Over the years, India has become a leader in the south Asian medical sector with hundreds and thousands of people visiting the country for treatment. And as surprising as it is, Bangladeshis account for almost 54% of the medical tourists in the country.

The number of Bangladeshi visiting India for treatment stood at 221,751 in 2017. The recent numbers are even higher. With such a high demand for service, many people don’t know the proper way to apply for an Indian Medical Visa. And as things stand, you can easily apply for the visa yourself without the need for a middleman. Here’s how.

What is an Indian Medical Visa?

The Indian Medical Visa is part of the special visa arrangements made for people seeking medical counsel or treatment from India. This visa grants special status to the visiting patients and is generally processed at the earliest.

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The medical visa allows for up to 6 months of stay in India with multiple entries of up to 3 times. It can also be renewed as per the need of the patient. The only requirement is that the patient holds a valid appointment letter from a doctor in India. The patient also needs to take some form of medical treatment from Bangladesh before opting for treatment or consultation in India.

However, all of this has changed recently. Due to the pandemic and global travel bans, the Indian government brought a few changes to the existing medical visa structure. Instead of 6 months, the maximum duration of stay right now will be 3 months. The patients also won’t get multiple entry opportunities as it has been capped at just once.

But the process of application and subsequent document requirements are still the same.

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Steps of Medical Visa Application from India

Step 1: Online Application

Online application is the first and foremost process to get an Indian visa. Applicants will need to fill up a visa application form from the IVAC website. It is to be noted that IVAC is the only organization that handles Indian visa applications globally.

Users will need to go to the Online Application Form from the IVAC website and start the application process. Here, the applicant will need to input their details as well as the type of visa they are applying for.

Depending on the type of visa, the required information is different. Since we are talking about the medical visa, we will focus on the documents required for the medical visa only.

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Step 2: Medical Visa-Specific Documents

In addition to the general application documents which will be outlined in the next point, there are a few visa-specific documents that the applicant needs to provide with the application. The process is hybrid as applicants will have to visit the IVAC to physically submit the application form as well.

For a medical visa, an applicant needs to submit a copy of the appointment letter from an Indian doctor. In addition to that, an applicant also needs to submit all the relevant medical history regarding the condition. This includes visits, test reports, and prescriptions issued by a doctor here in Bangladesh. The rest of the required documents are standard visa application-related documents.

Step 3: General Visa Application Documents

The applicant needs to prepare several documents along with the application form to submit to the IVAC. The medical-related documents mentioned above only apply to anyone going for a medical visa.

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In addition to a valid passport with at least 6 months of validity, applicants will also need –

-Birth Certificate or NID

-A copy of the utility bill. The copy needs to be dated within 3 months of the application. It's better to include the latest one if possible.

-Dollar endorsement or Bank statement. In case the applicant goes with a dollar endorsement, the minimum amount should be 150 USD per person. And in the case of bank statements, it should be a minimum of 20,000 BDT.

-Professional Proof. This document indicates NOC from the respective office of the applicant. In the case of a student, an attested ID card from the principal needs to be included here.

-Passport and copy of old passports if applicable.

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The applicant will have to align the documents in the order mentioned above along with the application form and supporting medical documents. After that, the applicant will have to pay the visa fee through online or other MFS transaction windows. The visa processing fee will be either 600 or 700 BDT depending on which IVAC you apply from.

After physically applying for IVAC, applicants can expect to hear back from the visa office in about a week.

Other Requirements

While these are the most common documents required for the application, other requirements might seem a bit more intricate. The applicant will need to show a valid contact and place of stay during the visit period. This information is required to be provided in the online application form.

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The best way to solve this problem is to book a hotel in the visiting city with booking.com. It’s easy with free cancellation options and the hotel contact can be used as the contact personnel outlined in the form.

Another thing to note is the means of travel which the applicant has to outline in the application form. If you choose to travel by land, you will have to select a designated land port. If you want to travel by air, you will have to exclusively choose air.  There’s no guarantee that you will get your desired means of entry and unfortunately, users will have to use the exact means as outlined in the visa. There will be no exceptions in this regard.

There was a specific pass requirement for patients going to Tamil Nadu for treatment. It was introduced to verify vaccination entry to the state. But now the e-pass is not needed anymore.

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Final Words

While the application process for Indian medical visas is fairly simple, a lack of proper knowledge and guidelines might create confusion for many. In addition to this article, applicants can also check out the official guideline from IVAC here to get an even more detailed idea.

There is also a helpline for any kind of visa-related inquiries. IVAC clearly states that an applicant should only apply by themselves and avoid any types of touts and frauds.