Embassy of India

Baku, Azerbaijan

The Foreign filmmaker must seek permission from Ministry of I&B, to be able to apply for Film Visa. Thereafter, specific location permissions may be applied for at the portal. Below are the steps to apply for permission from Ministry of I&B.

• 1) Register – Register yourself with the FFO website to start your application process.
• 2) Fill Application Form - Fill out the application Form for seeking permission for film shooting in India.
• 3) Upload Documents – The application form will ask for the following information/documents.

  • Detailed script and synopsis in case of a Feature Film, TV/Web show and series and detailed concept in case of TV/Web Reality shows and series.

  • Passport details of the crew in tabular format along with copy of the passport

  • Details of shooting locations in India and the period of shooting

  • A list of equipment to be temporarily imported for filming in India.

  • No Objection Letter - In case any living personality is portrayed in the film as a Character, we suggest that you share the script with that personality or his/her legal heirs, before applying for permission, and obtain a 'No Objection Letter'. This letter will expedite the clearance of your application, and also guard against the possibility of any defamation or libel suits.

  • Co-Production - If you propose to shoot your film as an international co-production under the official treaty, a copy of the agreement between the foreign producer/production company and the Indian producer/production company indicating the role of each party, financial commitments, responsibilities and liabilities etc., in accordance with the respective co-production agreement, must be uploaded.

• 4) Pay Fees – An application along with processing fee of INR equivalent to USD 225 is required to be made online, to enable submission of your application. Please note that application-processing fee is non-refundable, and will not be returned under any circumstance. Kindly ensure that your production is a Feature Film, TV/Web show and series & Reality TV/Web show and series. FFO does not accept application for Documentary films, AV commercials and music videos.
• 5) Undertaking – At the time of receiving permission for shooting in India from the FFO, you have to submit an undertaking to the Ministry of I&B as per the format available online, on the letterhead of the company who has applied for the filming permission. (Please note that the Undertaking format is just a sample copy and the points may need to be modified in accordance with the permission letter as issued by the Ministry of I&B.)

• Do submit the detailed particulars of all the members of the shooting team, along with the Permission Letter issued by the Ministry of I&B, to the Indian Mission in the country from which they would be departing for India at the time, indicating your intention to shoot in India. Indian Missions/Posts abroad will grant Film Visa ‘(F) Visa’ to such applicants who are coming to shoot Feature Films, TV/Web show and series & Reality TV/Web show and series in India provided that Ministry of I&B has approved the proposal.

• i) On submission of all requisite documents, your permission to shoot will normally not take more than three weeks to process. In cases where consultation from Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs is required, you would need to allow more time to process your application. The permission letter issued by the Ministry of I&B, Government of India will facilitate your permission from other local authorities, which may, in some cases, need to be obtained directly from these authorities.
• ii) As part of the application processing, your script will be evaluated by an expert from a panel constituted by the Ministry. If considered necessary, a liaison officer may be attached to a film shooting team. Where a liaison officer is so attached to the shooting team, the Government of India will bear his expenses. In exceptional cases, you may need to show the completed film to a representative of the Government of India, in India or in an Indian Mission abroad, before its release anywhere in the world with a view to ensure that the film has been shot in accordance with the evaluated script and that the film has nothing objectionable from the point of view of presentation of a correct and balanced perspective on the topic covered.
• iii) During the shooting of the film, if it is felt that any material changes or deviation from the approved script is necessary; permission must be taken from the Ministry of I&B through FFO before shooting these scenes.
• iv) Subsequent to the completion of the shoot in India, the FFO shall seek and collect feedback from the applicants with regards to their experience of filming in India, including a request for information pertaining to shooting related data. The producer/line producer is required to compulsorily submit the feedback form.
• v) The FFO shall also seek trailer and Hi-res poster images of the film for display in the FFO Web portal and other marketing collaterals that the FFO may create to promote filming in India, after the release of the said project.
• vi) The production must agree to have a ‘Filmed in India’ credit and the Film Facilitation Office logo in the final production rolling credits of the project. The official FFO logo can be acquired from the Film Facilitation Office, New Delhi.
• vii) Post receipt of the National permission issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, you may follow the same procedure that is applicable to domestic filmmakers, for applying for specific State/local permissions.