Alternatives to overstaying my visa.

humblehermit

Hi Everyone,

I've been browsing posts regarding overstaying visas hoping that there is a small fee I can pay to overstay, but it seems the general concensus is to avoid overstay.

So here's my (unfortunate) situation:

I've got a 6 month tourist visa which expires 3 days before my flight out of Mumbai. The minimum cost to change the flight by 3-days?... $600!!!

So here's some alternatives I'm considering, I'm hoping one will be viable? Anyone with experience out there, advice would be greatly appreciated:

1) Go directly to the nearest consulate when I arrive and start grovelling. I know Indian beauracracy can be a nightmare, but I'd be willing to allocate days if it'll save me the $600.

2) Go to Nepal just before my visa expires and immediately apply for another 30 day tourist visa, then high-tail it to Mumbai for my flight. This would assume a) an Indian visa from Nepal can be issued within a day and b) I can get from Nepal to Mumbai in a day.

Like I say, any feedback on these options (or any other possible alternatives) would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much,
HH

edwardseco

Remember that the overstay may include accomodations at the local jail.

However, I would head down to the state headquarters of the FRO to beg for an extension on the basis that flights are booked up for that airline. It might fly (pardon) if you are pleasant. A fee is charged.

The Consulate route would have them cancel the old visa and replace it with a new one, ca-ching goes less bucks than changing the air ticket at least.

If you can handle stress real well you can try leaving late and sometimes they just shrug it off! Keep in mind we have over the years seen far less happy results too (big lecture, charming use of authority, etc). Its not for me but I imagine they would just hassle you a bit and if you looked contrite and spun stories probably let you off with a per day charge & fine..

machadinha

Perhaps (and I say perhaps, have never done it and have no intention to) it could be a lot easier to go to Nepal or wherever, then fly back to Mumbai airport just to catch your flight home.

One is (as far as I know) allowed to transfer in India without a visa, so long as one doesn't leave the airport transfer area of course. (And the time between your flying in and leaving again should presumably not be too great -- I've seen 12 hours mentioned here, not sure what that is based on though.)

Don't know if it would work, I don't see an immediate reason why not though. Maybe an obstacle (and if so, probably a major one) could be that it's clear you had booked the flight in and out based on your 180-day visa. Moreover, this would be assuming Kathmandu has direct flights to Mumbai, I don't know that, and making even more transfers within India to get there would presumably only lead to greater complications, if that is allowed at all without a visa (I'd be surprised if the rule would cover for internal flights. I think it's expressly for international ones only.)

Other than that, to report in shortly after landing (on your initial flight in!) and grovel would seem to make sense yes. If it is refused, it gives you half a year to come up with a solution (And then again if it is refused, I'd certainly not seek to mess around with it anymore later.)

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machadinha

... Or how's about (I am really just speculating), going to Nepal and applying for an Indian transit visa there for your flight back. Would allow you to spend 72 hours (I think) in India to get out of there. And cheaper than a regular visa I believe; and they might be less picky about granting it. I mean your reason to apply for it would be very very clear, and there'd be no indication whatsoever that you were trying to extend your stay (nor indeed a chance for you to do so). And it would, I think, even allow you to transfer within India to get to your exit point.

Again, I don't know if it would work, would be interesting if someone would; but then I doubt if many here would have experience with it though. And so I wouldn't like to recommend trying it either.

If you look at it logically though, the visa doesn't require you to spend the full 180 days there. So there should be nothing to stop you from leaving the country before, then simply returning at some point on again an international transfer flight (which KTM-Mumbai-home would be).

Then again how customs and immigration personnel look at it is always quite another thing yet... I wouldn't personally be too keen on trying them out. I'm guessing just seeing that freshly expired visa in your passport no matter where you just arrived from would set all their alarm bells going. (Well, with the transit visa, at least it would have been duly stamped and cancelled and a fresh transit visa issued. On that note, I don't know about Nepalese land border crossings but leaving India it should technically be stamped to show that you did so anyway. You might expressly ask for it if for some reason it isn't.)

nycank

I find that outragous to charge USD600 or even CND600. Could you give us the airline and the fare-basis ? If this airline is flying out of YYZ/YVR (Toronto/Vancouver), Follow the procedures outlined by Canadian Transport Agency also search the skytrax forums for that particular airline for a resolution.

This can only happen if his flight from KTM-BOM-Canada is on the same PNR or the same ongoing ticket, otherwise it will not work. If it cant be done in Schiphol, it cant be definitely done in Mumbai

Take a look at two real-world actual examples:

1. NCE-AMS (KLM, pax is SilverWing) and then on to AMS-JFK (Delta, pax is platinum elite)
2. CPH-AMS (SAS, pax has no status) connecting AMS-EZE (AF/TAM, pax is premiere elite)

In both the cases, there are two disjoined tickets. For the passenger to move from one arrival gate, to other departure gate at Schiphol, they need to have -

1. Boarding pass for onwards flight (not possible) because no airline can issue a boarding pass for onward flight on a non-interlinked or same PNR reservation. At AMS, the airline checkin desks are typically not (except KLM) inside the air-side. They are in the landside. Not having an international (non Schengen/EU) boarding pass for Delta or AF/TAM flight is a mucho problemo

2. Luggage cannot be moved from puddle-jumper ( CPH-AMS) into the safe clear zone, because the luggage is after passport control and before customs. The gates in AMS are far apart (European gate zones, and Americas) so the passenger has to exit, go outside get a new boarding pass and rush again through passport control again.

If the super-efficient AMS airport could not arrange for a boarding pass in the airside, certainly Mumbai cannot.

I do not see anyway for a Canada bound passenger in Mumbai airport, coming from a Kathmandu flight (if there is one) to get a boarding pass and luggage interlined to final canadian destination. You have to clear immigrations, and customs and then get a boarding pass and re-enter immigrations.


(This is now changing this summer in AMS since AF/KL/DL are all one big happy family, KLM is part of AirFrance, and Elite passengers can get anything done in the FirstClass lounges which are Airside. Normal non EU passeners are still SOL)

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machadinha

Thanks for that, NYC, I'd been thinking you of all people might be able to comment as I was typing it

It had occurred to me in the meantime that if the whole thing hadn't been an ongoing flight booked way from the beginning it wouldn't work no.

Do you have any views on the possibilities of that transit visa option? I'd been thinking one could even apply for it in advance, perhaps with a letter of explanation. Then again seeing how touchy the Indian authorities seem to have been getting about the entire concept, they might not be so happy to hear about it either way.

nycank

Wrong solution for essentially a wrong problem. The OP has to read the Contract of Carriage for his airline and change the departure date. Unless the OP wants to just overstay and suffer the consequence. The cost of going to Katmandu, staying there, paying for a 3 day transit visa, fly back to india, and then board a canada bound flight ? The worst US carrier has a 150USD Change fee for re-booking a flight. How bad can the ex-Canada carrier's rules be ?

federica

Before going to Nepal, I'd try the FRO option. Going there with my confirmed flight ticket well in advance, I'd give it a chance as it is "only" for 3 days. I would try to get a kind of written "exit permit", for the officers at the airport.

If that's not possible, there's still the way to Nepal.

machadinha

Well, yes, would have to esentially agree.

It's a pity people allow themselves to get into this situation in the first place; then with my last flight to India taken, to change the return date around would have been around 100 Euros. While that's still a lot to me, it sure ain't no 600 bucks (whatever the Canadian dollar may currently be worth), and I'd gladly dish it out to save me a lot of hassle, which is why I enquired about it (though not at all with a view to the OP's considerations. I was basically covering my ass in case I were to suddenly find out I didnie like India at all no mo' ).

Anyway it's good of you to point out such fares can't just be defined and applied randomly, and there should be consumer control (or what do you call it. Price control I guess) governing it. So find out more about that by all means, yes.

federica

@Humblehermit, are you already in India or still in Canada? If you're not in India yet, I'd try to get my visa cancelled and to get a new one, cheaper than 600 $.

humblehermit

Thanks for all of your helpful replies.

I know, $600 seems ridiculous to me too. I'm going though a travel agency I trust though, and had 2 agents try and find me my cheapest alternative. It's $592 CAD. <groan> Were it more like $100, I'd gladly pay to avoid the hassle...but $592 (minimum) is getting close to the price of the original ticket!

And I'm kicking myself for getting into this situation. I'm currently in Cambodia, and won't even be in India for another month. The reason I got the visa so early, was I thought I had better sort it out before I left Canada. Despite enclosing a letter outlining the dates I needed the visa to cover, they were obviously completely disregarded by the Indian consulate in Canada. <sigh>

Anyway, does anyone know: is it possible to cancel a current visa? If I haven't entered India yet, can I cancel my current one and just apply for a new one?

Thanks again,
HH

edwardseco

Of course, and you pay for the second visa..

nycank

Go read the Contract of Carriage for the Airline which you will take out of BOM. Examine the farebasis of the ticket (your travel agent you booked with). Next time do not use the same travel company. Since they did not give you good advice. I am extremely curious as to which airline has the b**s to charge 600CND change fee.

Nick-H

Whilst it seems a lot of money, isn't flexibility something that one pays through the nose for? aren't the cheapest-of-the-cheap seats not changeable at any price?

machadinha

... Now that you mention, that has always been my understanding in the past: To get a ticket that allows for manoeuvering, one has to pay for that luxury indeed, or so I thought. (In other words, that ticket will be more expensive to begin with. In that sense, I was surprised to find that said last and incredibly cheap ticket of mine -- with BA, no less -- allowed for it at all, much less at a not-quite-exorbitant rate.)

But, I'm really not into the ins & outs of air travel, at all. NYCank seems to be very much so; although his country's (USA, one presumes?) may have the better price control & regulations then. I'd expect him to have something of an idea how it should work elsewhere though; curious to see what he'll have to say on it