leegrand

welcome Indianfriend.
q. If I wed Indian lady can I stay on after 180 days. I am a brittish subject.can I get extension, or go back for the 60 days out.
any info very welcome, thank you.

IndianFriend

Hello and thanks.

Queries similar to yours have been discussed in other threads. Its a bit complicated and dreadsoc (concierge on this forum) will be in a better position to respond... knows the detailed rules.

Cheers

Bipat

The rules of your present visa will still apply, and that means no extension for a tourist visa.
That said I think it was K800mer who mentioned a British friend who somehow got an extension, maybe she knows how! maybe illness was involved.
When you are in UK you can apply for a entry (x) visa.
Whether you can then immediately return I don't know.

leegrand

Thank you both, will let you know the outcome late may.

dreadsoc

Leegrand

If you marry an Indian, you will be entitled to what is called a PIO visa (person of Indian Origin). However this has to be applied for seperately to the visa you are on currently (which I am guessing is a tourist visa ? ).

To obtain a PIO you will have to return to the UK and produce documents to support your application, which will include your marriage cert, wife's birth certificate and Indian papers etc. There should be information on the VFS website or Indian High Commission website regarding the documentation you will need for this visa.

Friends of mine who are married to Indian people have not been able to get these PIO visas straight away - it took one person 7 years before they agreed it ! My friend who married three years ago and has a child with her husband is still waiting and she applied about 3 months after her wedding. You I hope will be luckier in your application than they were.

Unfortunately I don't rate your chances of an extension to your tourist visa - I think there is small print on the actual visa stamp which says this cannot be done.

Hope this helps

.....And Indian friend - congrats on your new role - hope we will see you over in the Concierge forum as well so you can get to know your fellow concierges and mods from other parts of the world.

Dread - x

Bipat

Dread the PIO is not a visa it is a 'card' as you said, info. on the VFS site.

He can apply for a 5 year Entry (X) Visa which can be acquired in the usual time for any visa (few days), with the same documentation.
It is cheaper and more easily transferred if your passport expires. With this there is no 2month out rule. But there are registration issues. It is a matter of choice.
Most info is on the PIO/OCI site, giving the relative advantages.

dreadsoc

You're the expert Bipat and I know you managed to get the x visa.
Maybe others on here can give examples from people they know, but I have a number of friends who are British and married to Indians living in India and without fail they have all been refused the x visas several times over in recent years - I know of two people still applying for the PIO (visa or card - it's still a page in the passport !!) in these circumstances have been refused x visas this year as well and had to accept 1 year tourist.
I know - they should be able to get the x visas - but it ain't that easy it seems..............................
................but hey - It's India - so what should be isn't always as !!!!

I think the best thing Lee can do is present himself to the VFS and let them tell him which to go for ..... he 'should' have a better chance then - provided he gets the name of the person advising him!!

Dread - x

Bipat

Thinking about this; I can now see the difference.
I realise you are speaking of British people married to Indian passport holders, living in India.
My experience has been with people associated with people of Indian Origin but holding British passports or USA passports and I have never heard of a problem if all the documents are available. When OH still had Indian passport, visas were not needed.
As you say Lee willl have to ask.

leegrand

Many thanks to you all, all I want is to get back without 60 day rule.spose I will have be humble, beg, or shout. A good agent should help,got one in gillingham kent.

a_f_d

I am 99% certain that marriage to an Indian citizen is the one exception to the 'no extension, no change of type for a Tourist visa'. In this specific case you can get a T visa changed to a 1-year (?) X at Jaisalmer House in Delhi.
However visa availability is not a good sole or main reason for marriage!

AndyD 8-)#

leegrand

thank you Andy, I love her so much, have done for a long time.
she is waiting for passport in mumbai, cant leave the flat from 7am to 10pm, it can take up to 40 days.

mayrig

Hiya All

I'm really surprised to hear that spouses of Indian nationals are having trouble getting a PIO card. It has not been my personal experience though I do not doubt that there will be some that have had a problem.

My husband first got a 5 year visa at the Indian Embassy in London - given to him the same afternoon. We then realised he could get a PIO card and we applied for that. Got that in 2 weeks without any significant problems. Just the usual Indian bureaucracy - bring this, that and the other as supporting documents. But we got the PIO card without any real hassle that I can remember.

Maybe its only a problem if the Indian spouse is Indian resident and not UK resident? This I can well believe. My daughter has been trying to get her passport reissued in Goa since October and the morons keep repeatedly asking for the same documents that they already have in their files - multiple copies at that!! I think I'm going to have to start threatening legal action soon. Wonder if they're looking for some money to get their wheels greased

Bipat

I think from reading Dread's post you are right; if the Indian spouse is Indian resident it is more difficult.

We have had 5 year visas from the beginning without problem, except in 2010 when I was refused as didn't have a copy of OH old Indian passport, this was the year of 'Headley' however in 2011 got the 5 year back.

One problem though the new visa is not over-stamped with "no registration required if stay less than 180 days etc". It just states "registration is necessary within 2 weeks for visas valid for more than 180 days, and last trip I had to do this.

Have you had this problem?

I have tried to get clarification from Birmingham Consulate, but they just stated "No visas are overstamped now." E-mails have not been answered.
I am now trying to contact the Consul in charge of visas.

We are wondering if it is assumed that you will stay longer unless you don't as it were. So therefore if you enter the FRO you will be made to register.

a_f_d

It seems that current practice (probably wrong) is to require all X visa holders to register within 14 days.
We did, but then we wanted to because for a FN a Residential Permit is a useful document.
We also went to Panaji today for Exit stamps (on the RP) - we got these with no problem - there was no suggestion that we didn't need them

AndyD 8-)₹

Bipat

This will be extremely difficult for us as we usually travel around visiting in first 2 weeks. Our only permanent documented address at the moment is in Karwar and the thought of going to and from Hubli several times is daunting.

If you are correct my choice is; just not registering, or get a tourist visa. OHs visa 2 years to run and has the overstamp. I can't see how they can have different rules for same 'type' of visa.

I didn't get an exit stamp this time as we didn't go back to Pune where I registered (at b. in laws address).

I will try again to get clarification from Birmingham