Help! Desperate! Visa! Holiday! Help!!!!

I was unaware that you had to apply for a holiday visa to India. I am supposed to be landing in Delhi 28 June leaving from Sydney. My travel agent did not inform me of the necessity to get a holiday Visa prior to departure (I have always just gotten passport stamped at airports when entering).

I am so frightened and upset. I will hve to desperately fight for a visa at the Sydney embassy tomorrow. Why is there no information about visas out there? I am about to lose the holiday I have planned for 9 months. Please give me some advice: I am so upset.

Visas is one of those travel basics, but it is true that so many countries and groups of countries do not require them. I doubt that you'll ever make that assumption ever again in your whole life! And I doubt that there's any point in lecturing you about it now; I'm sure you're suffering more than enough.

I have no idea about Sydney. In London, before outsourcing, you could have got your visa same-day without any problem. Their website should advise.

Just do make sure that you have all the required photos, cash, passport, etc etc as listed.

Go for it; and Good Luck.

Otherwise, getting a flight changed is going to coat you, perhaps, but not as much as loosing a whole trip.

But try to be optimistic for now.

Let us know how you get on.

I wish you luck with getting your visa tomorrow, frenchie.

But, without wishing to lecture, there is a lot of information about visas "out there"; it's everywhere. You can hardly have failed to see all the visa threads in this forum, and whichever guide book you have used for the last nine months to plan your holiday will have told you that a visa is required.

But, as Nick says, changing a flight is not necessarily complicated. It might cost you a bit, but just treat it as a lesson learnt and get on with enjoying your holiday.

And do let us know how you get on.

EDIT:

From the website of the Consulate General of India in Sydney: Frenchie... if they're unable to provide you with a visa tomorrow then get a firm date from them when you will be able to collect the visa. Then go straight to your travel agent and get them to change the flights. Sometimes travel agents can do this without incurring the usual amendment fees. Even if there is a fee, you will have no choice but to pay it, so just take the hit, delay your holiday by a week and put it all behind you.

Wow, why wouldn't a travel agent mention it? I have never had to apply for visas before arrival before. I just cant believe it. In any case, my flights are non-refundable, so there it is: I guess the dream is over. I can't believe this" guide book: nothing; travel agent: nothing; India Mike: nothing. I have been on this forum for six months and never heard about external visa applications. May this thread serve as a warning to anyone planning their holiday. My holiday is officially over. I can't stop crying.

hey Frenchie dont give up before you try and get things sorted out your flights will not be refundable but can be changed it may cost you but it will be worth it, mention to your travel agent that they should have mentioned a visa and they may contribute to the cost also the HCI in Sydney may under the circumstances issue you an emergency visa, good luck

"You can hardly have failed to see all the visa threads in this forum, and whichever guide book you have used for the last nine months to plan your holiday will have told you that a visa is required."

There are officially five threads on visas, and none of the info is on outside applications. My guide book doesn't mention ANYTHING. One vague page about making sure your passport is up-to-date (which is in-step with what I have done before), so ummmmmmmm, I can't quite work out where I was supposed to discover what it was that I didn't know that I needed to know. I have been on this forum EVERYDAY and visited my agent once a month over the past few months. I don't know what to do. I can't even get a reschedule! My tickets are issued and are irrefundable.

Will be crying well into tomorrow.

Thanks Bodas73, will definitely try.

I appreciate your practical positivity.

First, I agree with bodas73, flights should be able to be changed even if non refundable.

Besides this, I don't know what to say, coming from a country where visas are required for everywhere, almost. Any travel agent or guidebook worth their salt should tell you this. And so does indiamike, repeatedly ; this thread is in the sub forum devoted to visas, just one thread, see the first post.
Visa Roundup: Tourist Visa FAQs



But forget all that right now. My suggestion, call your travel agent, find out the cost of switching flights, and, as MickeyS says, take the hit.

Enjoy your trip to India Things should work out, hopefully

capt_mahajan, thank you, I can't understand why I haven;t seen this. HOW COULD I MISS THIS???

I will line up and beg for a Visa tomorrow. Unfortunately I am a student, I can;t " take a hit". if you know what I mean, unless I intend to sleep in the street and eat nothing. It is all or nothing tomorrow. I can't believe this! Visa upon arrival has been my ONLY encounter. Any Indian embassy hints to gain emergency visa?

I am afraid changing the flight will cost you.

As for the visa, I would tell the consular people exactly that.. that a change of ticket at this stage may mean your having to cancel and lose money and miss the entire trip. Request to see somebody more senior if possible at all (difficult). You have nothing to lose.

All the best.

Even if the flights are non-refundable that does not mean that they cannot be changed. British Airways, for example, will allow amendment to even its cheapest non-refundable flights for £30 per sector (plus any difference in fare, which I guess might be the killer at this late stage).

And, as I said, your travel agent might be able to reschedule the flights at no cost to you. As soon as you know when your visa will be available, talk to your travel agency immediately.

Your best bet is to really beg the embassy staff to help you out. They can do it - a visa can be issued in a matter of hours if they deem it necessary.

Don't give up.

A real woebegone look, and telling lethargic and bored officials, "If you won't help me, who will?" has sometimes worked for me.

Echoing...

non-refundable does not mean not changeable, although may incur a cost --- in fact one free change comes with a lot of fares, even the cheap ones.

Don't give up Until you know you're beaten. Go to that embassy, and if necessary grovel and beg.

If it works for a big, ugly Sea Captain...

You have to be ugly, but hey, it works! Zurich 8 hours, Barbados 10 hrs sightseeing in transit, no visas. (I will never come to Beautiful Barbados again, if you won't help...). And, once I followed some arrows at Antwerp and found myself outside the terminal without bags or immigration clearance .. but that would be more offtopic.

So, which crappy guidebook did you use that didn't mention visas? Lonely Planet certainly mentions them, so you must have used some other book, eh?