Please send TDS your current valid and signed passport. It must not expire within 6 months and must have at least Two blank visa pages. If you cannot meet these requirements, TDS can assist you in applying for additional pages. If your passport expires within 6 months, you must renew your passport and then we will secure your visa with the new passport.

Please send 1 recent professional passport-type photograph.
Digital and non-passport photographs are not acceptable.
No eye glasses are to worn for passport photos.
Passport Photo Guide - Click Here

Please send a copy of your round trip airline tickets, or itinerary or e-ticket, or letter of confirmation from a travel agent. The itinerary must show the applicant's name, date of arrival and departure from the country, and flight information. The Embassy does not recommend purchasing your ticket prior to a visa being issued.

Proof of residential address in the United States: Please submit a clear copy of applicant's Driver’s License, Major Utility Bill (Water, Gas, Electric. Sewage) or a copy of a valid/current lease containing both the landlord and tenant signatures must be submitted as proof of residence in the Embassy's area of jurisdiction DC, DE, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV. Address on the document cannot include a P.O. Box number and Must Match present address on the visa application form.The following items are NOT accepted: Cell Phone Bill, Phone Bill (landline), Credit Card Statement, Bank Statement, Cable Bill.

Photocopy of a Birth Certificate is not required, however the embassy reserves the right to ask for a copy of the applicants Birth Certificate at any time.

Indian Born US Citizen: Those born in India can use their birth certificate, old Indian passport or school leaving certificate. (Do not send original)

A business letter of responsibility is required, to be typewritten on your company letterhead and addressed to:
Indian Consulate General, Visa Section

The letter must state all of the following
The nature of the business performed
The name and address of the business reference to be visited
The duration of intended stay in India
Must contain statement requesting visa validity required i.e. 6 months or 1 year (should match application question #25)
Guarantee sufficient financial support for the visit
Guarantee return transportation to the USA.

The business letter should be signed by a company officer other than the applicant.

ALSO, a letter of invitation from the sponsoring organization in India, typed on the organization's letterhead and stating all of the following and addressed to: Indian Consulate General, Visa Section

The nature of the applicant's business;
The probable duration of stay in India;
Statement requesting visa validity required i.e. 6 months or 1 year (should match application question #25)
Places and organizations to be visited in India;
Guarantee sufficient financial support for the visit.

Copy of host organizations certificate of registration

Applicants for Employment Visa

Justification Letter: A letter from the employer in India certifying that applicant is a skilled and qualified professional, technical expert, senior executive or in a managerial position. This letter should also justify as to how those kinds of skills are not available in India.

Sponsor Letter: Those intending to volunteer, work with charities or non-profit organizations should submit an invitation letter from the sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, expected length of stay and nature of work should be attached along with a guarantee for applicants maintenance while in India.
This letter must be addressed to:

Consulate General, Visa Section
Washington D.C

Appointment Letter: A letter provided by the applicants employer certifying that the applicant has been offered a position with the company and outlining the nature and duration of the position.

Contract: A copy of the complete employment contract. The contract must contain details of the salary agreement and the signature of both parties.

Resume: Applicant's current resume.

Organization Registration: Proof that the organization is registered in India, provided by the Indian employer.

Tax Liability Letter: A tax liability letter from the company in India which must certify the following details:
1) Foreigners being hired will not exceed 1% of total workforce.
2) Within 1%, Foreigners should not exceed more than 20 employees.
3) In case the number of employees is within 1% but more than 20, applicants should understand that there may be a delay in decisions made on the issuance of the visa.

Employment Details Form: One completed Employment Details Form.

A postal money order is required by the Embassy of India. The money order will be obtained by TDS, the consular fee above includes a $5 postal money order fee.

Processing Times

Please Note: U.S Citizens who require a reference have a minimum processing time of one to two weeks and some cases may take longer.

Please complete the Indian Governments online application form. (Note you are not applying online, only completing the application). When you have completed the application please print and sign before sending to TDS along with supporting documents.

IMPORTANT RULES TO FOLLOW:

COMMON ERROR (S) TO AVOID

SURNAME - IS YOUR LAST NAME.

GIVEN NAMES (s) - GIVEN NAMES (s) IS YOUR FIRST AND MIDDLE NAMES. YOU MUST LIST THEM ON YOUR VISA APPLICATION EXACTLY AS THEY ARE LISTED IN YOUR PASSPORT.

***Caution Errors on the visa application form CANNOT be fixed, an error of any type WILL result in the application being rejected by the Indian Consulate. If rejected you will be required to complete a new application and resend it to Travel Document Systems. Indian visa applications must be perfect, errors, omissions and mistakes cannot be edited or fixed by Travel Document Systems, please be careful when completing your application to avoid delays.

From the "Indian Mission" drop down list Select USA-Washington.

Application forms must be printed on two separate pieces of paper. Application forms printed back to back on a single page are NOT accepted.

Applicants are required to sign the visa application in two places. On page 1, the applicant must sign COMPLETELY inside the box located under the photo area, if any part of the signature is outside of the box the application WILL be rejected. On page 2, the applicant must sign on the dotted line at the bottom of the page.

You must complete the Online Order Form.

The order form gives TDS your name, address, shipping information and payment method. Multiple applicants can be entered using one order form. You only need to complete one TDS order form per request. Please print two copies of the confirmation page. Include one copy with the documents you ship to TDS and keep one copy for your records.

While completing the online order form in this step, you will be asked how you want to pay TDS fees. You may pay our fees online with a credit card or enclose a personal or business check or money order.

Please forward the completed requirements detailed above to:

TRAVEL DOCUMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,
925 Fifteenth Street N.W. Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20005

Urgent applications should be shipped to TDS using only the FedEx Company.
Please use FedEx Priority Overnight. Do NOT ship "First Overnight." This will delay the delivery of your package.

An Employment Visa is granted to those who are an employee of an Indian company. The Embassy/Consulate may grant Employment visa valid for a year irrespective of the duration of the contract. Further extension up to 5 years could be obtained from MHA/FRRO in the concerned state in India. Please note the visa is valid beginning on the day it is issued. So a 6 Month visa issued on January 1 would be valid until June 30.

Embassy requirements and fees are subject to change without prior notice.

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