav it, you should be able to open a joint bank account with your husband.
Make sure that your name shows up on the bank passbook and that they put your pic on the passbook. Once you have the bank account, and the passbook, go for the aadhar card.
All the best. Would love if you can update once you do it.
Hey Claudia,
Thank you so much for the detailled instructions.
Me and my wife (Foreigner) got married under the special marriage act and planning to apply for X visa. But her tourist visa expires in 3 months. Does she need to leave the country if she gets the Xvisa before that?
Thanks
Jay
No, if her application is under process, she would be fine.
Question, is she on an e visa?
Hello,
a bit of advice please.
I converted to Hindu religion legally on a 30 days tourist visa, married under the Hindu marriage act legally and registered this marriage also.
Applied for a X-Visa conversion (spouse visa) my husband is of an India origin. Step one was to show legally.. I then followed all steps ie : patents sponsor, partners sponsor bank details.
now the government are asking me for a special marriage act or apply for a exit visa and apply for a X visa. Just wondering for some advice why the X-visa can’t be converted will the documents and marriage act Hindu. Thank you
Hi Stacey,
You should not need the special marriage act certificate since you already married under Hindu marriage act( which is perfectly legal) and have the certificate. That one is perfectly fine and I know people who got the visa using it. You and your husband can visit the FRRO, and explain them the same or contact them over email. While it is cool that you converted to Hinduism, this should not really be a factor to get married or use the certificate to get the visa.
Hope you all the best and request to update once you know. This would be very helpful to the others.
Hi Update.
We visited our local FFRO police station, they said they don’t deal with visa conversions and it gets passed straight to Delhi.
We showed on the internet that they do deal with Fro which they didn’t even know so that was no use.
I written a letter to the Fro saying again we are legally married.
They replied aggressively with upload special marriage act or leave request an exit letter to leave.
I was ready to give up so I written the letter to leave India and we both decided to move to the Uk and live instead .
The fro then replied saying . Make special marriage act and you don’t have to leave. They would not issue my Exit Visa.
We thought we would try one more time.
It is so annoying but we kept strong and now we went on an even bumpier ride.
We contacted a solicitor . Who told us the next steps and how to create a Special marriage act.
Fill in an Affidavit stating our marriage would like to be registered under the local authorities, under the special marriage act. As our Marriage was real and genuine in Delhi.
Then get it stamped and verified by a lawyer.
This was offered for £350 pound.
We done some research went down the marriage office and got the paperwork for £1.
We got it verified and stamped by a lawyer for £5.
It is sooo complicated and so many times money has been an issue with bribery . Not to mention as she is foreign they will be a higher charge. We did not accept this.
Next step we needed to give 30 days notice to our local marriage facility in the town we have been living.
A lawyer told us it would cost £120 .
Instead we went together. Got it published with a 30 days notice for £1 pound only.
Another 21 days and we have registered our marriage under the special marriage act.
We did not need to re-marry as one other solicitor suggested.
All for £7. Which was offered for £470. I think it’s an outrage that foreigners who want to live happily get scammed out of money for the process of love.
Today to our surprise we had a sub officer who came and visited our home address, to verify I live here for my Visa conversion and to make sure I’m safe.
Happy days. Hopefully after my public marriage notice expires I will have my Spouse visa . 5 months later.
Thank you again for the help
Wow Stacey!!! That’s quite a crazy journey you have had so far. It is true that you can get all these things done by yourself if you have the time and energy, and I am glad that you did not have to remarry.
All the best for your future paperwork,
Claudia
Claudia,
it has been so crazy i believe it will be worth it in the end.
I had and still have a lot of time as I’m not allowed to leave my Husbands home at all (Police Officer told me its not safe for me as its a danger) and also i don’t have a valid visa so cannot travel.
Quick update,
i had a email yesterday, asking me to go to the FRO office for a meeting at 11am.
Unsure what the outcome will be or what it is for…
considering they did not email or show the address of the place i have my appointment at lol…
We have phoned numerous places done some more research and found a FRO Office a while away which we believe that could be the place i need to be.
7 More days’ time my special marriage certificate will be valid too.
Will update the outcome.
thank you again for your time.
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for the update. I hope everything went well at the FRRO and you have been able to sort things out.
Hi Claudia,
Dear Sir/Madam,
I hope you can be of assistance.
I am an Australian citizen with an OCI (by birth) currently living in india.
In July 2022 I got married to my Filipino wife in the Philippines, registered in the Philippines. We are hoping that my wife will come to live with my parents and me in India in June 2023 as I wish to live with her and my parents in India need full time care from us.
What visa can she apply for, so she can stay for a long time in india without having to leave India. Can she stay permanently or does she need to leave India periodically? Is it better to apply online?
Thank you
Hi Bob,
Since you have an OCI, I am sure your wife can get an X visa. If she is a resident in Australia, she could apply for the X visa there or she could do it in the Philippines( probably easier). That would be her best way forward.
If she gets the X visa, she needs to renew it every year for 5 years. She would not have to leave India as long as she can extend it, which is what I did as well.
All the best,
Claudia
THANKS FOR YOUR WONDERFUL BLOG ABOUT VISA PROCESS , I FOLLOWED ALL THE STEPS YOU GIVEN ABOVE , KNOW THEY ARE ASKING (PLEASE CLARIFY ONN WHAT BASIS YOU ASKING FOR CONVERSION ) WHAT CAN I REPLY FOR THAT KINDLY REPONSE ASAP THANK U
To live longer in India with my spouse would be a good reason I believe.
Hi Dee,
Yes to all the questions.
they rejected my application and advised to come back with appropriate visa and said
tourist visa cannot be converted
please read my story. It can
Hello!
Why is the e visa to x visa harder? Currently doing it now and want to be prepared. We got married under the SMA.
Hi Claudia.
Thank you for creating such a fantastic resource with this site. I have used the information you have kindly provided for my previous application processes and found them to be extremely helpful.
I am about to start the process of applying for OCI status but find any information on the site regarding the topic.
I would be very grateful if you are able to provide some information on this please.
The previous link to it seems to provide an error on loading:
https://thevisaproject.com/experience/india/oci-card-application/
Thanks.
Hi Claudia, I am an Irish citizen who started this process and sent the application a few weeks back. My e-visa is until 2027, multiple entry but maximum 90 days stay. That 90 days will soon elapse and I am unsure if I need to leave before 90 days or I can stay after 90 days for the result of my application. There seems to be some delay between FRRO and the Police. I don’t want to be banned from India for overstaying but I am not getting any clarity on what I should do. Thank you for any help or insight you can share. God bless you.
Hi Kevin,
As long as your application is under process, you should be able to stay in India legally. Feel free to email the FRRO and confirm this as well.
Hi Claudia, I have an urgent question. I am living in India on an x-visa (Spouse visa) and I am needing to open a bank account here. Is there any banks which you could suggest that I would be able to open an account with?
Hi Shane,
Try to open a joint bank account in HDFC bank. Make sure to apply for a PAN card before applying for an individual account.
What are the documents need to be submitted to obtain PAN card on x-1 visa. I am a foreigner married to indian citizen.
Can’t remember anything other than the passport and rent agreement. Please check with them when you apply. It is pretty straightforward.
Hi Claudia! I hope to get and answer: police verification for visa conversion was done, also we provided all documents to the local FRO. How long to wait and answer from FRRO Delhi? It’s more then 1 week right now. Thanks a lot
Hi Irina,
Please check some of the comments on the timeline. I would ask to wait for at least 2 weeks and then get in touch with the FRRO.
All the best,
Claudia
I am Indian and my fiancee is from Bangladesh.After our marriage registry would be done it will be around 2months left for her tourist visa.When shall she do FRO registration just after arriving in India before marriage or after getting the marriage certificate in hand.And when should she start the process of visa conversion to spouse visa?Pls reply.Thank you.
Hi Claudia,
First of all, THANKS a TON for all of this information. It was not only useful, but also very comforting.
It’s been about a week now since the police verification has been done for my case. The officer said, he will hand over the documents to FRRO.
I am not seeing any updates on FRRO regarding my case.
My question is:
1. What if the police officer hasn’t handed over my documents yet? He did mention he would be handing it over the same day, which was a week ago.
2. Could he have handed it over, and FRRO is taking so long (a week) to now send the payment link?
Thanks a lot again for your help.
Have patience Deen 🙂 Sometimes these things takes time. Wait for 2 weeks and then maybe write or contact the FRRO.
Hello Claudia, and thank you for your detailed & helpful post 🙂
I have a question that you may be able to help with, and searching online has not gotten me any answers.
My girlfriend (Japanese on a tourist visa) & I (British OCI holder) are getting married.
We will then apply for an X visa for her.
With this new maximum 180-days-per-calender-year stay rule from Feb this year, we have a time limitation as she was here much of this year so far — she is in Japan currently and when she returns from Japan we have only 60 days.
When we apply for the X visa & if we apply under her current name in her passport, can we change the name for the visa later on once she takes my name?
The process for changing a family name for Japanese is to send her documents back to Japan, and only after they return (3 weeks) can she apply for a new passport with the new name, which will also take some time.
If we submit the X visa application immediately after the wedding and then go through this name-changing procedure afterward, will that cause any issue with the Indian authorities with respect to issuing this X visa?
Thank you
Hi Ari,
This is a quite complex situation. I believe you could either do the name change, get the new passport and then apply for the X visa or apply for the X visa and get it, and apply for the extension next year. Also take into account the marriage certificate, and any other relevant documents that might be asked.
Also know that she can get tourist visas, and stay for 1 year in India by making just one border run.
Thank you Claudia.
Appreciate it. I didn’t get any notification you had responded to this message so only saw it just now.
I went to check this in person at the FRRO in Panjim, Goa, and will leave what they said here for anyone else researching this process.
The senior official at the FRRO said to apply for the X visa with the marriage certificate and to add a note that the name change process is underway, and the new passport with the new name will be uploaded later.
With this new 180 days per calendar year rule in effect, she said it was best to just get the process started so it’s registered in their system.
The advocate handling our marriage also said that as we get a receipt after the first signing of the marriage (with the second signing being 16 days later) he thinks we could start the application procedure even with that and upload future documents (marriage certificate, new passport) as and when we get them.
Hope that’s helpful for anyone else looking into this.
Thanks a lot for this update Ari. Hope it helps the others.
Hi, Thanks a ton for information that has been useful for my foreigner wife since past 1.5 years.
Now after 2 years of marriage, next month she will apply for OCI at FRRO Mumbai based on married to an Indian but we are still unclear to some questions, hope you may help :
1) Do she need to show Birth certificate Apostilled ?or attested by her country consulate in Mumbai is enough?
2) 1. Do we need to make an appointment with FRRO Mumbai (or Your FRRO) after applying online ? Which email/phone ? I heard they never reply to email and pickup calls.
3) Minimum how many days to live in India prior to applying OCI ? 180 days ? 2 years?
4) FRRO Mumbai ask for extra documents onset, can you please enlist it. I heard They handover guideline list, can you please show us or tell us what’s on that ?
Appreciating your time 🙂
Hi Tanmay,
If they ask for the birth certificate, something apostilled from the consulate should be fine. Not every FRRO asks for a birth certificate.
Once you apply online, they will reach out to you or you can reach out to them with the application number.
Yes, she should have been in India for at least 180 days.
Not sure what extra documents FRRO Mumbai asks. Every FRRO is different. Would appreciate if you can leave a comment on that once you know. It will help the others.
Hi Claudia,
I am a foreigner married to an Indian, I stayed in India for almost 11 months on X-visa (spouse visa). I am currently planning to move to another country do I have to do any formalities with FRRO before leaving? my X-visa is valid till next year with multiple entries.
Thanks in advance
Hi Arikachka,
I don’t think so.
Your post has been very helpful.
I have two doubts.
1. Is there any physical copy sent for Entry Visa? or we just need to take prints of the pdf?
2. Does the RC/RP have to be obtained again if the person leaves India and re-enters?
No they don’t send any physical copies. The pdf or a printout is fine.
No, you don’t need to obtain the RC/RP again. Just the visa renewal is fine.
Thanks a lot for this write-up! My wife is in India on a tourist e-visa (valid for 180 days each visit) and we are planning to apply for OCI since we have been married for more than 2 years already. However, I read somewhere that we might have to apply for conversion to an X-visa before applying for OCI. Do you think that’s correct information? Thank you in advance.
Hi Silver,
yes, if she applies in India, she should be on a long-term visa such as an X visa or Work visa etc.
Hi Claudia.
Thank you so much for all the infos that you share to us. It is a real treasure ans so much helpful.
I come here to ask few questions as you know… And thanks for your reply.
1/ When you are on student visa, or even for others visa type, do you have a time limit to declare your marriage to Frro?
2/Or you can stay on your student visa as much as your studies last?
3/About the 2 years for oci application, are they counted them from the declaration to the Frro or from the date of the marriage?
4/My studies last more than 2 years, so if i want oci, i need to ask for visa conversion to spouse visa when i reach the 2 years?
Thank you Claudia.
Hi Julie,
Glad to help.
1. No, not really. You don’t have to tell them that you got married unless you need to change the visa or get OCI.
2. Yes, you can.
3. They count from the day you got married. Nothing to do with FRRO declaration.
4. You need to ask for the OCI when you have at least 180 days or more on your student visa.
All the best,
Claudia
Thank you very much Claudia for your help.
Haii claudia im dee,I want to ask about request letter im little bit confused with this. Can you tell me what kind of request letter I need to make?
Hi Dee,
It would be a very simple letter on A4 paper mentioning your name, passport number and nationality etc, and ask the FRRO to grant you the visa with your signature and date.
Hi Cloudia,
I am a Srilankan and got married to my indian spouse in Jan 2023. I got my x-1 visa and obtained the registration certificate as well.
I submitted a notarized undertaking mentioning that I will only involve in education and employment only after obtaining approvals from FRRO.
Will FRRO grant permission to study and work on X-1 visa?
Hi Abhi,
Studying might be allowed if they permit. I request you go through the comments about employment.
Hi Claudia, appreciate you writing this super comprehensive guide on getting X Visa. And for taking the time to reply to every comment.
I recently got married to a foreigner, and now we’re in the process of applying for an X visa thanks to your guide.
She’s been living with me in one of the apartments owned by my family, (Which is also my Aadhar address)
I’ve been living here in this address for the last 3-4 years. She’s been here with me last couple months.
I didn’t quite understand the part of proof of residence for her. She never stayed at any hotel, nor do we have any rental agreement.
As her husband, my Aadhar address is where she and I currently live. Do we still need a landlord declaration? When my Aadhar has this address already?
Apologies if this was previously answered, I tried reading every comment but I didn’t quite find an answer.
Hi,
It would be just easier to create a rent agreement with both your names and have the owner’s signature and use that as the proof of residence.
Or you can try uploading your aadhar card and write a letter explaining that this belongs to your family and she has been living there, and have the owner sign it.
Hi,
Owner of the apartment has to get registered and fill form C in the link below.
You can get the copy of the filled form from the owner and use it for visa or registration purposes.
https://indianfrro.gov.in/frro/FormC/menuuserreg.jsp
Just yesterday 28/08/2023 after 11 months I got my visa conversion. I applied for a spousal visa and got a
ENTRY VISA (X-misc) it’s good for only 6 months. I got this only after I told them I’m taking them to court and hired an attorney. We never went to court but I guess that knowing I was going to take them there they backed down. Unfortunately, I already paid the attorney a hefty fee but we were getting the run around.
Is this the correct visa for a spouse?
They charged me 15,400 INR for the visa and 50,000 INR for visa overstay which happened because of Indian bureaucracy delays. The Immigration attorney told me that they have run across cases where they have not given visas over a years. In that case a writ of mandamus can be filed which makes the FRRO or Home Ministry make a decision within 15 days of the order from the court. It usually takes 2-4 months for this to take place. Thought this would be good for others to know if they get the run around.
Hi Sasha,
That is dreadful. I dont know whats happening in my case, because its been almost 3 weeks now, the application has been sent to higher authorities for approval. I am not sure who this higher authorities is…. but having said that, FRRO has advised me to exit the country and enter again with appropriate visa.. i am not sure what to do, because as i understand the application will be rejected if i exit the country?
Hi firstly let me thank you for this really informative blog. This is so helpful.
I had a question, in the point 3 (undertaking from the applicant)
Does my wife who is American get an affidavit from a local lawyer in delhi and get it notarised by an Indian Notary or does she have to go to the US embassy to get this done.
It’s slightly urgent if someone can help
Hi Rohit,
The affidavit has to be done through lawyers in India and then notarized with an Indian notary.
Thank you so much
Hi, I filled up all details, but it doesn’t take me to a page where they should ask for 10 documents. They are asking for only 4-5 documents which doesn’t include marriage certificate or any undertaking. I have no idea what I am doing wrong or if the format has changed now. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Rohit,
You can submit the application. They will come back later.
Hello! I hope you are doing well. Thank you for the wonderful blog.
I am Indian, and my wife is Indonesian. We converted her VISA from Tourist to X-Visa. We got to know that it is written X-1 Visa on the certificate and not X-2. We searched about it and got to know that usually, the X-1 Visa is for the Indian Origin people. I think it is our negligence, because the application which we (the agency we hired for the visa conversion) wrote, has a Dependent Visa (X-1) written there.
Will it be problematic? If yes, then how? What can be done? We intend to convert it to OCI later.
Thank you so much in advance.
-Niranjan
Hi Niranjan,
It should be fine. They give out X-1 to foreign spouse.
Hi both, good day! I am a foreigner and got married to an Indian national (Kolkata) in August. Upon receiving our marriage cert, we immediately submitted for visa conversion- roughly in September we submitted all full docs.
The update in FRRO portal shows, Request completed- kindly wait for further instructions. And in SMS, we received that the application has gone for higher authorities approval. Having said that, my visa is expiring by 24th October, and so i decided to check with the FRRO on the status.
Reply that i received is- “exit the country and come in with appropriate visa again”. I dont know what to do now as per the portal it is stated that not to leave the country while application is in process.
anyone experienced this before?
Hi, I currently have a 5 year e-visa and I am married to an Indian citizen, who is in India. I wish to go to India and stay forever with my husband. I do not qualify for OCI card since they do not issues them to former law enforcement. Please help me out with what my best option would be. We have been married for almost 3 years, and the marriage certificate is from USA. THANKS
Hi Jennifer,
Have you applied for the OCI and they denied it? There is no blanket ban on OCI for former law enforcement officers as far as I know.
You could get the X visa for a year, and extend it every year, but the OCI is the long-term solution.
Hello, thank you for detail explanation. It will help me a lot.
I have one question if you can help me with, I am Indian and living in India and I am getting married to Filipina who is solo parent and child custody is with her as per document. We getting married on her etourist visa.
What will be process of converting the child’s etourist visa to x visa?
If you can help with this, that will be great.
Hi Varun,
You would need to email the FRRO or visit them for this particular query.
Hi, I recently got X visa from FRRO in my former city where I live, so I am applying for OCI because my marriage is more than 2years, do I need to apply from the Former FRRO or the New city where I live now with my spouse and children?
Pls help me understand what to do in this situation.
Hi Donald,
You need to apply for it where you live currently. You should be registered at that FRRO before applying. So in case you have not, you first need to transfer your RC/RP to the new FRRO through the e-FRRO website.
Hi Claudia/Deb
Thanks for this wonderful blog
Also, Hope you all are doing amazing
I have one simple question if you can help me with that, I would be very grateful
Do i have to leave India every 6 months (180 days) and come back while under X visa because I’m coming across many articles online but none very clear on the matter ?
Hi Subarna,
No you don’t need to do that. That’s part of the reason you get the X visa. It allows you to stay for a year straight and then extend.
Thank You so much for the clarification Deb!
My wife is on entry x-1 visa and she earns money in Germany from blogging. we are planning to go to India for some months. do she need to stop blogging till that time as working in India is not allowed on entry x-1 visa ?
please share your thoughts on this ))
This article is a life saver. Thanks so much you guys!!
Hello. Thank you for the article. It helped me a lot in my visa conversion and extension.
Hi Claudia,
My wife if foreigner, we got the Visa converted to X1, living on the same address.
Do we need to apply RC/RP before going for second year extention\renewal on the Same address.
Hi Anas,
No you should not need to.