This travel guide to the one year multiple-entry visa for India details our experience and what we wish we knew when traveling on this India visa.
To put it lightly, it’s extremely difficult to find straightforward answers about visas for India, particularly when it comes to the one-year multiple-entry visa.
We struggled to find clear information on whether this Indian visa could be used at land borders or if it was strictly limited to airports.
After a lot of frustrations, unanswered emails, and some great advice from unexpected sources, we’re here to share our personal experience with this Indian visa and answer the questions that many travelers, like us, struggle to find answers to – in particular the vital question “can this one year multiple-entry visa for India be used at land border crossings?”
Getting the One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India Online
Our journey with the one-year multiple-entry visa for India began with a simple online application. The process was smooth, we paid the fee of $40 per visa, and we were approved within just a couple of days.
All in all, getting our one year multiple entry visa for India was easy enough. This Indian visa granted us three entry stamps to use within a year, which seemed like the perfect option for our upcoming travels through India and neighboring countries.
A multiple-entry visa for India sounds straightforward enough, right? That was until we were told that this multiple-entry India visa could not be used at land borders – a major setback for our plans, which included crossing from Nepal to India by land.
One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India: The First Entry – Delhi Stopover *This is Important!
Our first entry into India happened when we had a stopover in Delhi, en route from Taiwan to Uzbekistan. This was a self-transfer, which meant we had to check in our bags ourselves, and this was where we realized how important the one-year multiple-entry visa for India really was for our India travel plans.
It’s crucial to note that when you have a multiple-entry visa for India, the first stamp needs to be done at an airport. This is a key piece of information that took us a while to figure out. Once we got our first stamp in Delhi, we were good to go for the rest of the year!
One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India: Second Entry – Kazakhstan to Delhi
After completing our Central Asia itinerary, we flew from Kazakhstan to Delhi without any issues, as we once again arrived in India via an airport.
The process was the same as before, and we received our second entry stamp on our one year multiple-entry visa for India. Easy peasy.
One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India: Entering Nepal From India via Sonauli Land Border
Our next plan was to visit Nepal from India over land. We crossed the land border from India into Nepal at the Sonauli border without any significant issues, and we received our Nepal visa on arrival.
After spending five weeks traveling through Nepal, including a memorable 6-day trek to Annapurna Base Camp, we were ready to return to India.
We planned to cross back into India from Nepal overland with our one year multiple-entry India visa, and this is where things got complicated.
We hoped to cross from Nepal into India via the Birgunj/Raxaul border. Birgunj is a border town in Nepal, opposite Raxaul, Bihar in India.
We were unsure if we could re-enter India overland using the one year multiple-entry visa, and the confusion surrounding this was the most frustrating part of our journey.
Option B was to fly from Kathmandu to India, however, flights from Kathmandu are crazy expensive so we REALLY wanted to avoid this option.
One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India: The Indian Embassy Confusion
We decided to be “good tourists”, at least initially, and we visited the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to confirm if we could use the one year multiple-entry visa for India at land borders.
The Indian embassy staff immediately told us that this one year multiple-entry visa for India could only be used at airports. You’ve probably heard this information from others, and it seemed to be the official answer.
But wait there’s more – this is where it gets interesting!
Just as we were about to leave, a security guard at the Indian embassy whispered to us that, in fact, it was possible to cross land borders with this one year multiple-entry visa for India.
Confused but intrigued, we decided to trust the dodgy guard’s information instead of the official embassy’s staff – of course we did!
One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India: Third Entry – Crossing from Nepal to India via the Birgunj/Rauxal Land Border
We hopped on a 10-hour night bus from Kathmandu to the Birgunj/Raxaul border. When we arrived at the Birgunj border, we nervously waited for the Nepal immigration office to open.
The Nepal immigration office opened at 7.30 am. It was meant to open at 7am but we guess the staff weren’t expecting two backpackers to be waiting!
We got stamped out of Nepal and into the uncertainty of no man’s land!
But then came the real test of our one year multiple-entry visa for India – leaving Birgunj in the Nepal side and crossing into the Indian side of Raxaul.
Walking through no-man’s land toward the Indian immigration office, we were unsure of what would happen and if in fact it was possible to cross land borders with this one year multiple-entry visa for India.
As we approached the office, we found a small room with about six Indian immigration officers/friends, sipping their morning coffee and chatting.
They seemed surprised to see us, but they were friendly and welcoming. One of the officers even went out of his way to tell the bus to Patna to wait for us, even before we had handed over our passports! This immediately put us at ease.
After a few casual conversations about our travels, they took our photo and stamped our passports for the third time, welcoming us back to India.
And just like that, we had successfully used our one year multiple-entry visa for India at this land border crossing.
This was our third and last remaining stamp to be used on our multiple-entry visa for India.
Thank you security man!
This process at the Indian immigration office took no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The bus was waiting for us after all!
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One Year Multiple-Entry Visa for India: Summary and Things to Remember
This India travel experience shows that it’s possible to use the one year multiple-entry visa for India at a land border, despite the confusion surrounding it.
However, we want to emphasize two key points when obtaining this multiple-entry Indian visa:
First key point: you must get your first stamp at an airport. This is absolutely essential. Once that first stamp is in place, you’re free to travel between India and neighboring countries with relative ease.
Second key point: We crossed between India and Nepal through the Sonauli and Raxaul land borders. However, it’s important to note that not all land borders are open to tourists, so make sure to research which ones are accessible before you go. Or, like us, you can always ignore official advice, just show up and hope for the best!
Safe travels, and good luck with your own India visa adventures!
While you are on your India travels check out our best India travel tips, as well as, our favorite attraction in India – the best Indian hidden gem.
Best of luck!
How did you find these travel tips for the one year multiple-entry visa for India? Have you attempted any of these land border crossings using this multiple-entry Indian visa? If so, we would love to hear how you got on and if anything has changed since our India travels.
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