David Pettitt
India
When visiting India you must ensure you have a valid visa before entering the country. There are two types of visa available, the e-Tourist Visa and the Regular Tourist Visa which is required if you are visiting certain specific restricted areas. Nearly all visitors will be able to apply for the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) but we will advise you at the time of your enquiry. Please also note the information provided in this guide applies only to British Citizen passport holders.
Holders of British Citizen passports are able to apply for the one year Indian e-Tourist Visa (eTV) using the following link. The eTV is valid for 365 days from the date of issue but the visa will need to cover the duration of your stay and is for single, double or multiple entry. It is not valid for Protected or Restricted Areas. Please note that the latest you can apply for the eTV is 4 days before you arrive in India. The current cost of a one year eTV is USD $40.00 per person per visa.
For the nominal extra cost, we would highly recommend applying for the one year eTV as this allows you to apply for the visa 120 days before you travel and also provides you with greater flexibility. For those that visit India regularly, the five year eTV also represents good value for money.
Applying for your visa
The application process for each visa is slightly different. However to apply for either it is important to note:
1. You must have your own passport. You cannot apply for the visa if you are included on a parent/spouse passport.
2. Your passport must have at least six months validity from the date of arrival in India and have at least two blank pages for the Immigration Officer to stamp.
3. International travellers should have a return or onward journey ticket.
4. Each person travelling will need their own individual visa.
5. You must keep your visa with you at all times.
The option for both visas can be found at the top of the India Visa website. The e-Tourist Visa is referred to as ‘e-VISA’ and the Regular Tourist Visa is referred to as ‘Regular Visa Application’.
To make the application process as quick and easy as possible, ensure you have all the relevant documents scanned in pdf format and your photograph in jpg format. The photograph will need to be in colour, 2in x 2in (51 mm x 51mm) and show your full face, from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin, with your eyes open.
E-Tourist Visa (eTV)
The Indian e-Tourist Visa (eTV) is valid for 365 days from its date of issue. You can therefore apply for your visa 12 months prior to the date of your return. However we would recommend applying for your visa 10 months from your return date, at the earliest, to allow a bit of an overlap. The eTV is not valid for protected or restricted areas.
When you begin the e-Tourist Visa online application process you will have to fill out basic details such as passport type (select ordinary), nationality and port of arrival. Once these details have been submitted you will be taken to the main visa form. This form is the same for whichever visa you are applying for and is quite self-explanatory. Below is clarification on some of the questions we frequently get asked:
1. Given Name: This is more frequently referred to as your first name.
2. Have you ever changed your name?: If your name now is different to when you were born, e.g. you have been married, you must fill in the details here.
3. Citizenship/National ID No: Simply type NA if you do not have a citizenship or National ID number.
4. Visible identification marks: Here you will need to include any visible tattoos or birth marks, or simply type NONE.
5. Occupation: If you select any of the below occupations you will need to be prepared to provide further documentation such as a signed letter from your employer which states you are only going to India for tourism. If you are unsure, you can simply type Business Person:
Air Force
Cameraman
Charity/Social Worker
Diplomat
Film Producer
Media
Journalist
Military
Navy
Missionary
Reporter
Writer
The most technical aspect of the visa application is uploading your photo. As a guideline, the photograph should be in a jpg format between 10kb and 300kb and not 1MB as mentioned on the website. The photo must also be square and a minimum of 350 x 350 pixels. The passport page also needs to be uploaded to the application and this should be in a pdf format and under 300mb. The titles of these image files should be continuous, i.e. mr_smith_passport.jpg, not Mr Smith passport.jpg.
It is worth noting that the application process can be stopped and saved at any time and a ‘temporary application ID’ number will be generated. This will allow you to log back in to the application so that you are able to complete it at a later date.
Once completed an ‘Application ID’ number is generated. This always begins with an ‘I’ for e-Visas.
Please note that when paying, a choice of SBIEpay or AXIS bank is offered. Generally we find that SBIEpay works more consistently. The payment section does not like Apple Macs so, if you are having an issue with making a payment, it is worth trying to do this in a Google Chrome browser which seems to work best.
If you feel that you will need help in applying for your e-Visa the visa experts at Travcour or at Visa Handling Services will be able to assist you through the process of applying for the visa. However, please note that they do charge for this service.
Regular Tourist Visa
If you are planning on visiting India for longer than 30 days, or if you are visiting a restricted or protected area, you will have to apply for a Regular Tourist Visa. This can still be done online here however you must also make an appointment at one of the VFS Global offices that deal with visa applications. During this appointment you will need to submit your documents along with your passport. You will then receive your passport and visa via special delivery. Alternatively you can post your application and passport to VFS Global who should return your passport, with visa, within 2-3 weeks.
The information required for a Regular Tourist Visa is very similar to an E-tourist Visa. On the first page of the online visa application tool you will need to select tourist visa as your visa type and the purpose that fits you best out of:
individual tourist
group tourist
cruise tourism
Protected or Restricted Area Permit
To visit certain areas of India you may also need a Protected or Restricted Area Permit and we will advise you on this at the time of booking. Special permits are required to visit Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram. Permits for the Andaman Islands are issued on arrival in Port Blair and for Bangaram Island in the Lakshadweep Islands it is issued prior to travel in Kochi.
