Anyone applied for Indian Tourist Visa lately?

[Ted]

If you're travelling through to Pakistan, make sure you aren't late at the border.......
[YOUTUBE]n9y2qtaopbE[/YOUTUBE]

 

[seven]

Thanks for all your helpful advice. To be honest, it has been a toss up between paying £100 admin fee to change to somewhere else, or £200-plus to go through the Visa pantomime. My travel agent says a lot of people book for India without realising that the Visa is a) expensive and b) really difficult. Then they back out, especially older folk who are not computer savvy (You must apply on line before departure)! [/URL]

I would strongly urge you to use an agent. They will guide you through the form filling and process for you. It'll be the best £40 odd you will spend.

 

[seven]

Indian and Pakistani embassies in London are an "experience" to behold.. so thank your lucky stars you don't have to go there to get visas etc. I'd like to visit India (things like the Madurai Temple) but things like this put me off.. NSFW (this is the sanitised version of what you can see): On the river of the floating dead, where the rich burn bright and the poor are left to vultures | Vocativ Yep, I'll spend my buck somewhere a little more healthy....

Fair enough and each to their own but it's hardly a helpful post,is it? If this is what you think India is all about then you are very wrong. It has an enormous amount to offer - yes not all good - and insulating yourself from it is your choice. Varanasi is an incredible city and the burning ghats are incredibly important to Hindus and have been for millennia. You could post pictures of the Parsi towers in Mumbai and reason that is enough reason not to visit.
As I said through, each to their own.

 

[jaymanek]

The country is magnificent...

Im afraid the Indian administration is just total nonsense.

I am currently trying to update my dual indian citizenship passport to reflect my new UK passport number. What an absolute palava...

The process is just unnecessarily bureaucratic.. unnecessary demands, long winded procedures and a website that must have been put together by the same guy that makes the crossword for the times.

the thought of dealing with it all is just making me furious

I thought the DVLA were bad.

 

[seven]

The country is magnificent... Im afraid the Indian administration is just total nonsense. I am currently trying to update my dual indian citizenship passport to reflect my new UK passport number. What an absolute palava... The process is just unnecessarily bureaucratic.. unnecessary demands, long winded procedures and a website that must have been put together by the same guy that makes the crossword for the times. the thought of dealing with it all is just making me furious I thought the DVLA were bad.

Don't give in!!! Only joking!
I meant to add to my earlier post that the Ganges is nowhere near Madurai. In fact I think it's about as far as London to Barcelona.

 

[Stratman]

I went to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games a few years ago and loved every minute of it. Our Games accreditation acted as a visa, so we were spared that hurdle.

Be aware that you're not allowed to take rupees out of the country, and at the one and only currency desk at the airport they demanded to see the receipt for your purchase of rupees. I made up something about the cash machine not printing receipts when I withdrew them which he believed. There were no currency facilities 'airside' and just the one very bureaucratic desk on the check-in side.

If you want the terror ride of a lifetime, split your party into two after your evening out, each party gets into a tuc-tuc and promises the driver an extra hundred rupees if he beats the other one back to the hotel

I never did work out for sure which side of the road they drive on. My best guess is 'in the shade'.

 

[paulshep69]

I went to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games a few years ago and loved every minute of it. Our Games accreditation acted as a visa, so we were spared that hurdle.

Be aware that you're not allowed to take rupees out of the country, and at the one and only currency desk at the airport they demanded to see the receipt for your purchase of rupees. I made up something about the cash machine not printing receipts when I withdrew them which he believed. There were no currency facilities 'airside' and just the one very bureaucratic desk on the check-in side.

If you want the terror ride of a lifetime, split your party into two after your evening out, each party gets into a tuc-tuc and promises the driver an extra hundred rupees if he beats the other one back to the hotel

I never did work out for sure which side of the road they drive on. My best guess is 'in the shade'.

You aren't supposed to take Rupees out of the country, that's right, however at the airport there are some unscrupulous money changers that scare you into changing all your unspent Rupees for next to nothing.

I've been 10 times now and always have Rupees left over, you can still spend them in the departures lounge and as long as you don't have thousands left, they don't really bat an eyelid anymore.

The tuc-tuc game sounds fun, and I fully agree with the side of the road thing, I think it's the same as here in general, unless you're an unlit tractor and trailer at night, then it's anywhere you want. Oh and the gesture of dipping headlights is non-existent too.

 

[seven]

Don't change with money changers at the airport. Recipe for disaster. Nothing wrong with withdrawing on a debit card at the millions of cash points. Just keep your receipts to check on your statements. I use a nationwide card and get the bank rate on changing then a small commission is taken.

 

[Mercy1]

Oh well, in for a penny in for a rupee (or two)...
Can't get my head round the Embassy application process so Seven, I'm taking your tip and letting Visa Genie do it. If it all goes wrong I can blame you!!
Another £70 on the cost of the visa but about £20 is clawed back by savings on postage and photos so a £25 fee (each) is bearable. But flipping heck - £262 just to enter the country!
Hope I'm not throwing good money after bad...!?

 

[seven]

The exchange rate is great at the moment about 100 to the £. Doesn't help so much in touristy areas as they just put their prices up but it makes a lot of other things (especially train travel) very cheap.
You'll love it, I promise!

 

[Vazza]

The photos are a joke - must be 2ins x 2ins, which rules out passport-style photos, must be right contrast, no smiling, right paper thickness!! I gather there are even companies that are set up in business just to do the photos to the Embassy specification. And that's another tenner for two people.

Timpsons offer this service for Indian visas FYI.

Also the bit that confused me on the site was where it asks whether you want to pay online but then gives you no options to do so ...I mean who uses postal orders nowadays?!

 

[carnut]

Interested in this thread as I've just booked to go to India on a "Taj tour " with VJV who have offered to process the Visa application at £35 per person plus of course the £92 fee....yes its expensive but taken with the above comments and total holiday cost its all in the game it seems.

I'm going with Jet Airways...anyone any experience with the LHR - Delhi/Mumbai - LHR flight? Looking at the web reports its not going to be the best part of my holiday as I cant stand flying overnight!

Apart from upgrade to Business ( nearly £3600 extra for two for one night flight seems ludicrous) any good suggestions?

 

[Vazza]

If you have online check in with Jet Airways...as soon as it opens, pick a seat in the row at the front where the baby cots go. I've always been upgraded for free to business when flying with BA to India this way as they never have enough seats for cots...if they play hardball at check in, I point out that I need extra leg room being 6ft3 hence booking that seat and it's never failed

 

[WDB124066]

When it does you'll remember!

 

[Vazza]

No doubt that day will come, although I am always pleasant to the check in staff so maybe that helps

 

[Mercy1]

Timpsons offer this service for Indian visas FYI.

Thanks for that. In fact, these people... Indian visa photos - From just £4.50 for 4!
...will give you four prints of one applicant for a shade under £5. Probably as good a deal as you will get...

You take your own photo, which shouldn't be beyond anyone with a digital camera, and email it to them.

Don't need prints now though, as my photos will be emailed to Visa Genie and they prepare them, print them and attach them to my application at no extra cost...apparently!!?

 

[WDB124066]

If you do go get some tailoring done....

 

[Palfrem]

UPDATE

Both our visas arrived today.

Posted Monday signed for by me this morning.

So, well done Royal Mail and at £94 each, nice work if you can get it from the Indian High Commission!

 

[tylerdurden]

Would love to go there. Family of 5. Put off by the cost and process of visa application. Real pity. The answer is to get the UK to chill on Indians wanting to holiday and spend their cash here. Presumably the Indians will reciprocate.

Pakistani's living in Pakistan can go to India to visit relatives and visa versa. Tens of thousands do this (both ways). While the application can take ages for either direction the cost is minuscule. Governments reciprocate

 

[Mercy1]

Just to close this thread out, glad to say that my visas have just been returned by Visa Genie - took just eight days. Thoroughly recommend if you need a visa for India - you fill in their straightforward form, supply digital photos and they do the rest. They are on your side all the way and in fact their upfront fee of £35 per applicant comes down to only £21 each if you apply as a couple as there are savings on postage and photo costs.
India, here I come...!