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

johnny five

These questions are really for the wonderful "asmithee" but if anyone alse can offer advice, please do!
We will be returning from Goa on Friday to renew our visas and will be in the UK for less than 3 weeks.........

1) Our existing visas will not expire until 15th November and we are planning on applying beginning of next week to give plenty of time.........is this overlap likely to cause problems please
2) We keep reading on various forums that we can fill out the old form and apply in person and pay with cash (at the VFS office) if this can be done it would be great as access to internet will be diff when we first arrive.
3) In a reply just before this you said to put n/a.....I was told you had to put na or the system would reject it?

Thanks in anticipation

Haylo

If you're filling a paper application, you can put "Not Applicable" NA or N/A, that will not be a problem at all.

If completing the form online, the website will only accept text and if you use special characters such as / or - it will not let you move to the next page. The website will however accept NA.
Yes you can do it that way, the disadvantage is that you might have a very long wait at the VFS office.

When applicants arrive at VFS they are given a numbered ticket, people without appointments get a ticket from a different series and not only do there seem to be more people with these tickets, these numbers seem to be called far more infrequently. I'm not sure but I think there may be fewer desks dealing with the non-appointment applicants, either that or they take longer to process.

Anyway, if you complete the forms online before you come to the UK and print them off to bring with you, you can book a VFS appointment up to 30 days in advance and still pay cash when you arrive. People with appointments are seen very quickly, my application was dealt with on time and I was out of the door again about ten minutes after my appointment time.

Edited to add: Good luck and welcome to the site!

__________________
The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

ksp8

Hi, just looking for a little advice.

I am travelling to India at the end of December and need to sort out tourist visas for myself and my girlfriend. I am planning on taking our completed forms to VFS at Victoria in person.

Will I be able to submit applications for both of us or will my girlfriend need to be there in person?

What are the trunoaround times from submission to collection of visa at present?

Also what are there opening hours and what time of day and day of the week is best to go for shorter queues?

Thanks for the advice

Kevin

zeroseven

During my MANY visits to the Victoria office I saw / heard many people complain about this

They had paid for 12 month visas, but only been granted 6 months. The difference in fee however was 'non returnable'

Beware.

Haylo

Thanks, it is good to know that it is far from a rubber stamp job.

As I pointed out on the post that you quoted from, granting a 12 month visa is entirely at the discretion of the HCI, as is granting one at all, which is far from guaranteed. Others on here have made the same point.

However, until recently the HCI were not granting any 12 month visas and from the experiences of people posting on here it seems as if they are now issuing some.

If an application was made which included a covering letter explaining that the visit to India would be in six months time and which included copies of flight tickets proving that the applicant would be elsewhere for the first six months, there is a CHANCE that this would help the case for a 12 month visa to be issued.

zeroseven

Haylo - Sorry I omitted to point out that this was the week after the visa applications were outsourced..... April??

Haylo

The posts about 12 month visas have mostly been in the last month or two, there seems to have been a change in practice.

You are absolutely right though, if you apply for a 12 month visa and HCI only give you 6 months, you don't get a refund. It's hard to know what to suggest as so far, apart from it seeming that more are being granted by HCI London than by HCI Birmingham, there is no clear pattern emerging.

Personally, I'd say that given how much faffing about and costs there are in getting a visa, if someone knows they'd otherwise be applying for two six month visas from London, and if they can afford to lose 20 quid it would be worth the gamble.

jevs

Please can someone advise me. I need to apply for a tourist visa for my wife and myself. Iam unable to visit the Visa Agency due to distance.
Do the visa agency in London accept hand filled downloaded pdf forms with the necessary moneys and return envelopes.
Thanks for your replies

Nick-H

There's a postal service: you should find all the details on their site.

Haylo

You can complete the forms online then print them off and send them with your passports, payments etc.

The VFS website has most of the information you need, feel free to ask again if you have any questions they haven't answered.

asmithee

Smithee to the rescue...!

Yes, anyone can submit applications on behalf of anyone else, as long as you have the passports, photo's, completed application for and payment.


You don't say if you have submitted online or are going with handwritten forms, but I advise requesting 6 months multiple entry tourist visas...these are pretty much the norm.

Turnround times are minimum 2 - 3 working days. I am assuming you have British passports, so this is usually around a 95% chance you will have it in that time...however, beware that 5%. Nothing is guaranteed, there is always the X factor, unknown factors that could delay your application etc. But...as it's December, you have plenty of time.

I strongly advise filling out your forms on the website, and there is the option to pay online as well. If you do that, you get the option to make an appointment when you arrive at the centre. That can make a big difference to how quickly you get served when you arrive, as appointment customers are prioritised.

Frankly, the earlier you arrive, the quicker you are in and out. If you're lucky it could be 30 mins, less than an hour. But if you come with handwritten forms and no appointment, the waiting times can be greatly increased...sometimes 2 - 3 hours.

The times you can make your application are between 8.30 - 14.30pm. As long as you are in the centre by 14.30 and have a queing ticket, you will be seen.

It's not really possibly to say when the queue's will be shorter...it's very variable at the moment. You really have no way of knowing how many people are going to walk into the centre at any given time. My advice is do it online, come early and you will get away early.

Don't forget, you also have the option to send it in by post...you have plenty of time for that.

Or if you submit it in person, you can have it posted back to you special delivery guaranteed next day (thats next day from when it comes back from the Embassy) for an extra 7.40. Saves you a second journey, so if you are travelling a long way that might be a cheaper, less time-consuming option.

Other that that, just make sure your forms are completely filled in, leave no blank spaced, sign and date them, ask for 6 months multiple entry, make sure you have your photo's...and you should be ok.

Good luck...would be interested to hear of your experience of the system once you have got your visa back.

asmithee

Yes Jevs, handwritten forms are fine.

Just make sure they are completely filled in, leave no gaps, write NA if the field does not apply, and make sure they are all signed and dated.

Check the postal applications section of the website carefully, make sure your fees are correct (no cheques or cash by post), remember the 9.04 service charge per passport (see the visa fees page).

If you are paying online, it;s usually advisable to enclose a copy of the online payment receipt, just in case there are any problems. It helps VFS to verify the payment with their bank if there are any problems, though admittedley they are quite rare.

asmithee

Seconded...thanks Haylo.

Yes...the London HCI are issuing more 1 year visas than they used to - but it's still not a 100% guarantee.

There are still cases of people getting less than what they ask for, few and far between but they do happen.

Trick is not to base your travel plans of getting what you ask for...be cautious, try not to make firm plans and spend a lot of money for flights and hotels until you know what you have actually got.

Trust me...it's not pleasant to have to deal with people who have already arranged their flights, spent a ton of money and having everything hinge on getting a visa by a certain date.

I know it sucks...but those are the cold, hard realities.

johnny five

Mr Smithee,
Thanks again for your efforts to inform and assist. If you get a chance, could I have your thoughts on the visa overlap mentioned in my original question at the top of the page as this is what is really worrying me.
Thanks

Nick-H

I have not had a problem getting a new visa and having HCI cancel (if they notice it) the old visa, BUT (and it could be a big but) I had only spent short periods of time in India, or, at least, several months in UK before returning and it was a year or two before India started to take a harder line on those using consecutive tourist visas to effectively stay in India.