Following are General Instructions regarding various services offered by us

* Kindly note that all Visa and Passport services offered by us (unless specifically stated otherwise on this website) have been outsourced to M/s BLS International. The work relating to receiving and processing the forms and collection of fee is being done by them. We encourage you to visit the website of BLS International and know about their office addresses, timings, phone numbers and e-mail address by clicking  here

* Timings for Consular Services at the High Commission, 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa K1M 1C9 are 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM on all working days.

* MODE OF PAYMENT: You may contact our outsourcing agents BLS International for the method of fee payment. In a few cases, the fee may be required to be paid directly to the High Commission. In such a case, the fee can be paid at the counter by Bank Draft/Money Order in favour of High Commission of India, Ottawa.  Please note that cash/ credit/ debit cards and personal cheques are not accepted by the High Commission of India.

* All outstation applicants requesting for services, other than those being handled by M/s BLS International, by mail should ensure that a prepaid self addressed priority courier envelope is enclosed with the application to enable the High Commission to return the documents. No passports/documents will be sent by the High Commission by Collect Courier. All documents sent by mail should invariably be accompanied by a self addressed prepaid courier envelope.

* Check that you have put your signatures at the designated place in your Canadian Passport. Unsigned Canadian Passport is not a valid document. It will be returned to you without issuing visa, resulting in delays. You also need to sign the Visa Application Form attwo places - one signatures under the photograph in the box provided and the other at the end of the Visa Application Form.

* The time line on Indian visa starts from the date it is issued. So, if a visa is issued on 1 January for 6 months, it will expire on 30 June. Even though the visa holder enters India, say on 1 June, the visa holder will be required to leave India by 30 June. (This is to be distinguished from Canadian visa. In case of Canadian visa, the time starts from the date of entry in Canada. In the above case, the person can stay in Canada for 6 months starting from 1 June.) Since the visas are processed on receipt of the application, irrespective of the date of travel, applicants are advised to apply nearer the time of their travel so as to be able to complete their trip within the validity of the visa. Kindly check carefully that the intended stay is not beyond the expiry date on the visa.

* Long Term Visa holders desirous of staying in India for more than 180 days continuously are required to register at their nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO)  or District Superintendents of Police. Please go to the link http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in/index.htm and click on tab marked "Registration". Also see the link http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/frro/ and you can opt for convenient on-line registration with the FRRO.

* Visas are issued and affixed on passports and, therefore, passports must be sent with the application.  No action will be taken on applications received by fax/e-mail. Also Visas can be issued only on passports and NOT on Travel Documents.

*The passports should be valid for a minimum period of six months. It must have minimum 2 blank pages. One page will be used for affixing the visa sticker and the other page will be used by Immigration officers at the airports to affix entry and exit stamps in Canada and India.

* We strongly encourage the applicants to provide their e-mail address in the Visa Application Form. This helps in avoiding delays in processing the case when the applicant needs to be contacted.

* Acceptance of visa application does not necessarily mean grant of visa. The High Commission reserves the right to delay/refuse visa without assigning any reason.

Visa is a privilege which is granted by the Government of India to a foreigner to stay in India for a specified period and for a specific purpose. Any foreigner who undertakes activities other than those for which Visa was granted to him is liable to legal action under the Foreigners Act. Also please remember that after the grant of visa, your admissibility to India would be assessed again by the Immigration Officer at the port of entry in India. A visa does not confer a right to enter India. Immigration Officers are entitled to refuse entry in India to persons found undesirable. Also, a visa can be revoked at any time without assigning any reason; and a foreigner who is already in India can be asked to leave the country by the Government of India. Please remember:Visa is a privilege and not a right.

* Visa fee is non-refundable. The fee, once charged, will not be refunded in cases where visa is refused or application is withdrawn.

* Applicants may be required to appear for a personal interview at the High Commission at their own expense. During the interview, the applicants are required to truthfully and completely answer all legitimate questions put to them. Also, the consular officer may ask for additional documents in support of claims made by the applicants in the forms or during oral submissions.

* No vaccination is necessary for those traveling to India from Canada.  However, persons coming from or passing through Yellow Fever infected areas are required to be in possession of a valid certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever before arriving in India. The yellow fever inoculation certificate becomes valid 10 days after the date of vaccination.

* Those who desire to visit RESTRICTED/ PROTECTED areas inIndia may click here  for details.

* If you are planning to come to the High Commission of India, please check the list of our closed holidays by clicking here.

* You can know about the Baggage and Customs Rules in India  by clicking on the link.

*The Foreign Nationals visiting India for commissioning surrogacy shall apply for a Medical Visa. Canadian couples seeking visa to India for purposes of entering into a surrogacy arrangement must ascertain beforehand whether the Canadian law permits surrogacy and will provide appropriate travel document (such as a Passport) to the child for accompanying the surrogate parents back to Canada. Entering into surrogacy arrangement under any other visa not sought for surrogacy is punishable under the Indian law. The couple must have been married for at least 2 years and will be given Medical Visa by us. The couple should produce a notarized agreement with the prospective Indian surrogate mother.  {A general description of surrogacy is available athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrogacy , the views expressed at this link are not necessarily agreed to by the Government of India.}

*Carrying pets: If you are planning to take your pet to India, please contact the baggage help desk of your airline to know about the arrangements to be made. You may also like to see the web link athttp://dahd.nic.in/dahd/WriteReadData/CPIOs_list_2012.pdf and thereafter look for ACQS (Animal Quarantine & Certification Services) located at Delhi and other cities in India. Please also see http://dahd.nic.in/rtia2005/animal_quarantine.htm

* Satellite telephone services are not permitted in India without a special licence from the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India. In case you are carrying Thuraya or any such unlicensed Satellite phone with you while entering India, you can be prosecuted under the Indian Wireless Act.

* If you are interested in acquiring Indian citizenship, click on the link http://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/