Applying for visas

millyandfilly

My husband and I are planning a holiday of a lifetime cruising to different countries, alas we have found that some visas are expensive, particularly one to India, between £70 and £103 each!!! If we do not leave the ship do we need the visa? Has anyone experience of this?

A.:huh:

*j*

If you don't leave the ship you don't need a visa. I paid for two visas a few weeks ago and as I recall it was about £80-£100 for the two, including return delivery!

www.in.vfsglobal.co.uk

Not cheap, but worth it for a couple of days in the country, but maybe not for just one day.

The website is a bit of a nightmare to work your way around. Good luck.

*j*

alanrowell

In some countries like Egypt the cruise company can get a group visa for it's passengers. But generally it means they have to take the group tour.

Doshwaster

*j* wrote: »

The website is a bit of a nightmare to work your way around. Good luck.

*j*

The Indian visa website is a mess! I'm currently trying to apply for a visa for a forthcoming work visit and I'm baffled. I'm sure it wasn't this complex when I last went a few years ago.

Pollycat

millyandfilly
Indian visas are NOT between £70 & £103 each.

Those quotes may include the fees of an agent but you can do the application yourself.

I think they cost £30 plus a processing fee of £9.05, plus the cost of RM Special Delivery both ways, unless you hand them in in person & collect them. Be aware that you can't get a visa the same day.

The £39.05 is each, obviously any delivery charges are shared.

Doshwater.
The Indian High Commission outsourced the issue of visas to VFS Global a couple of years ago.

What issues are you having?

There's lots of discussion and advice about Indian visas on Tripadvisor & Holidaytruths.

Doshwaster

Pollycat wrote: »

Doshwater.
The Indian High Commission outsourced the issue of visas to VFS Global a couple of years ago.

What issues are you having?

There's lots of discussion and advice about Indian visas on Tripadvisor & Holidaytruths.

I think I have worked it out now. It's just that the VFS website is confusing. The fact that the Indian High Commission has outsourced this work is ironic as the purpose of this visit is to outsource a lot of our own work to India (hopefully not my own job though!)

In the past I have used Visa agencies as they save the time and hassle of having to travel to London. They just employ students to stand in the queues for you.

alanrowell

One thing about Indian visas if that you cannot use a convenient office for a personal application.

For example, if you live in Berwick upon Tweed the nearest place you can apply is Manchester, not Edinburgh.

Pollycat

alanrowell wrote: »

One thing about Indian visas if that you cannot use a convenient office for a personal application.

For example, if you live in Berwick upon Tweed the nearest place you can apply is Manchester, not Edinburgh.

And that is only if you are applying in person.

You can't collect it from there either, it is returned to you by Royal Mail or courier.

If you're applying by post, all applications go to the Hayes office.

BusinessStudent

Also, word of warning - Only ever use Royal Mail Special Delivery (or a higher postal rate service) to send your passports off.

I sent my passport off for a Russian Visa by Royal Mail 1st Class Recorded and it was lost in the mail for over a month.

I ended up missing my trip to Turkey because of this. Lesson learnt though, I should have either used Special Delivery or travelled to London to get my visa done in person (which I always do now when I require a visa)

Note sure where you live, but you can get mega cheap Virgin train fares to London from Mon-Thur on www.megatrain.co.uk. I book around 3 weeks in advance and pay just £3 each way to go from Birmingham to London Euston when I needed to get a Russian Visa (again) and Chinese Visa [and also to collect them] !

Pollycat

I think VFS insist on you either enclosing a Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope or paying for their courier (DX) for the return of your passports & Indian visa.

millyandfilly

Fantastic advice. I have found the vfsglobal site and indeed the price is £30 + £9.50 admin fee. The correspondence we received from the agents acting for the cruise line were trying to charge £103.68 for an Indian visa and £29.38 for an Australian evisa, which is free on line and very simple to access. The covering letter states that you must obtain a visa as you are entering national waters of the host country which cannot be waived. They also state that failure to have these documents may result in denial of boarding.....Thanks again to everyone.