India Visa For Cruising?

joe2cool

Hi next yr going on a cruise which includes 4 places in India & realise we need to get a traditional tourist visa which is expensive something like £195 per person I think. Would have been nice if we could have used the 'E-Visa' but never mind but my question is has anyone completed this online application? & could someone tell me the official site pls there seem to be so many offering Visas. Also any tips on filling out the application forms it looks a minefield.

Appreciate any help

nearlyrich

Ask me in 2 weeks, we are going to India after a cruise and I can apply for the e visas on or about 6th March...

Ballard

I got an e-visa easily enough last autumn and it cost something in the region of £50. There are two potential issues with that. Firstly, it only comes in single entry versions and secondly it's not accepted at every port - https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.

India outsourced it's visa service a few years ago. The price has just gone up to a whopping £120 (It was more like £30 when I first went!)

http://www.vfsglobal.com/India/UK/Tourist.html is the official website. For peace of mind you can check the link on the first website but I can confirm that that's the site that I used.

I can't remember everything about the forms and it's been a while since I got the 'stamp' version but I do recall it being a longwinded affair.

Pollycat

Check out the Tripadvisor Goa forum.
There's a fab step-by-step guide to applying for visas.

daveyjp

Indian visa rules change so regularly that whatever answer you get now may not be valid next month, never mind next year.

A friend sorted out a 12 month motorcycle trip a few years ago which included a trip into Nepal and back to India, they changed the rules so multi entry tourist visas were no longer available. He had to change his complicated trip and then a few months later before he went they changed the rules again and they were once again valid.

Keep checking the official visa site for updated info.

Pollycat

joe2cool wrote: »

Hi next yr going on a cruise which includes 4 places in India & realise we need to get a traditional tourist visa which is expensive something like £195 per person I think. Would have been nice if we could have used the 'E-Visa' but never mind but my question is has anyone completed this online application? & could someone tell me the official site pls there seem to be so many offering Visas. Also any tips on filling out the application forms it looks a minefield.

Appreciate any help

That figure sounds too high.
Beware of using an agent - who will add fees on top of what you'll pay for your visa.

As I posted earlier, check out TA Goa board.
There's a section on the right-hand side of the screen headed 'top questions about Goa'.
2nd topic down is about applying for a tourist visa (not ETV).
This is kept up to date as there are lots of repeat UK visitors to Goa.
It covers everything you need to know about applying for a visa.

I agree with daveyjp - things are changed with little or no notice.

Voyager2002

I obtained one (eventually) last year. Some tips:

1. Consider using an agent unless you can conveniently get to one of their visa centres, not only to submit your application but also to pick everything up a few days later. Doing things by post not only costs more but also adds a delay: the web site warns that this can be a matter of weeks.!
2. Check the list of "dodgy" jobs: which includes civil servants and police officers as well as journalists and aid workers! If you have one of these jobs you will need a letter from your employer saying that your visit is for purely personal reasons.
3. When you begin the application, make sure you note down the code that is displayed on your screen -- you will need it to log in to complete and submit your application, and no, they do not email it to you.
4. The website also charges for some optional services, such as the ability to upload your photo electronically and to receive text messages. These do not add any value but are far from fee. so un-tick the boxes...
5. Once you have completed the form your access code will no longer work, so watch out for the new log-in details that they give you.
6. They have weird requirements for the photograph, but the photo booth on Paddington station satisfies these.
7. No matter how frustrating it seems, India itself will be a thousand times more challenging.

Pollycat

Here is the step-by-step guide to completing the application form:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D9GeofYJ7iYhzRryYK9PvPGh5RmrKl0TyIm-HCstg5c/edit

(courtesy of Igirl on Tripadvisor)

Pollycat

Alxender wrote: »

There are various websites in google which provide indian visa on arrival. My name is alxender and i am from united states recently i traveling in india and before i go i apply visa from indianevisas.org and they will provide me visa only 5 working hours because i choose super urgent services if you need a visa choose there services according to your need.

Disregard this ^^^^ advice.

The website mentioned by Alxender is not the official website for obtaining an e-visa for India.

This is what it says on the website that Alxender recommends:

*Disclaimer: www.indianevisas.org website provides e-Visa services to India. This is a commercial website to apply for e-Visa for India where you will be charged a fee for using our services. We are not affiliated to the Government of India in any sense. You can also apply directly through the official source. Kindly read all our Terms& conditions carefully before using our services

So apply directly through the official source.
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html