Step 1

General document requirements:

• Printout of online filled Visa application form duly signed by the applicant
• Passport with at least six months’ validity at the time of travel and at least two blank pages (please note that visa can only be issued till the date of expiry of passport)
• One recent colour photo pasted on the application form (size 5 x 5 cm, white background, front view) More detailed photo requirements here.
• Other than Finnish nationals: A copy of a valid residence permit or some other document confirming the period of stay of the applicant in Finland
• Acceptance/Admission letter from the recognized Indian School/College/University
• Letter from the Finnish School/College/University (under student exchange programme)
• Biometric enrolment is mandatory. The applicant has to visit the Embassy for biometric enrolment on the day given by the Embassy.
• Do not pay the visa fee beforehand.

Additional document for Minors:

• Written permission from parents (in English) in own words.
• Document confirming the relationship with the minor
• Passport copies of parents

Note : In addition to documents mentioned above, the Embassy may request additional documents, if necessary. The applicants are required to provide the documents requested in the same form as determined by the Embassy.

Step 2

Fill online application

Link for online regular visa application
  https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html

Instructions on filling in the Regular Visa Application form
Answer every question carefully. The information entered on the first page (country and mission where you submit the application, nationality, date of birth, e-mail id, expected date of journey, visa type) cannot be changed later!
General issues:

• Use slashes instead of dots in dates: 15/03/1970
• Replace non-English letters like so: ä=a, ö=o, å=a
• Use space instead of hyphen: Tom-Erik > Tom Erik
• Apple devices may not work well with the form
• If you have technical problems with filling in the form, try a different browser
• If you have been in India before but do not remember the visa number, enter ‘0000’ as the visa number and estimate the date of issue

Instructions for each page
First page

• You are first asked the country you are applying from. Here you must choose ‘FINLAND’ If you choose another country, the application cannot be processed in the embassy in Helsinki.
• Date of arrival is an estimate. It tells the embassy when approximately you would like to travel.

Second page

• You are given a temporary application ID. Be sure to note it down.
• Write your family name in the first field and all given names in the second field.

Third page

• Here you are asked for your address details and the details of your parents. If you do not know your parents’ town of birth, you can enter the country of birth instead.
• Compulsory military service is not regarded as working for a military organisation (last question).

Fourth page
If you have been in India before but do not remember the visa number, you can enter ‘0000’ as the number and estimate the date of issue.

• SAARC countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• References in India and Finland: If you are going to India to visit family or friends, write their name and contact details. If you are staying at a hotel, give the name and contact details of the hotel. If you have not yet booked accommodation, give the details of a hotel you might stay at. For the reference in Finland, you can give the details of a family member or a friend.

Fifth page

• Here you can upload a digital photo. Please note that currently a paper photo is always required anyway, so you can already skip this by hitting ‘Skip and Continue’.

Sixth page

• Here you will see all the details you have entered. Check them to make sure there are no mistakes, modify the data if needed and lastly, hit ‘Verified and Continue’.

Seventh page

• You are given the proper application ID (FINH + eight digits). Be sure to note it down.
• Hit ‘Print Form’ to open the finished application as a PDF file. Save the file on your computer in a folder you can easily access. Print the form immediately or later, one-sided or two-sided. Please note that the form cannot be printed at the Embassy.

Step 3

Visa Fee

Nationality

Duration/Entry

Fee (In Euro) including ICWF

Finnish and all other nationals (except below mentioned nationals)

Valid for the duration of the course or 5 years,
whichever is less/ Multiple Entry

76

Japan

11

Nigeria

231

U.K.

Up to 5 years (Multiple Entry)

212

Pakistan

All type

05

Ukraine

Less than 5 years (Multiple Entry)

81

Russia

Single Entry

40

Double Entry

86

Multiple Entry

113

Transfer of Valid visa

40

Sri Lanka

(For institutions covered by bilateral agreement) 1 yrs

43

(For institutions covered by bilateral agreement) More than one year

77

(For institutions not covered by bilateral agreement)

77

Nepal

Visa free entry (However, require visa if they enter India from China, which is granted gratis.)

Bhutan

Visa free entry

Seychelles

Gratis

Note : Visa application fee of Euro 22 is charged from US nationals in addition to visa fee except for Tourist and Business Visa.

Use bank transfer to pay the visa fee. A receipt of the payment must be attached to the application. The receipt must show the recipient account number, amount paid, date of payment, archive ID and all the data entered in the message field.

Embassy’s bank details:
Recipient: Embassy of India
Account number: FI96 2066 1800 0174 23
BIC: NDEAFIHH
Message: Applicants’ full name, type of visa and application ID (FINH + eight digits)

Note : Grant or refusal of visa is at the sole discretion of the Embassy. The visa fee will not be refunded even if visa application is rejected.

 Refund Policy in case of excess/multiple payments on Regular visa and other consular services
In case of excess/multiple payments on regular visa or other consular services, request for refund will be processed on case-to-case basis. The application for refund should be submitted within 90 days from the date of payment. No application for refund will be entertained thereafter.

If the applicant decides either not to avail the service or service not required after depositing fee to the Embassy’s bank account, the application for refund will not be entertained.

Step 4

Visa Application Submission

Applications can be submitted Monday—Friday in the morning between 0900–1200 hrs. You do not have to make an appointment. The Embassy is closed for certain Indian and Finnish holidays. Please visit our website for List of Holidays.

Applying Through Post
Make sure that you have filled the application form correctly and attached all required documents with the application. It is recommended to send the application to the Embassy by express/registered mail only.

Note:

• Incomplete application due to any missing relevant document will not be processed and there could be delay than usual processing time.

• The Embassy will not be held liable or answerable for the loss of any documents in transit/post.

Step 5

Processing time

The processing will begin after the applicant submits all required documents to the Embassy. A visa can be applied 8 weeks before the trip at the earliest, and it is advisable to apply no later than 4 weeks in advance. Processing time may differ from what is stated below.

• Finnish Nationals: 3–4 working days (From the date of submission of application at the counter of the Embassy). 3–4 week (for applications submitted by post).
• Other than Finnish Nationals: At least one week

Step 6

Visa Collection

Ready visas can be collected in the afternoon between 1500–1630 hrs on the day given by the Embassy.

Applicants who wish to receive their Passport by post may either send a self-addressed stamped envelope for dispatch of Passport or pay the requisite postage fee to Embassy’s bank account and share the receipt of transfer of payment with the Embassy. The postage fee is € 14. If more than one passport is to be sent back in one envelope, please write the name of each passport holder on the backside of the envelope.