INDIAN VISA...WHAT A DOG'S BREAKFAST !!!!!!!

[hibbo]

I am currently in Genoa after spending 6 weeks travelling UK and France.

The Indian visa cannot be applied for more than 30 days from first day of use. This means many travellers need to apply while in a foreign country.

The application has currently taken 15hrs of my precious time and it's not complete.

Needed are a current a photo and copy of passport. One a jpeg and one a pdf. They must have certain dimensions and size.

Not only all your details are needed, your parent's and spouse's details are needed as well. References are also required.

The completion process is frequently hindered by the Indian site malfunctioning, or not accepting 'captures'

After so much time has been frustatingly wasted ,you are then required to pay 25USD PER VISA. I've accepted the Paypal option and after 90mins have not been able to make the payment.

All this for a one night stay at Bangalore !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting a Visa to Russia in 2017 was not easy, but this is another story .

To make matters worse, using a VPN is not accepted. This makes the whole transaction risky, as I'm using a hotel wifi.

My advice....................do not transit through India if a visa is required.

 

[Pushka]

I am currently in Genoa after spending 6 weeks travelling UK and France.

The Indian visa cannot be applied for more than 30 days from first day of use. This means many travellers need to apply while in a foreign country.

The application has currently taken 15hrs of my precious time and it's not complete.

Needed are current a photo and copy of passport. One a jpeg and one a pdf. They must have certain dimensions and size.

Not only all your details are needed, your parent's and spouse's details are needed as well. References are also required.

The completion process is frequently hindered by the Indian site malfunctioning, or not accepting 'captures'

After so much time has been frustatingly wasted ,you are then required to pay 25USD PER VISA. I've accepted the Paypal option and after 90mins have not been able to make the payment.

All this for a one night stay at Bangalore !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting a Visa to Russia in 2017 was not easy, but this is another story .

To make matters worse, using a VPN is not accepted. This makes the whole transaction risky, as I'm using a hotel wifi.

My advice....................do not transit through India if a visa is required.

Apply for an annual one. Problem sorted. We didn’t need references. Applied for one in February. Used an online visa photo place where you select the country needed and they sort the dimensions etc with a selfie. Approved overnight.

 

[aikman]

Isn't this why it is easier to get QF reward seats on the Indian routes?

 

[dairyfloss]

At least the system doesn’t let you apply for the e-visa more than 30 days out from arrival, any more. They didn’t use to have that element controlled, and I missed the condition, showing up about 3 days after I was allowed, based on the application which was approved using my actual travel dates! Long story, short - turned around at BLR immigration and flown back to Malaysia, only to start the process again from there and head back 36 hours later. Oh, and I also now have the joy of ticking ‘Yes’ to that box about having been refused entry to a country for the rest of my life.

 

[RB]

Maybe things have changed. Used a VPN with ours in late 2022, used Aust Post photos, followed the Safe Traveller links and had no problems. Certainly they do require a lot of detail/history

 

[Seat0B]

I did not know any of this so looks like I will move India down my list of places to go as I have no bandwidth for bureaucracy at the moment.

 

[Daver6]

I did not know any of this so looks like I will move India down my list of places to go as I have no bandwidth for bureaucracy at the moment.

I've applied for a business visa in the past (I assume this would be more painful than a tourist visa). It really wasn't that big a deal. One data point does not make a trend

 

[Pushka]

I did not know any of this so looks like I will move India down my list of places to go as I have no bandwidth for bureaucracy at the moment.

Honestly, we applied earlier this year for an annual tourist visa. We had last been in India in 2009, they required our former visa numbers. I had kept all our passports and found it. Yes they require family details but it's just a line of info. We got the pictures sorted easily by using an online visa photo service, and used selfies I took in our lounge room. Saved the scanned photos of our passports as PDF. It took maybe half an hour per person and it was done.

 

[Brissy1]

Apply for an annual one. Problem sorted. We didn’t need references. Applied for one in February. Used an online visa photo place where you select the country needed and they sort the dimensions etc with a selfie. Approved overnight.

"online visa photo place". Never heard of that so I did a test run and downloaded a set to my computer which I gather one can then print out at say Officeworks. Attaches is the result, one of my dependents

 

[Sprucegoose]

It is a lifelong dream of mine to fulfil all the Indian Visa requirements (unassisted) and visit that wonderful country one day (unassisted)

 

[Duffa]

I had no issues with our visas, applying from Australia. Yes they wanted to know my mother in law maiden name etc etc. Clunky website but it all went through.
Glad nobody wants to go to India. More reward seats for me!!

 

[Pushka]

"online visa photo place". Never heard of that so I did a test run and downloaded a set to my computer which I gather one can then print out at say Officeworks. Attaches is the result, one of my dependentsView attachment 347122

Yes you can do that but visas usually require upload online and so need to get a solo one for that purpose.
I used makepassportphoto.com and also visafoto.com for India, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Post automatically merged: Oct 1, 2023

It is a lifelong dream of mine to fulfil all the Indian Visa requirements (unassisted) and visit that wonderful country one day (unassisted)

Have been three times, husband four. Don't let the visa thing put you off.

 

[dairyfloss]

When my dramas occurred I’d already been to India about 15 times before… it was just a poor implementation of a poor system and then handled poorly by immigration processing on my arrival.

Have been back another 15 or so times since then, without issues in the application (which is VERY carefully filled), payment, or arrival processing.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[Franky]

"online visa photo place". Never heard of that so I did a test run and downloaded a set to my computer which I gather one can then print out at say Officeworks. Attaches is the result, one of my dependentsView attachment 347122

I thought that cats owners were the dependents?...

 

[GSP]

I've done Business Visa's in the past for 12 months and despite a lot of questions as alluded above have not had any issues (have been about 8 times in recent years). Just recently I did a Tourist Visa which also had to be done within 30 days. I went through some sort of website that held off the application for me until 30 days which was just as well.

I agree it is a bit painful but managed to get through OK.