We know that the visa application process is one that is a priority for every non-resident coming to India. We also know that it isn’t the easiest of processes. What we have learnt through engaging with the conference application process on the government website is this:

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• Delegates will need to apply for an e-Business Visa for conferences

• They apply for this themselves, but to do so will need official confirmation that the conference is on the authority's list and they are on the list of attendees.

• To put in the application for confirmation of the conference we needed firstly an agenda (which we only produced a couple of weeks ago) and secondly the list of attendees with a host of details including passport, country of birth etc. This application has now been submitted and we expect the confirmation in a week or so.

• We will then issue official letters of invite linking delegates by name to the conference. This is then attached to the individual visa application.

• That Business Visa should take one to two days only to process.

Don’t worry if you haven’t bought your ticket yet. We are assured that once the conference is officially recognised then multiple lists of delegates can be submitted downstream, as they recognise that tickets are bought until close to conference. Clearly more time is better than not in this area, so we would urge you to buy your tickets and let us have your details sooner rather than later. Late tickets, realistically bought after the end of October, we will deal with on a case by case basis and come up with a plan.

So whilst we recognise that you will want some certainty of getting the visa well in advance, the various timelines mean that this was the earliest we could get the official process going. There are still 6 weeks to go before conference, which we are again assured is plenty time.