No need to get an Indian visa for a four-hour stopover
There are advantages to being able to enter the country where you are changing planes
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Q. My daughter is travelling to Thailand with a change of planes in India (four hours' wait in transit). Will she need a visa for this short time? She does not intend to leave the airport. Marie Duncan
A. I infer that your daughter is travelling on Jet Airways or Air India via Mumbai or Delhi. If so, then the same rules apply as for transit at almost all the world's big aviation hubs, except for those in the US.
You do not need to be entitled to enter the country (usually either a visa or a "friendly" passport that doesn't need one) so long as all you intend to do is to change planes – and that you have permission to enter the country of your final destination. The Middle Eastern hubs, and indeed Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, are full of people in transit "airside", i.e. not passing through immigration and customs.
Having said all that: there are advantages to being able to enter the country where you are changing planes. If there is a long layover then it is easy and rewarding to go "landside" for some sightseeing. I have happily done so in hubs such as Amsterdam (where the train from the airport to the centre takes only 16 minutes) and Singapore – where the authorities actually lay on free city sightseeing trips for passengers with stopovers of four hours-plus. You are unencumbered, because your luggage is being transferred, and so you can explore freely.
There is a more practical reason: the risk of disruption. Suppose the flight from the UK is delayed in reaching India, and the connection is missed. Had your daughter permission to enter the country, then being put up (at the airline's expense) would be straightforward; without permission, the usual solution is to bed down on the floor of the transit lounge until the problem is solved.
However, with an Indian visa fee of nearly £100 and Kafkaesque red tape, I suggest your daughter doesn't bother to apply.
Click here to view Indian tours and holidays, with Independent Holidays.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments