Dependent Visa for India

A Dependent Visa is a type of visa that is issued and granted to the family members (especially elderly parents, spouse, and children) of the foreign national/ visa holder, living in India on a valid visa. Dependent visa ensures that the family members of the visa holder can stay in India, facilitating unity and support to the visa holder.

 

The purpose of the dependent visa is as follows:

• Dependent visa allows the family members especially the children to pursue education in India till the validity of their visa.
• Dependent visa does not permit the family members to engage into any kind business activities/employment without the prior permission from their respective Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO)
• Dependent visa/s are granted to the family members of the visa holder depending on the tenure of the visa granted to the foreign national/ visa holder. Usually, a dependent visa is granted to the family members for more than at least 6 months.

 

Categories Of Dependent Visas:

In India, there are various categories of dependent visas namely:

Employment Dependent Visa (E1X/2X/3X/4X) – For family members (especially elderly parents, spouse and children) of the employment visa holder.

• Benefit: The family members shall be allowed to reside with the visa holder in accordance with the tenure of the visa holder.
• Drawback: The family members on dependent visas are not allowed to engage into any form of business/ employment activity without the permission of the respective FRRO.

Business Dependent Visa (B1X/2X/3X): for family members (especially elderly parents, spouse and children) of the business visa holders.

• Benefit: The family members shall be allowed to reside with the visa holder in accordance with the tenure of the visa holder.
• Drawback: The family members on dependent visas are not allowed to engage into any form of business/ employment activity without the permission of the respective FRRO.

Student Dependent visa (S1/S6-X): For the family members (especially elderly parents, spouse, and children) of the student visa holder in India.

• Benefit: The family members shall be allowed to reside with the visa holder and especially the children of the visa holder shall be allowed to pursue education in India. Prior permission from the FRRO shall be required.
• Drawback: The family members on dependent visas are not allowed to engage into any form of business/ employment activity without the permission of the respective FRRO.

 

Medical Attendant Visa (Med X): for the family members (especially elderly parents, spouse and children) of the medically ill- visa holder.

• Benefit: The family members shall be allowed to reside with the visa holder during the medical treatment period.
• Drawback:

 

Diplomatic Dependent Visa: For the family members of the foreign diplomatic visa holders.

• Benefit: The family members shall be allowed to reside with the visa holder during the medical treatment period.
• Drawback: The family members on dependent visas are not allowed to engage into any form of business/ employment activity without the permission of the respective FRRO.

 

Eligibility Regarding Dependent Visa:

• The dependent visa applicant (hereinafter referred to as “Applicant”) shall be associated with the primary visa holder i.e. he/she should have a direct relation with the visa holder.
• The primary visa holder should have a valid visa in place i.e. a valid business/employment/medical/ student visa.
• The applicant should not have a criminal record/ indulge in any kind of illegal activity in India.
• The primary visa holder shall be required to present adequate financial resources in order to support his family in India.
• The applicants for dependent visa shall be not permitted to engage into any form business/ employment activity.
• Depending on the duration of the visa, in case if the applicant needs a long-term dependent visa, then they will be required to undergo medical examination.

 

Brief Process of Obtaining a Dependent Visa in India

• The first and foremost step is fill out an appropriate online application i.e. the applicant is required to fill out an online application visa dependent form available on the official website of Government of India.
• The applicant is required to seek the correct visa dependent form on the website. Pertinently, the visa dependent form should be of the same category of which the primary visa holder seeks the visa. To be more precise, if a foreign national has an employment visa (E-1 visa) for India, the in such a scenario, the dependents of the visa holder will be required to obtain an E-1X visa.
• After the filling out the application form, the applicant will be required to upload the documents such as marriage certificate (if any), passport of spouse/ children / parents that aid in establishing the relationship with the primary visa holder etc.
• Thereafter, the applicant will be required to submit application online and once the application is submitted online, the applicant will be required to present the hard copy along with the originals/ photocopies of the documents at the concerned Indian mission office/ authorities/ Embassy.
• Pursuant thereto, the visa officer shall examine and verify the contents of the application submitted by the applicant along with the supporting documents.
• Once the concerned visa officer is satisfied, the applicant will be required to deposit a requisite fee for the obtainment of visa.
• Issuance of visa depends on the discretion of the concerned authorities and sufficiency of the documentation; however, it may take 1-3 months to obtain a dependent visa in India. In some cases, the visa can be issued within 4 weeks if the concerned authority is satisfied with the application.

 

Way Forward

In view of the above, all the family members (especially elderly parents, wife and children) of the visa holder(s) who wish to reside with them in India, should apply for a dependent visa. It is always advisable to make the application under a legal /domain expert who has expertise and has requisite knowledge, particularly in this field.