Applying for an Indian Visa in the UK: Your Questions and Experiences

Now is the time to email them - don't bother with the telephone!!

AndyD 8-)#

I have just done my application on line and silly me now notices i put 2102 instead of 2012 as date of travel, as i am going in person to Edinburgh on Monday do you think they will amend it for me or should i do a new application as i haven't paid any money.

My guess is they'll amend it or ignore it - it isn't used for anything anyway!

AndyD 8-)#

another stress along the way.

So i have managed to pay for the visa online, but when the pdf form came up to print it off it then crashed. So i have now paid, but cant retrieve my PDF filled in application form. I have the 2 numbers they gave; one was the web registration number and the other was the GBRL number. Does anyone know if you can retrieve a filled in form online with those numbers? I have filled out another one which i could print but there is a different GBRL number on the form by the barcode. Do you think that is an issue? I would like to retrieve my other form if at all possible. Thanks

You should be able to reprint your application form. The payment is linked to the application you have paid for. So redoing the application does you no good as it will not be linked to your payment.

Look here

Brilliant! Thanks alot, problem solved

Hi Juancho, good to hear that! Wish you a pleasent journey. Be careful of the food as I had a bit of food poisoning once while I was in India.

I completed our Visa applications for 3 of us travelling to India at the end of this month completing the forms online, paying the fee online and sending all the correct documentation and evidence requested to Hayes and hey presto my passports arrived back in the prepaid registered post envelopes today - exactly 7 days from when I posted them! Very happy!

Good to hear the process is working normal

For information (and this may be common knowledge to some), VFS Global will now only return one passport per prepaid special delivery envelope - http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/postalapplication.html

I have today had to pay further postage costs. I did this over the phone with VFS using a visa debit card.

Here is a mini report about replying for a tourist visa in person. I hope it helps/reassures some people who are stressed about the whole thing.

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I applied for my Indian visa on Sunday afternoon, online. It pays to spend an hour or so reading through everything on the VFS website so you get it right first time. I filled out the application form and printed it off; I noted that the "EXIT PORT" and "ADDRESS IN INDIA" fields, which I had not been asked for online, were shown on the form and blank. I wrote these in by hand in capitals. I am a cruise passenger and for the address in India I put the name of my cruise ship.

I tried to book an appointment but there weren't any for three days, so I decided to just visit the London Victoria application centre and wait.

I took my own photos by having my picture taken against a white sheet in natural light (no shadows on face). I then used a free graphics editor called GIMP to produce a 6"x4" photo with two 2"x2" portraits on it. The white sheet was a bit shadowy so I made it all completely white. I then took the pic on a USB disk along to Boots and printed it instantly using the Kodak machines there - 78p for two prints (one to use for application, one spare). I cut the portraits to size.

I printed off the application form and signed it (two places) and dated it, the declaration form and signed and dated it, and brought those two items, along with my passport and spare photos, spare printout of application form, and two photos up with me on the bus to Victoria from Bristol.

I arrived at the centre at 9:15am and was given a ticket. I waited for 1 hour 45 mins until I was seen. I definitely recommend getting there this early or ideally even earlier. There were three counters processing people without appointments, and it took them 100 mins to process approx 25 people, so that will give you an idea of how long you will be waiting.

The guy seemed to know what he was doing. He changed my duration of visa from 1 month to 6 months by hand (I had read since that 6 months is best to put). I was a cruise passenger and told him this; he asked me for my cruise itinerary, although I have read in other places it's no longer necessary, but I was glad I had a copy with me.

Regarding the references section, I had simply put my cruise ship as the contact in India. This was fine for my application but I have read since that another option is to put: BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION, NEW DELHI, 110021, TEL: 91 11 2419 2100.

I went for the return by DX Courier option and also the email tracking. I received a message at 5pm that evening that my passport had gone to the Indian High Commission for processing, then a message yesterday that it had been processed. I received my passport back this morning. So four days total from application (in person) to receiving back my approved visa. Not half bad!

As an aside, there were a couple there seeking to get a transit visa; they only had 13 days til they travelled. They were told transit visas were currently taking 15 days to process. They seemed reluctant to pay the extra £20 and get a tourist visa in 3-4 days, which I would've done to relieve myself of the stress!

Anyway, all sorted here, and hopefully that's useful for others who need a visa pretty sharpish.

My suggestion is to go in person (to London), go early, and go prepared. If you need a visa quickly and you send off your stuff and you've got something wrong, then you might not have time to correct the mistake and send it off again. If you go in person at least you have an expert to look over your form.

Hope that helps!

My experience in Edinburgh on Monday pretty much the same as yours, but we arrived without an appointment, only one other person in front but he had 4 passports, it took about 30mins from start to finish, like you we are on a cruise, some one advised multiple entry which i put but as we are only visiting 2 ports he made it a double entry, our passports are on their way back to us with the special delivery envelopes i left you have to have one for each passport now.So 5 days from application to receiving the passports back.
I found the form filling very stressful but the centre was very helpful and i think any mistake they will amend, but i'm glad it's over and done with.

Any kind of entry should be fine for most cruises - I have read that since you sail in Indian territorial waters between destinations you're not technically "departing" India. I will only be there for three days (two destinations) but I applied for a 6 month Multiple Entry visa as I read somewhere this is the typical type of visa that is issued. You might find tomorrow when your passports arrive that you have that type as well.

that would be very handy if mine came back 6 month multi entry.

Just a brief note on how it went in cardiff. There was no-one in front of me at all and went in the middle of the day. the man was really helpful, and filled in parts i hadnt - such as the exit port on the application form. Was very glad I had gone in person as opposed to sending my application off, as a i had forgotten to print off the receipt and put that in aswell. i was able to do that up the road and get back in time so all was fine.

For peace of mind, and ease, it was well worth going to cardiff. Definitely recommended

There is nothing wrong with the postal route. Just read the information and follow the instructions when filling in the application.

Send correct size photos.
Send any relevant documents, for the visa applied for.
Apply in plenty of time. Most horror stories are from people who are short of time when applying.

It should take about a week during quiet periods and about 10 days when its busy.

You don't need to put port of exit as it doesn't ask you when filling it the application on line.

Good luck everybody....