Travel Entry Guide
Entering a country is two decisions, not one: the visa or permission you arrange before you fly, and the officer's decision when you land. This guide gathers both halves for every destination we cover — the verified entry requirements, the preparation checklist, and the arrival guides — so one page takes you from "what do I need?" to "what happens when I land?".
🇮🇳 India → 🇺🇸 United States
B1/B2 visa required before travel — apply with Form DS-160 and attend an interview in most cases.
- Entry requirements, verified — every rule with its official source and checked date
- Destination Ready checklist — documents, money evidence and your timeline
Arrival guides
- F-1 Arrival, Customs & Immigration Checklist — Landing in the USA as a student: the inspection, your I-94 and what to carry in hand luggage.
- After Approval: Your I-94 and Length of Stay — The officer at entry sets your stay — how to check your I-94 and why the date on it rules.
🇮🇳 India → 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Standard Visitor visa before you travel — apply online, earliest 3 months before your trip.
- Entry requirements, verified — every rule with its official source and checked date
- Destination Ready checklist — documents, money evidence and your timeline
Arrival guides
- UK Student Visa Arrival & eVisa Checklist — Arriving as a student: your eVisa, your share code and the first checks at the border.
🇮🇳 India → 🇨🇦 Canada
Visitor visa (temporary resident visa) required — apply online and give biometrics.
- Entry requirements, verified — every rule with its official source and checked date
- Destination Ready checklist — documents, money evidence and your timeline
🇮🇳 India → 🇪🇺 Schengen Area
Short-stay Schengen visa from the consulate of your main destination — one visa, 29 countries.
- Entry requirements, verified — every rule with its official source and checked date
- Destination Ready checklist — documents, money evidence and your timeline
At the border, wherever you land
- A visa is permission to travel to the border, not a guarantee of entry. In all four destinations above, the officer who inspects you decides whether you enter and how long you may stay.
- Carry what your application rested on. The documents and evidence behind your visa — funds, ties, your host's or institution's details — are what an officer can ask to see.
- Check the record of your entry. In the USA that is your I-94; in the Schengen area your entry is registered in the Entry/Exit System. Knowing the date you must leave by is your responsibility.
Travelling inside India
Entry rules are only half of travel. For the journey itself — permits, seasons, temple towns and honest itineraries across all 28 states and 8 union territories — start with India Travel & Places.
The other free tools
- Visa Wait Times — the State Department's official interview-wait estimates for the India posts
- Visa Funds Calculator — add up the costs of your trip in your own figures
General information only. This guide is based on official sources publicly available and checked on the date shown on this page. Visa rules change, and consular and USCIS officers decide every case on its own facts — nothing here is a confirmation or a guarantee for your individual case, and this is not legal advice. Always confirm the current requirement on the official page linked in this guide before you act, and consider a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.