India opens tourist e-visa door to 43 countries

[craigt3365]

India opens tourist e-visa door to 43 countries

Shekhar Niyogi, Kolkata, November 27, 2014

TRAVELLERS from 43 countries will now be able to apply online for visas to India through a dedicated portal unveiled by the government today.

Indianvisaonline.gov.in accepts applications at least four days before and a maximum of 32 days from intended arrival date. Each visa is priced US$60 and valid for 30 days with no extensions available.

Travellers may obtain only two e-visas each calendar year.

Nine international airports in the country, namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Trivandrum and Goa, have been equipped with the necessary systems and software to process e-visas.

Countries that will be able to use the e-visa system include Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, the US, and Thailand, among others. For the full list, visit indianvisaonline.gov.in.

Continued:

http://www.ttgasia.com/article.php?article_id=24237

[Upnotover]

That's charming, the wife (Thai) can get one but I (UK) can't.

[roamer]

That's charming, the wife (Thai) can get one but I (UK) can't.

Apparently its due to the fact we make them jump through hoops, well not literally but you get the picture.

[SinCityGr8One]

Awesome news! Planning a trip there next year with the Missus.

[banglassie]

i might have misunderstood something or my brain might be a tad slow, but I don't really get the benefits of this?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apply online

Secure online application saves time and check status online. ->

Submit documents

Submit your application with required documents at Indian Misison/Visa collection centre. ->

Receive passport, visa

Collect your passport/visa from Indian Mission/Collection Centre or by post.

---------------------------------------------------------------

So as I read this it would still require the applicant to get to a "Visa collection center", and in the end get a full-page visa in your passport.
The biggest benefit of the E-Visa system in Cambodia according to me is that no Visa in the passport is needed, only 2 printed copies, one for arrival and one for departure.
Except for that they will just give you a stamp in the passport which saves a lot of space. My passport expires in 2 years, but I only have 3 empty pages left due to these full-page visas... I am staying here on a Non Imm "O" multiple entry. So when I need to leave the country it will be to Cambodia, Malaysia, HK or Taiwan, only to save space in my passport.

As a Swedish citizen I can't add pages like Americans can do. I'm not sure if the Swedish Embassy will let me keep my old passport if I decide to make a new one, until my non-imm "O" runs out. Some have stated that it would be possible to have 2 passports at the same time for this case, but for all I know Sweden will reclaim the old passport when a new one is issued, however I need to look into that deeper cause this is getting ridiculous, and I don't really want to go all the way back to Sweden to make a new passport...

I wish more countries, including Laos, would adopt the Cambodian visa system (or even better, visa exemptions like in Malaysia or HK..)
But I guess that will only remain a wish for quite some time to come..

Edited November 28, 2014 by banglassie

[ovenman]

Here is the link to the actual online visa system:

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

The visa is delivered to the applicant by email. I see nothing in the above website that indicates one needs to pick up a visa at any Indian office.

[KittenKong]

I'd quite like to go to India and travel around for a couple of months but the high visa fee puts me right off.

I think that imposing fees for tourist visas is madness. All it does is encourage tourists to go elsewhere.

[puuchaibaa]

Not available to Canadian either. Wonder how much tourist revenue they are losing out on because of this. And then there's the silly fee. I cancelled a stopover there because I couldn't bother to go through the visa process.

The link in the article points to the wrong page, but ovenman posted the correct one.

[theoldgit]

Actually the opening post does direct to the correct page, it directs to the full home page with more information, there is a link on the home page to the application portal with less information, but is sufficient.

Ovenman's link bypasses the home page and directs straight to the application process, for which I'm grateful

Very interesting to note the nationalities that are excluded.

[impulse]

I'd quite like to go to India and travel around for a couple of months but the high visa fee puts me right off.

I think that imposing fees for tourist visas is madness. All it does is encourage tourists to go elsewhere.

I would suggest that they probably don't want to attract tourists who balk at a $60 visa fee and they'd prefer you go elsewhere.

Doesn't mean you're not a nice person, but probably not their target demographic.

Edited November 29, 2014 by impulse

[HaruHaru]

If you are an American/Canadian/Australian and cancelled your trip to India because of $60 visa fee, you would never go to Brazil and Argentna. Americans have to pay $160 to enter these countries. No kidding.

[watcharacters]

I'd quite like to go to India and travel around for a couple of months but the high visa fee puts me right off.

I think that imposing fees for tourist visas is madness. All it does is encourage tourists to go elsewhere.

I would suggest that they probably don't want to attract tourists who balk at a $60 visa fee and they'd prefer you go elsewhere.

Doesn't mean you're not a nice person, but probably not their target demographic.

.

While I'd rather not have to pay any fee, I do understand there are expenses involved for countries to process tourists.

If the fee bothered me, I'd just look at it within the context of the entire trip cost.

I'd like to visit India but the talk of friends about the filth there has kept me from doing it as yet

[bobbin]

As a Commonwealth citizen I lived in India for almost 7 years in the '70's, unfettered by the need for a visa.

Haven't been back since 1977, even though I've been only a few hours flight time away for the past 12 years. A few months ago I thought it might be time to change that, but was put-off by the paperwork and time to obtain a visa in Bangkok. I was aware that VOA was in the offing and decided to wait a little while.

Now I see that as a Canadian I am not eligible for VOA, even though my home country is chock-a-block with former Indian citizens!

Same as the UK, also with more than their fair share of formerly Indian citizens. WTH!

[Mahseer]

I'd like to visit India but the talk of friends about the filth there has kept me from doing it as yet

I have travelled to India for more than 30 years and whilst agreeing that squalor and general filth is there in abundance there are also plenty of areas where the sheer natural splendour and friendliness of locals far outweighs any negatives I have seen elsewhere.

Have a go at the north first and draw your own conclusions. Would recommend Uttaakhand, Kashmir or Sikkim for starters or if you fancy a road trip go to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and hire a vehicle and driver and head to Kaza and stop at Chitkul, Kalpa, Mud in the Pin valley and then explore the areas above Kaza. If you time it right you can continue on to Manali across high passes that are only open 3 months a year.

Apologies for going on but have heard the 'filth of India' too many times.