IndiaFamily residence permit

Visa for relatives in India

The X-Visa, or category X entry visa, is India's long-term visa for those connected with the country by origin or family ties: for persons of Indian origin, for spouses and children of Indian citizens, persons of Indian origin and OCI card holders, and for family members accompanying a foreign national who has come to India on a work, business, student or research visa. A separate variety of the same category is intended for foreign nationals coming to the country's religious and cultural organisations, for example the Auroville Foundation or ashrams.

Visa term

The term matches the main person's visa

Threshold

No fixed income; proof of funds / sponsorship

Processing time

Often about 7-10 working days

Work

No right to work by default; a separate Employment visa is required

Source: boi.gov.in — Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs of India, conditions for persons of Indian origin

Who can obtain it

Persons of Indian origin — category X-1

A foreign national who has at any time held an Indian passport
A foreign national whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents were born in and permanently resident in India — provided that none of them was a national of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan or Sri Lanka
A person of Indian origin who has not obtained an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card

Family of Indian citizens and OCI holders — category X-2

Spouse and children of an Indian citizen, a person of Indian origin or an OCI card holder, born abroad
A foreign national who married an Indian citizen while in the country on a tourist visa: the FRRO may regularise their stay by converting the visa into an X-2

Family members of work, business, student and research visa holders

Spouse and minor children of a foreign national who has come to India on a work visa — on the application and under the guarantee of the employing company
Spouse and children of a business visa holder
Spouse and minor children of a foreign national on a student visa, where they are studying on a higher education programme (from undergraduate level)
Spouse and children of a research visa holder

Participants of religious and cultural organisations

Foreign nationals coming to the Auroville Foundation in Tamil Nadu — for a long stay, a short stay or as volunteers
Foreign nationals coming to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry
Foreign nationals coming to the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's Sisters) in Kolkata
Foreign nationals coming to Indian temples for spiritual training
Buddhist monks coming to monasteries and Buddhist organisations in India for charitable work

What it costs

Consular fee for a multiple-entry visa	120 USD
Consular fee for a single-entry visa	+40 USD
Consular fee for a double-entry visa	+90 USD

Documents to gather

The set of documents varies with the ground on which the visa is obtained, but in every case you must prove the relationship or the status that gives entitlement to it.

Passport with remaining validity and free pages for the visa
Completed and printed visa application form from the indianvisaonline.gov.in portal
Photograph of the prescribed format
Marriage certificate (for spouses) or birth certificate (for children) proving the relationship with the main applicant
Copy of the passport and of the valid Indian visa of the main visa holder — for accompanying family members of work, business, student or research visa holders
Letter from the Indian employing company requesting registration of the spouse and children of an employee working on a work visa, and its written guarantee
Proof of status as a person of Indian origin — a previously issued Indian passport or documents proving the birth and permanent residence in India of the applicant, their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents — for category X-1
Copy of the Indian passport of the Indian citizen spouse, of the person of Indian origin card or of the OCI card — for category X-2
Marriage certificate issued by an Indian marriage registrar or by an Indian consular post abroad — for category X-2
Written undertaking not to engage in employment or business in India — for spouses of Indian citizens, persons of Indian origin and OCI holders
Letter of recommendation from the host organisation — from the Auroville Foundation, an ashram, a monastery or a temple — for the religious and cultural categories
Proof of the place of residence in India for registration on arrival

How the process runs

A visa of this category is obtained in advance, at the consular section of an Indian embassy or consulate or through an outsourced visa centre; inside the country other visas are not converted into it, except in the specifically stated cases of conversion.

1
Determining the category and gathering the documents
before filing the application
The applicant determines the ground on which they are claiming the visa — as a person of Indian origin, a spouse or child of an Indian citizen, an accompanying family member of the holder of another long-term visa, or a participant of a religious organisation — and gathers the documents proving that ground.
2
Completing the form and booking an appointment
1 day
The form is completed on the indianvisaonline.gov.in portal, stating the particular category X-1 or X-2 or the ground for an accompanying family member. Once submitted, the applicant books an appointment at the consular section or the visa centre.
3
Submitting the documents and paying the fee
by appointment
The applicant submits the printed form in person with the set of documents, pays the consular fee and provides biometric data.
4
Examination of the application by the consular section
several working days
The consular section checks the documents on the relationship and the status of the main applicant (where the visa is obtained as an accompanying one), and then issues the visa stating the sub-category and the validity.
5
Entry into India and FRRO registration
14 days from the date of arrival
If the aggregate or continuous stay exceeds 180 days, you must register with the territorial foreigners registration authority (FRRO/FRO) through the indianfrro.gov.in portal. Children under twelve and OCI card holders are exempt from registration.

Who you can bring with you

Category X-2 is in the broad sense a family visa in itself: it is granted to the closest relatives of Indian citizens, persons of Indian origin and OCI holders, while the same general category X also covers visas for family members accompanying holders of other long-term visas.

Spouse and minor children of a work, business, student (higher education programme) or research visa holder

The visa is issued for the validity of the main applicant's visa; the territorial FRRO/FRO may extend it beyond that term as well, if there are no objections to the applicant

Spouse of an Indian citizen, a person of Indian origin or an OCI card holder

Receives their own X-2 visa for five years with multiple entry, not tied to the validity of anyone else's document

A foreign national who married an Indian citizen while staying on a tourist visa

The FRRO may regularise their further stay by converting the visa into an X-2 and may extend it thereafter at its discretion

Parents and other relatives of a child under 18 who has come to India alone on a student visa

They are not issued a dependant visa for that particular purpose: they need another, independent visa category that they qualify for

Trips, renewal and the grace period

FRRO registration for stays over 180 days

Categories X-1 and X-2 are issued for five years with the right of multiple entry. If an extension is needed after that period, the territorial FRRO/FRO refers the matter to India's Ministry of Home Affairs: the ministry extends the visa by one year beyond the expired five-year term. All subsequent extensions, likewise of up to five years at a time, may be processed by the FRRO/FRO itself, without referring to the ministry — and so on at each further extension. The visa for family members accompanying the holder of a work, business, student or research visa formally runs for the validity of the main applicant's visa, but the territorial FRRO/FRO may extend it beyond that term if there are no objections to the applicant. The category for participants of religious and cultural organisations is extended annually on the recommendation of the host organisation, up to a maximum of five years from the date the first visa was issued; a longer stay requires separate clearance from the ministry.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Visa for relatives in India	India work visa	Overseas Citizen of India card
Visa term	The term matches the main person's visa	Usually up to 1 year or the term of the contract; extension up to 5 years in total	Lifelong multiple-entry visa; the card is for life
Grounds	Family members of Indian citizens	Employment / business	Indian origin
Money	No fixed income; proof of funds / sponsorship	Salary above INR 16.25 lakh a year (for persons of Indian origin — from 3.6 lakh); fee	No specific income requirements; state fees for OCI registration
Work	No right to work by default; a separate Employment visa is required	Only for the sponsoring employer	Parity with NRIs, work without a visa except in prohibited sectors
Residence	FRRO registration for stays over 180 days	FRRO registration for stays over 180 days	No minimum residence

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

There is no separate route

Route to citizenship

It does not lead there itself; for spouses of citizens there is a separate process

Frequently asked questions about Visa for relatives in India

Who can obtain an X-Visa (Entry Visa) in India?

Various grounds give entitlement to this visa. Category X-1 is intended for persons of Indian origin — those who have at any time held an Indian passport, or whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents were born in and permanently resident in India. Category X-2 is for spouses and children of Indian citizens, persons of Indian origin and OCI card holders. The same general category also covers visas for spouses and minor children accompanying the holder of a work, business, student or research visa, as well as visas for foreign nationals coming to religious and cultural organisations such as the Auroville Foundation.

Does the X-Visa confer a right to work in India?

By default, no. A person of Indian origin who has obtained an X-1 visa and wishes to take up employment in India must obtain separate prior permission from the territorial FRRO. For spouses of Indian citizens obtaining an X-2 visa, an undertaking not to engage in employment or business in India is recorded separately.

Is FRRO registration required on entry on an X-Visa?

Registration is compulsory if the aggregate stay in a calendar year or the continuous stay on each visit exceeds 180 days — regardless of the type of visa, apart from official and diplomatic passports. Registration is with the territorial FRRO/FRO. Children under twelve and OCI card holders are exempt. Breaches of the registration rules are punishable by a fine, legal consequences, or both.

For how many years are the X-1 and X-2 visas issued and can they be extended?

The basic term for both categories is five years with the right of multiple entry. Further extension at the first stage requires the territorial FRRO/FRO to refer the matter to India's Ministry of Home Affairs, which extends the visa by one year beyond the expired five-year term. All subsequent extensions, likewise of up to five years at a time, may be processed by the FRRO/FRO itself, without referring to the ministry.

What happens to an X-2 visa if the Indian spouse has died or the couple has divorced?

The rules differ with the circumstances. If the couple has a child together and the foreign national has not remarried, the FRRO may extend their X-2 visa where there are no objections from the local authorities. If there are no children, the existing X-2 visa is cancelled and the foreign national's departure from the country is arranged. If the foreign national has remarried another foreign national, no extension is granted and departure is arranged. If they have married an Indian citizen, the previous X-2 visa is likewise cancelled, but they are invited to return to India on a new X-2 visa issued on the new ground.

How much does the X-Visa cost?

The fee depends on citizenship and on where you file. From 8 April 2026 single tariffs apply to all types of Indian visa, including the X-Visa: around $40 for a single-entry visa, $90 for a double-entry one and $120 for a multiple-entry one. The amount covers the visa fee itself and a separate contribution to the Indian community welfare fund.

Other ways to move to India

Every route in one list — migration programmes: India.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 18 August 2026.