FEATURED ADVENTURES

PHYSICAL FEATURES

1.Passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date of intended departure from India should accompany visa applications.
2. Paste one photo and staple the other one on the form at specified place.
3.Foreigners holding other nationalities (other than the country where applying for visa), should submit proof of long-term (at least three years)/ permanent residence in the country (where applying). For citizen of other countries, a reference has to be made to their country of residence for which an additional fee is applicable and will involve extra processing time. Please refrain from making inquiries about the status of application during this time.
4. Following visas are available from the Indian missions abroad

* TOURIST VISA
Is given for 6 months normally, rest specifically depends on the country of residence. The applicant is required to produce/submit documents in proof of his financial standing. Tourist travelling in groups of not less than four members under the auspices of a recognised travel agency may be considered for grant of collective tourist visa.

*BUSINESS VISA
Valid for one or more year with multiple entries. A letter from sponsoring organization indicating nature of business, probable duration of stay, places and organizations to be visited incorporating there in a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses, etc. should accompany the application.

*STUDENT VISA
Are issued for the duration of the academic course of study or for a period of five years whichever is less, on the basis of firm letters of admission from Universities/recogenised colleges or educational institutions in India. Change of purpose and institutions are not permissible.

*TRANSIT VISA
Are issued for a maximum period of 15-days with single/double entry facilities to bonafide transit passengers only.

*VISA TO MISSIONARIES
Are valid for single entry and duration as permitted by Government of India. A letter in triplicate from sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, probable length of stay, and nature of duties to be discharged should be submitted along with guarantee for applicant’s maintenance while in India.

*JOURNALIST VISA
Are issued toprofessional journalists and photographers for visiting India. The applicants are requied to contact on arrival in New Delhi, the External Publicity Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and in other places, the Office of the Government of India's Press Information Bureaus.

* CONFERENCE VISA
Are issued for attending conferences/seminars/meetings in India. A letter of invitation from the organiser of the conference is to be submitted alongwith the visa application. Delegates coming to attend conferences may combine tourism with attending conferences

* EMPLOYMENT VISA
Are issued to skilled and qualified professionals or persons who are engaged or appointed by companies, organisations, economic undertakings as technicians, technical experts, senior executives etc. Applicants are required to submit proof of contract/employment/engagement of of foreign nationals by the company or organisation.

* FEES
The fee structure depends on the nationality of the passport holder and type/duration of visa applied. The existing fee structure is:
Transit Visa US$ 5.00
Visas with validity upto six months US$ 30.00
Visas with validity upto one year US$ 50.00
Student Visa US$ 50.00
Visas with validity between one to five years US$100.00
Visa fees indicated in US$ are payable in local currencies as well. Visa fees are not refundable except in cases where a visa already issued is cancelled thereafter.Source Indian goverment

Travel time from the airport to Gangtok is 4 hours by road. Bagdogra Airport is 11 km west of Siliguri.
Indian Airlines, Siliguri (Phone : 431-509; Fax: 431-495; Airport: 450-666) and
Jet Airways, Siliguri (Phone :435-876; Airport : 450-589)

A taxi from airport to Siliguri is Rs.140. From the airport you can get a taxi to Bagdogra Bazaar (Rs. 40, 3 km) and from there, you can get a local bus to Siliguri too.

From Katmandu, fly to Bhadrapur in the east Nepal(1 hour), then drive to Kakarbhitta (Nepal-India border,35 km), to Siliguri(37 km) and to Gangtok (110 km, 4 hrs). Or fly to Biratnagar also in east Nepal.

Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation(+91-3592-222634) operates this service daily at 11:00 AM from Gangtok to Bagdogra and at 2:00 PM from Bagdogra to Gangtok at a price of Rs.1500/- per person. It is a five seater chopper and mountain flights and other such tours to North Sikkim are conducted.

By Rail : The closest Railhead is at New Jalpaiguri which is around 148 km away from Gangtok. It is connected to Kolkata(Calcutta), New Delhi, Guwahati and other major Indian cities.
From the station you can hire and reserve a taxi and came to Gangtok. That will cost you around Rs.1500/-. Or you can come in a pejo( jeep) on sharing basis. That will cost you Rs.120/- per person.

By Road : Gangtok is at a distance of 110 km from Siliguri and will take 4 hours from Siliguri to reach Gangtok . Gangtok is connected by road with Darjeeling (4 hrs), and with Bhutan, Phuntsholing (6 hrs).

Foreigners Entry Formalities:
Visa & Permits : In addition to an Indian visa, foreigners must obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Sikkim. The permits can be obtained from all Indian missions, Tourism Office, New Delhi, Sikkim Tourism Office, Calcutta and Sikkim Tourism Office, Siliguri on the strength of an Indian Visa.

Foreigners are issued a permit for initial period of 15 days duration on the spot without any delay provided photocopies of Passport and Visa details along with two passport photos of applicants are made available then and there. It can be extended for further 30 days of 15 days each. The extension of permits can be obtained from Foreigners Registration Office(FRO), Gangtok and Superintendent of Police of North, South and West Districts.
The FRO is located at Kazi Road, Gangtok. Phone no 223041

For those interested in going for trekking in the interior regions of the state, you also require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) OR Protected Area Permit(PAP) which is obtainable in Gangtok from the Police Check Post and Department of Tourism which is available for certain specified area for groups consisting of 4 or more foreigners subject to the condition that the trekking program is arranged through a registered travel agency.