Advice on getting a Visa from UK Indian Embassy

Pookstar · Nov 23rd, 2004, 21:25

Went this morning to collect visa's for me and my partner - just thought I'd share my experience to give people an idea of what to expect.

I arrived at 8:30am which is when the Embassy opens and the queue was already down the street and around the corner! It took me 30 minutes to get to the window and collect my tickets (remember you need one for each visa required). From here I was told to go upstairs (although my ticket said to go downstairs) and the expected time on my ticket said 10:00 to 10:30. Spent a reasonably pleasant hour and a half reading and chatting with some of the many others waiting (lots of people ask you where you are going and offer their personal experiences of prior visits to the Embassy and India - found that really nice!!). There is a photo booth and a couple of snack & drink machines in the Embassy if you need them. When my numbers got displayed on the board I found a vacant window and handed over all the necessary requirements. These are your passport, a filled out application form (downloaded from the internet), 2 photo's and £30 - for a tourist visa (each).

I then had to wait another 45 minutes and collect my passports complete with visa's from a counter at the end (you have to wait for a member of staff to call out your number). The whole process took me until 11:15 which wasn't too bad. The best recommendation is to get there early - some people had been waiting since 7:30am just to be near the front of the first queue! I felt very sorry for people just turning up as I left as I think they could have been there for the rest of the day! Also, there is no guarantee you will even get it the same day if you leave it too late……

It felt like a good introduction to what to expect in India - loots of queuing and form filling bureaucracy but all done with friendly and fair treatment.

Just can't wait to get there now - 4 days away and counting!!!!

seventies'hippy · Nov 23rd, 2004, 21:36

Good post Pookstar,
Very useful information for anyone applying,

Happy Travelling

Nov 23rd, 2004, 21:25	#1
Pookstar Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: London, UK Posts: 60	Advice on getting a Visa from UK Indian Embassy Went this morning to collect visa's for me and my partner - just thought I'd share my experience to give people an idea of what to expect. I arrived at 8:30am which is when the Embassy opens and the queue was already down the street and around the corner! It took me 30 minutes to get to the window and collect my tickets (remember you need one for each visa required). From here I was told to go upstairs (although my ticket said to go downstairs) and the expected time on my ticket said 10:00 to 10:30. Spent a reasonably pleasant hour and a half reading and chatting with some of the many others waiting (lots of people ask you where you are going and offer their personal experiences of prior visits to the Embassy and India - found that really nice!!). There is a photo booth and a couple of snack & drink machines in the Embassy if you need them. When my numbers got displayed on the board I found a vacant window and handed over all the necessary requirements. These are your passport, a filled out application form (downloaded from the internet), 2 photo's and £30 - for a tourist visa (each). I then had to wait another 45 minutes and collect my passports complete with visa's from a counter at the end (you have to wait for a member of staff to call out your number). The whole process took me until 11:15 which wasn't too bad. The best recommendation is to get there early - some people had been waiting since 7:30am just to be near the front of the first queue! I felt very sorry for people just turning up as I left as I think they could have been there for the rest of the day! Also, there is no guarantee you will even get it the same day if you leave it too late…… It felt like a good introduction to what to expect in India - loots of queuing and form filling bureaucracy but all done with friendly and fair treatment. Just can't wait to get there now - 4 days away and counting!!!!

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Nov 23rd, 2004, 21:36	#2
seventies'hippy Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: UK Posts: 2,127	Good post Pookstar, Very useful information for anyone applying, Happy Travelling

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