When is a transit visa needed?
When travelling onward to a third country through India. You need that country's valid visa, a confirmed onward ticket and a hotel booking there.
In detail
A transit visa is for people who are not stopping in India but passing through it to another country. Alongside the seven common requirements, three extra documents apply:
- A valid visa from the third country
- A confirmed ticket for the onward journey
- A hotel booking in the third country
The order matters: get the destination country's visa first, then apply for transit. Without it, the case for a transit visa does not hold.
Two mistakes are common. A “confirmed” ticket means an issued ticket, not a provisional booking or a held reservation. And the hotel booking must be in the destination country, not in India — people often submit an Indian hotel booking by mistake.