India visa living in Spain non resident

machadinha

It obviously can, yes.

Some immediate stuff that people will be giving up on would (or could) be social benefits, the right to social housing where applicable and needed, and that sort of stuff. Health insurance, indeed.

So again, not a light decision to make. If the OP's cousin & her husband already gave up on any UK address and/or residency (the latter still seems to be a little unclear in their case) though, probably none of this would apply. So in that case, yes, seeking Spanish residency first might be a very good option, and perhaps wise in more ways than just for an India trip.

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Haylo

Doesn't matter. Even foreigners who are vising the UK can apply for Indian tourist visa, there is an additional form and £10 fee, and a slight delay while the HCI contacts the authorities in the applicant's usual country of residence - which is wherever they have been living for the last 12 months.

For UK nationals it's even easier, they can apply for an Indian visa in the UK with no extra forms, fees or delays, whether or not they are resident here. The OP's cousin could use whatever address she is staying at, even if it's a hotel, and I'm sure that the majority of Brits have friends or family here whose address they could use.

Depending on how far in the future her trip to India is, and the frequency of flights from Spain, it might be worth her looking for a Ryanair £1 flight!

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

federica

Haylo, if it's true (and I believe it is) then why she couldn't apply?

Haylo

Because you can only enter UK addresses on the VFS online application forms. You have to be SOMEWHERE in the UK to apply for a visa from the UK's High Commission / Consulates.

machadinha

That is what I'd expected; and,

I think they were just giving out crap then. Like I said, I think there've been reports here of them (the British visa services) not being, or at least not having been until not long ago, the jolliest of people to deal with (or, indeed, to even get a hold of at a distance).

<Cross-posting with Haylo>

So, in that case, might that idea of handling it from Spain but giving a UK friend or relative's address not work?

federica

<crossposted with Mach>

So you can enter a UK address (p. ex. a friend's address) from abroad in the VFS online application form, can you?

Indiangirl

thanks everyone plse keep it coming!!

with regard to :not possible because I am her only relative ...and I am in India most of the yr (I have PIO) so no-one would be here to sign for or forward the passport to her in spain, once delivered here from IHC or VFSGlobal!! Oh dear, who could imagine it would be so difficult in this day and age and with the so called EU!!!
Indiangirl

Haylo

I did not suggest handling it from Spain, I suggested the OP's cousin visits the UK maybe basing herself at a friend or relative's house during her trip and applying for it in person, which only takes 2-3 working days.

Well, yes it's done online so completing the actual application form wouldn't be a problem. For that matter, nor would printing off a blank form and writing it out, which is still accepted. But the OP's cousin would still have to take her application to the VFS office. She could post her application from abroad, but they are likely to smell a rat!!!

Besides, how would she get her passport back? VFS certainly aren't going to post it abroad...

It would be possible, for instance if their parents still lived in the UK, for an applicant to courier their application to their parents, who could then post it to VFS, accept it back from VFS, then courier it back to an address abroad. I certainly would not put my passport to such a risk of multiple postings, and I would definitely not post my passport abroad, effectively trapping me in a foreign country! Besides, while it's not specifically forbidden, it would definitely be pushing your luck...

federica

When a foreign tourist staying in UK can apply for an Indian tourist visa in UK why can't she apply in Spain (as a tourist)? I always thought you can apply for an Indian tourist visa almost from everywhere (compared to other types of visas)

machadinha

I'd try the Spanish (Indian) embassy or visa services route first yes (unless she has plans to visit UK before anyway). Just fill in the application, add a brief and clear letter of explanation if you feel necessary (these guys are not gonna be looking for some lengthy and convoluted essay, keep it simple and to-the-point, nor feed them with any not strictly necessary info, that again they're unlikely to care about anyway), then send it on its way and see what happens.

She could always return to UK for it, as a last resort and if absolutely necessary.

(I've not kept track of time left btw, if it's been mentioned; could get tricky if the visa is needed quickly.)

Or again: Get them on the phone first and just try and explain the situation, and what they advise to do now. Their answer may not give you that much of a guarantee either (some of these folks seem to barely know the rules themselves, esp. for anything that doesn't readily fit any "fixed" schemes), but, well, it could give you a lead. Maybe a name of reference to use in your further communications, and such.

Indiangirl

No, fortunately the only good thing is she isnt coming until Jan/Feb 2010!!
Indiangirl

theyyamdancer

In Greece when you are a non-Greek applying for an Indian Visa at the Indian Consulate in Athens you have to write them a letter explaining why you are not applying for your visa in the UK and you have to give an address in the UK for their reference purposes. (I gave my brother's.) That's all. It is a formality.

Then it takes an extra few euros and an extra week while they fax to the mother country to check that you are who you say you are on your British passport.

Presto!

Do not be intimidated.

Good luck.

__________________
"Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

Haylo

Because while they are subject to the same laws, every Indian High Commission / Embassy has its own rules, and being able to do something at one HCI / Embassy does not mean you can do it at others.

Nope, the Indian Embassies in some countries simply will not accept applications from non residents. Sorry, but I can't remember which.

However, as I said before, some websites say they won't accept applications from non residents, even though they clearly do. Unless and until the Embassy in Madrid (or wherever) refuses to accept this application, we don't know that there's even a problem here.

I agree, as the OP's cousin does not have family in the UK, she's probably not planning a visit anyway.

I do suggest applying in good time, I recall from previous threads about applying in Spain that they take the concepts of unhelpfulness and particularly "mañana" all too seriously...

theyyamdancer

The worst part is having to travel to and fro the Consulate and they are probably only open for two hours in the morning and will most likely give you a "window" for collection of your visa at a completely different time of day, in the afternoon, also for one or two hours only.

Sorry to compare Greece with Spain, but it is perhaps a similar mentality. The wait for the door to open starts at the Athens Consulate about one hour before it opens. Then everyone rushes upstairs. Impossible to queue. A general pushing and shoving. By the time you get to your turn the two hours are practically over. If you have a plane or a boat to catch to your island they don't care. Come back tomorrow! Yes, it is a very good training for what lies ahead once you have secured your Indian visa.

Of course we don't yet have outsourcing.

Haylo, you are entirely correct when you say that each and every officialdom is a world unto itself.

machadinha

LOL. Indian perceptions of time (and consequent bureaucracy & time needed for it) + Mediterranean perceptions of the same = might well be the worst possible imaginable combination, yes