Passport for India: six months from your visa application
India counts its six months from the day you apply for the visa, which comes before the trip, and asks for two blank pages.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
India · passport validity
Renew before this trip
Must be valid until June 16, 2027
| Rule for India | valid 6 months after your visa application (counted here from arrival, the latest possible day) |
|---|---|
| Must be valid at least until | June 16, 2027 |
| Margin | 30 days short |
| Mail a routine renewal by | October 7, 2026 |
How this was calculated
- Rule read in the State Department’s country information for India (Consular Affairs data, checked 2026-10-15). Airlines may apply a stricter rule at check-in, and transit countries have their own.
- The renewal date assumes the slowest published times: 2 weeks of mail each way plus 6 weeks of routine processing.
Estimate from the State Department’s published fees and processing times. Mailing times vary and the Department decides each case. Independent site, not affiliated with the Department of State; we sell no expediting service. Method and sources
India is the one destination here whose passport rule is tied to the visa rather than to the trip. The State Department’s country page says the passport must be valid for 6 months past the date of visa application to obtain a visa, and that 2 blank passport pages are required. U.S. citizens also need a valid Indian visa or an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card to enter and exit. Because the application always comes before arrival, a passport valid six months after your arrival date satisfies the rule whatever day you apply: for an arrival on March 10, 2027, that is September 10, 2027, and the checker uses that safe date. If you apply on February 8, 2027, the strict minimum is August 8, 2027. Short tourist stays use the eVisa, requested at least 4 days before arrival and not valid for land border crossings. The rule is quoted from the official country page as archived on July 9, 2026. A routine renewal mailed by December 30, 2026 returns before this arrival with the slowest published times of 70 days.
A rule tied to the visa
Other countries count from arrival, like Thailand and the Emirates, or from departure, like the Philippines. India counts from the visa application. Applying a month before the trip moves the strict deadline a month earlier than a count from arrival would; the checker keeps the arrival-based date, which works for any application day.
Visa, OCI card and blank pages
Entry and exit require a valid Indian visa or an OCI card, and the State Department warns that India may deny entry to travelers without valid documents or the correct type of visa. Two blank pages are required. Satellite phones and GPS devices are illegal in India, and stays beyond 180 days must be registered with a Foreigners Regional Registration Office within 14 days of arrival.
If the passport is too short
Renew before applying for the visa, since the visa is issued in the passport you present. A renewal by mail costs $130; expedited service adds $60. With the slowest published routine times, a mailed renewal takes up to 70 days door to door, and the visa application can only start once the new passport is in hand, so an India trip needs more lead time than most destinations on this site.
What the State Department says about India
“Must be valid for 6 months past the date of visa application to obtain a visa.”
“2 blank passport pages required.”
Quick facts of the State Department’s country page, quoted from its archived copy of July 9, 2026 (travel.state.gov refuses automated readers, and the Consular Affairs data service does not carry this rule); read on October 15, 2026.