Valid Indian visa in an expired passport
I recently had to renew my passport. The expired one has an Indian visa that will be valid until 2016. Is it necessary for me to get the visa transferred to the renewed passport, or can I get through customs in India (likely Mumbai) if I have both the expired and the renewed passports with me?
Best Answer
Yes, you will simply need to present both passports and you will be fine, as long as a few simple conditions are met.
The old and new passports must be in the same name. (ie, if you've changed your name then your Visa may no longer be valid)
The old and new passports will need to be from the same country (ie, if you've changed citizenship then your Visa is likely no longer valid)
The Visa must be undamaged. When a new passport is issued most countries will physically invalidate the old passport, such as by cutting off part of the photo page. If the Visa itself was damaged then it is no longer valid.
This is the specific information from TIMATIC (the visa service used by most airlines/etc) :
- Valid visas in expired passports are still acceptable, provided accompanied by a valid passport of the same nationality of the expired passport.
Presuming none of the items above are issues, just present both passports and explain the situation and you'll have no problems.
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What happens if the passport expired but visa still valid?
Expired and Renewed passports do not affect the validity of the Visas. However, you must bring your old passport with valid visas along with your new passport when travelling.Can you enter India with an expired passport?
Later, when those 120 days have passed and you're about to travel, your passport may no longer meet the 6-month rule, but your visa is still valid. In that case, you should be allowed to enter Indian territory, for as long as your travel plans do not exceed your passport expiration date.Can I travel with visa on expired passport?
Your visa has to be valid on the old passport that expired. It has to meet the purpose of the travel. The visa on old passport should not be damaged and in good condition. You need to carry both of your passports \u2013 the current valid passport and the old passport with valid US Visa.Do I need to transfer my Indian visa to my new passport?
Answer: When you apply for a passport renewal, you must submit your current passport. It will be returned to you after the process is completed. You then submit an application to the Indian embassy to have the visa transferred. The remaining validity of India visas can be transferred to the new passport.6 Month Passport Validity Rule | Can I travel with less than 6 months left on my passport?
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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