Dovetailing Visas with Flights

imran

Hi,

I'm looking to go to India in early April for 6-12 months and am aware that tourist visas are 6 mths max and so unsure for when i should book my return flight.

if all goes well, i plan to visit Pakistan or Sri Lanka at some stage within the first six months and while there apply for an additional visa for india to cover the final six months of what i hope is a year long stay.

when i book my flight this week should i book the return flight to fall within the first six months, and change it later?

or will it be ok to book the return leg on the day i'm likely to actually return, even though it will fall outside of the first visa i get?

Any help will be much appreciated.

hope that makes sense!

Imran
ps in case it's pertinent, I'm a British citizen - i was born here but my family is of pakistani origin.

batistuta

You can buy a return ticket which is valid for more than 6 months(some tickets are valid for a year?.) and then change the return date on that ticket as per your convenience.

Welcome to IM

Tapestry

I agree - it's so likely that you're going to have to change the return date of your ticket anyway, just book it for when you would ideally like to return home, and then move it according to how the situation plays out. Your return ticket doesn't have to correspond to your visa.

vespertine

Hi Imran,

Am effectively trying to do the same thing as we speak. Are you pretty confiden that the embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka will issue you an additional 6 month visa straight after your first 6 month visa? I'm hoping this will be possible but really just want assurance from someone who has been told that it's definitely possible and/or knows someone who has done so.

Lucky you, a whole year! Can only take 7.5 months as my ticket requires me to be back in the UK by mid-November (a year since I left)

Cheers

batistuta

It is possible Mate,the embassy has some issues only if you go for a repeated visa application(Ie ,if you got the currennt visa from the same embassy).This is not the case with both you guys cos you will be getting your first visa from your Home embassy.

Even then,I have read reports on IM(you can get lots of similar threads)where repeated visa applications is a prob only in Nepal and not on Sl so there wont be much cause for concern.

Check the post from a dude called Belgian cos he did the same thing.It must be in Passport and visa section of the forum.

SteamBuff

One point to remember is that you cannot extend your visa, you will get a NEW visa (Old one cancelled) which is valid for 6 months from date of issue. (Not from date of expire of previous visa)

Nick-H

Anything like this is a gamble.

An added factor is your Pakistani origin: if they feel like it, they can make this reason to make things hard for you, demand additional documentation, give less than six months etc etc.

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imran

Booked flight two weeks ago, ensuring i can change the return jounrney at no extra cost.

Went to the High Commission this morning with my girlfriend, who's Irish. She picked her 6 mth, multi-entry visa up 1 hour later.

Unfortunately, I was told that the fact that my parents were born in Pakistan meant that i could only get a 3 mth, single entry visa -- and then only if i supplied a letter from my last employer and a bank statement. Which i was able to do since i worked nearby. I still have to wait a week before i can - hopefully - pick it up.

All in all a pretty depressing day and we are seriously considering whether we should just accept that we can't do the 6-12 months we were hoping for and go somewhere else after the initial 3 months expire.

Any thoughts?

Imran

Nick-H

Yes... that it is utterly unfair on you and also on my Sri Lankan friends who find themselves in a similar position.

But that's the way it is.