Visa Guidelines

The information on this page is provided as general guidance for securing a visa to travel to India to attend IEEE MAPCON 2025 in Kochi. The information provided cannot be constituted as legal advice. While the organizers make every effort to keep the information up to date, we cannot make any guarantees about the accuracy or validity of the information.

General Information

Visitors entering India must possess a passport valid for at least 6 months after their date of entry into India. There should be at least two blank pages in the passport. An entry visa is essential for all those visiting India. There are several types of visas, including Conference, Tourist and Business Visas. Those traveling specifically for IEEE MAPCON 2025 are required to apply for a Conference Visa.

Nationals from over 170 countries are eligible to apply for an E-visa. Authorized Portal for Visa Application to India is indianvisaonline.gov.in.

When to Apply

For most countries, the time taken by embassies to issue a Conference Visa is normally 14 days, and the visa is valid for three months from the date of issue by the embassy (not from the date of entry into India). For applications from citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Foreigners of Pakistani Origin and Stateless persons, the time taken is 60 days and the visa is valid for one month.

Share your Passport Details

All participants who are non-Indian nationals will need to share their passport details with IEEE MAPCON 2025 team, so they can apply for necessary permissions from the concerned ministries.

Visa Applicants from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Iraq, (3) Pakistan (4) Sudan (5) Foreigners of Pakistani Origin and (6) Stateless persons will need a special political clearance from Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India).

For participants from Pakistan: Entry into India should be Delhi, Mumbai, or Chennai only if travelling by Air. Kochi (Cochin) is not an allowed as the point of entry for Pakistani citizens. Pakistani citizens holding two passports should apply for a visa on their Pakistan passport.

Fill the Visa Application Form

Indian Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions now require visa applications to be made online from the Indian Government website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/. Please note that this website is operated by the Government of India and not by the IEEE MAPCON 2025 organisers.

Here are some tips on using that website:

  • Make a note of your temporary reference number.
  • If the website gives error messages or freezes, you can try later using your temporary reference number to retrieve your partially filled form.
  • A visa application form will be generated with the High Commission Logo at the top. Print 2 copies (and another one for yourself) and sign. Save the document in case you need to reprint.
  • Get your Supporting Documents. The supporting documents required for a visa application are as listed below (will be provided by IEEE MAPCON 2025 organizers).
    • Clearance letter from Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, which is the nodal ministry for the conference.
    • Clearance letter from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, which is needed for all non-Indian nationals to travel to the conference.
    • Please note that an approval letter from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India is only required for Visa Applicants from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Iraq, (3) Pakistan (4) Sudan (5) Foreigners of Pakistani Origin and (6) Stateless persons. If your visa application has a mandatory field for it, please submit this circular from the MHA (that explains the conditions in which MHA approval is needed) along with your application.
    • Invitation letter for the Conference

IEEE MAPCON 2025 secretariat will provide an invitation letter for VISA purposes, if required. However, it does not guarantee you a visa OR might not be required by the consulate to process the VISA too. Hence kindly reconfirm before applying for the VISA with the consulate or your local travel agent. The invitation letter will be issued ONLY after you have registered and full payment has been received. The following details will be required to obtain an invitation letter – A form to submit these details will be provided to you.

  • Full Name (as mentioned on the Passport)
  • Passport Number
  • Place of Issue (Passport)
  • Date of Issue (Passport)
  • Affiliation with city and country
  • Nationality

The above listed details should be exactly as it appears on your passport. Any differences could lead to a delay and/or denial of your visa.

Local Contact Details

If you need to enter the details of a local contact in your visa application, please find the details below.
Chinmoy Saha
General Co-Chair, MAPCON 2025
Professor, Department of Avionics, IIST, India
Email: chinmoy.rpe@gmail.com

Accompanying Persons

Accompanying Persons are not entitled to attend the conference technical sessions and should apply for a Tourist Visa. They can of course benefit from the events open to them and participate in the social events of the Conference. The application process for Tourist Visa is much simpler than Conference Visa. No letter of invitation is required. Accompanying persons can use the e-Tourist visa facility at the website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.

Enquiries

Enquiries can be sent to the conference secretariat at mapcon2025@ieeemapcon.org. We can help with information, but the organisers cannot influence the embassies in any way. It is the responsibility of the participant to get his/her visa.

Important Note

Please note that the IEEE MAPCON 2025 organising team is not authorized to assist or have any control over the VISA process beyond providing an Invitation Letter, that too post completion of the online registration process. Should your application be denied, the MAPCON 2025 team cannot change the decision of the Government Ministries, nor will any member from the committee be able to engage in discussion or correspondence with the visa issuing authorities on behalf of the applicant.

The registration fee cannot be refunded for the reason of VISA being denied – cancellation policy mentioned on the website will be followed. We request you to please register and apply for VISA as early as you can to make sure you have enough time to plan your trip.

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