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India - e-visas


joandian
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I've read that cruise passengers are having issues arriving in India by ship using the new e-visas. One report had all those with e-visas going through extensive biometrics and immigration checks thus delaying organised tours for several hours.

 

Does anyone have personal experience to report? I want to make sure we have no delays with our visit next year but the e-visas are so much easier to obtain.

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I've read that cruise passengers are having issues arriving in India by ship using the new e-visas. One report had all those with e-visas going through extensive biometrics and immigration checks thus delaying organised tours for several hours.

 

Does anyone have personal experience to report? I want to make sure we have no delays with our visit next year but the e-visas are so much easier to obtain.

 

We're going in Nov and our cruise line made it very clear that we would need a multiple entry visa. I know it's more detailed to get but I prefer not to be surprised when I get there!

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I haven't been to India on a cruise, but for American citizens my understanding is to visit India you must have some sort of visa. We have multiple entry tourist visas that last 10 years. The options when I got mine was 6 mo or 10 yr and since we have family there we go every 2 years or so. It takes a few weeks to process through the embassy, so give yourself time or be ok with paying extra fees.

 

 

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We are in Australia and only have the option of 1 year visas for basically the same price you in the US pay for a 10 year or the new e-visa, which say on them they can be used in both Cochin and Goa ports. We also have to travel to either Canberra or Sydney to apply in person and that is quite some distance from where we live.

 

Having said all that, we are prepared to do this if it reduces the risk of missing the private tour to the Taj Mahal we have set up.

 

....We're going in Nov and our cruise line made it very clear that we would need a multiple entry visa. I know it's more detailed to get but I prefer not to be surprised when I get there! ....

 

Agreed! If you think of it, would you mind posting of your experience going through immigration at the ports. please? I would like to hear first hand how quickly you get through with the regular paper visas. Thanks!

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We are in Australia and only have the option of 1 year visas for basically the same price you in the US pay for a 10 year or the new e-visa, which say on them they can be used in both Cochin and Goa ports. We also have to travel to either Canberra or Sydney to apply in person and that is quite some distance from where we live.

 

Having said all that, we are prepared to do this if it reduces the risk of missing the private tour to the Taj Mahal we have set up.

 

....We're going in Nov and our cruise line made it very clear that we would need a multiple entry visa. I know it's more detailed to get but I prefer not to be surprised when I get there! ....

 

Agreed! If you think of it, would you mind posting of your experience going through immigration at the ports. please? I would like to hear first hand how quickly you get through with the regular paper visas. Thanks!

Hi,when we FLEW into Delhi this year with the multi entry visa,we had to line up at immigration.Halfway down the line we noticed people were filling in a small form that nobody told us that we had to fill in, my oh grabbed one at a neaby table and we filled it in quickly.All a bit chaotic,but we got thru in the time it takes going thru US immigration but without all the fingerprints etc.It all boils down to the "jobsworth" you get at the desk,cheers,Brian.
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Hi,when we FLEW into Delhi this year with the multi entry visa,we had to line up at immigration.Halfway down the line we noticed people were filling in a small form that nobody told us that we had to fill in, my oh grabbed one at a neaby table and we filled it in quickly.All a bit chaotic,but we got thru in the time it takes going thru US immigration but without all the fingerprints etc.It all boils down to the "jobsworth" you get at the desk,cheers,Brian.

 

Thanks Brian. My main concern is arriving by ship where the hold ups have been experienced by some this past week who had the new EVisas. I want to make sure we don't have any issues.

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When we visited on the Celebrity Century in 2015 the e-visa would not work for cruise ships.

 

The Indian visa process was a royal pain in the butt. I finally just hired a visa processing company.

 

Also, the immigration processing to just get off the ship was the worst that we have encountered and that includes, Russia and China.

 

The first port took us almost three hours to get off the ship. About eight female Indian clerks took their sweet time going over our passports, etc. The other three ports were better, but still very bureaucratic.

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From a British Citizen living in the UK, AFAIK the e-visa is only good for one entry/exit and has very limited seaport entry points at which it can be used, as it is primarily intended for land based visits arriving by air. As most cruisers will enter and leave India by sea not air, the multi entry up to 1 year Tourist Visa is what is needed. Biometric scans will be required if you apply for a 5 year multi entry visa of any type, both at application and point of entry.

 

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Thanks Brian. My main concern is arriving by ship where the hold ups have been experienced by some this past week who had the new EVisas. I want to make sure we don't have any issues.
Hi,you asked about arriving with the full visa,which I answered.The evisa does not include Mumbai by ship apparently.So it sounds like you might be better off with the full visa,cheers,Brian.
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We are arriving in Cochin by ship, leaving the ship and going to the Taj Mahal (2 nights away) and rejoining the ship in Goa. Both Goa and Cochin are definitely on the list of ports given in the eVisa documents. Having said that, we will be applying for the regular visa. I do wonder about all the issues though when it clearly states on the eVisa paperwork that entry through those ports is ok.

 

Thanks Brian but that doesn't answer my question about the difficulties in arriving by ship with a full visa.

 

Thanks 4774Papa. That's what I had heard also and I had hoped it would have gotten better.

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Hi,we flew to Delhi,done the golden triangle tour.We flew to Dubai to pick up ship arriving in Mumbai and then Cochin.We had no problems with full visa,just a standard inspection.Delhi airport was more stringent,so cruise ship arrivals should not be a problem,cheers,Brian.

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The e-Tourist visa is not currently valid for cruise travel. We were just in Mumbai in April, cruise line (Oceania) would only accept the multi-entry visa. We applied for ours and it's good for 10 years. Takes some patience for sure to get through the process, but in the end, we had our visas in less than two weeks after sending in the applications and our passports.

 

Joe

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We were in Cochin and Mumbai this spring on a cruise. You had to have a regular visa. Use a visa service. Several people did not, going through the company India suggest. They did not get a visa after 2 months of trying. Did not get there money back. Luckily the cruise ship allowed them on the ship, but they could not get off the ship at all in India. But they were told they could have denied them passage on the cruise. I think one of the reasons the cruise line did not deny them passage was because it was a 111 day World Cruise.

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The e-Tourist visa is not currently valid for cruise travel. We were just in Mumbai in April, cruise line (Oceania) would only accept the multi-entry visa. We applied for ours and it's good for 10 years. Takes some patience for sure to get through the process, but in the end, we had our visas in less than two weeks after sending in the applications and our passports.

 

Joe

 

See this is what confuses people because I've looked at the paperwork and documents directly on the Indian Government website and it definitely says that an eVisa is valid for 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore). That is copied right off the website.

 

Our group are from Australia, Canada and the USA and we are all going to apply for the paper visas through the relevant Embassies and Consulates closest to us to make sure we have no issues.

 

Did you have any biometrics done when you applied for your visa? If not, were they done when you arrived at the port? This seems to be the hold up arriving with the eVisa as they are doing biometrics for everyone. I'm curious if those that didn't visit ether an Embassy or Consulate and get biometrics recorded have the same issues when they arrive at the ports.

 

Jo

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See this is what confuses people because I've looked at the paperwork and documents directly on the Indian Government website and it definitely says that an eVisa is valid for 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore). That is copied right off the website.

 

Our group are from Australia, Canada and the USA and we are all going to apply for the paper visas through the relevant Embassies and Consulates closest to us to make sure we have no issues.

 

Did you have any biometrics done when you applied for your visa? If not, were they done when you arrived at the port? This seems to be the hold up arriving with the eVisa as they are doing biometrics for everyone. I'm curious if those that didn't visit ether an Embassy or Consulate and get biometrics recorded have the same issues when they arrive at the ports.

 

Jo

Joe was going to Mumbai which is not included in the programme,hence the cruiselines insistence of a full visa.If you are applying for paper visa,as I said there is just a brief face to face inspection at port.
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This is for the UK citizens. As noted above there are only 3 seaports where an e-visa is accepted, MUMBAI is not on the list so a Tourist Visa will be needed. Unless you are intending to revisit India after your cruise a twelve month multi entry Tourist Visa is quite enough. Biometrics only apply if you are applying for the 5 year version. You will need two 2x2 inch visa photos, don't be tempted to cut down a large photo, as there are specific positioning and features required in the photos, Max Spielman/Timpson do them but are expensive at £12.99 per person.

 

There are a number of places around the country where you can attend an interview and hand the forms and photo in, note they do not process and issue the visa at that interview so you will not shortcut the time you wait in for passports to be returned.

 

The visa will be valid from the date of issue not the date of sailing/entry, so bear that in mind when applying.

 

We are off to Newcastle to hand in our paperwork etc. this morning so I'll post later if any changes.

 

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This is for the UK citizens. As noted above there are only 3 seaports where an e-visa is accepted, MUMBAI is not on the list so a Tourist Visa will be needed. Unless you are intending to revisit India after your cruise a twelve month multi entry Tourist Visa is quite enough. Biometrics only apply if you are applying for the 5 year version. You will need two 2x2 inch visa photos, don't be tempted to cut down a large photo, as there are specific positioning and features required in the photos, Max Spielman/Timpson do them but are expensive at £12.99 per person.

 

There are a number of places around the country where you can attend an interview and hand the forms and photo in, note they do not process and issue the visa at that interview so you will not shortcut the time you wait in for passports to be returned.

 

The visa will be valid from the date of issue not the date of sailing/entry, so bear that in mind when applying.

 

We are off to Newcastle to hand in our paperwork etc. this morning so I'll post later if any changes.

 

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Hi,we live on the district line and get free travel on our over 60 oyster.We went into London,Goswell Rd and dropped off our forms and passports,got an email 2 days later that they were ready for collection.Not as nerveracking as I have read and any small mistakes can be rectified by the agent at counter.We got our photos at a kiosk in Sainsburys £7,make sure you select the correct size,quite easy as it is illustrated with an Indian flag,cheers,Brian.
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We did the Ovation last year which included Cochin. We had full visa so did everyone onboard. There were also India Immigration Officers onboard and we had to fill some form and there was a face-to-face meeting with the India Immigration Officer before the stamped the documents.

 

Later we heard that those who do not wish to disembark the Ship at India do not require a Visa. There were lots of commotion at Guest Service and many unhappy passengers.

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Hi,we live on the district line and get free travel on our over 60 oyster.We went into London,Goswell Rd and dropped off our forms and passports,got an email 2 days later that they were ready for collection.Not as nerveracking as I have read and any small mistakes can be rectified by the agent at counter.We got our photos at a kiosk in Sainsburys £7,make sure you select the correct size,quite easy as it is illustrated with an Indian flag,cheers,Brian.

A benefit of living in London! Many if not all of the other offices don't offer collection, so you have to pay for each passport to be couriered back. The process was easy enough, just the form filling in bit is a pain in he proverbial.

 

 

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A benefit of living in London! Many if not all of the other offices don't offer collection, so you have to pay for each passport to be couriered back. The process was easy enough, just the form filling in bit is a pain in he proverbial.

 

 

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Hi,another thing was we were too honest saying the total duration of travel from issue was 4 months which does not qualify for multientry.This was not stated on the website.The agent altered it to 6 months which is the minimum for multientry.Cheers,Brian.
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We are from the U.S. We had 4 ports in India last month. E-Visas were not an option and as some have said applying for an Indian visa can be complex and confusing. Even though the form has a check box for the 120 months multiple entry visa and you check that box, you may not get a 120 month visa. My wife got a 120 month visa. Mine was only good for 12 months. I met a couple of others on our ship that experienced the same thing. When I asked Visa Central about it, they simply said it is up to the person processing our visa to decide when your visa will expire. One thing for sure, it costs the same whether it is good for 10 years or only 1 year.

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We are from the U.S. We had 4 ports in India last month. E-Visas were not an option and as some have said applying for an Indian visa can be complex and confusing. Even though the form has a check box for the 120 months multiple entry visa and you check that box, you may not get a 120 month visa. My wife got a 120 month visa. Mine was only good for 12 months. I met a couple of others on our ship that experienced the same thing. When I asked Visa Central about it, they simply said it is up to the person processing our visa to decide when your visa will expire. One thing for sure, it costs the same whether it is good for 10 years or only 1 year.

Michael, how far in advance of your cruise did you apply for your visa? How long did it take to process it? Thank you!

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Michael, how far in advance of your cruise did you apply for your visa? How long did it take to process it? Thank you!

 

Not Michael, but happy to share my experience. I am also in the US. I applied in January (using Indian Embassy required vendor Cox & Kings Global) for our cruise in April. Total processing, including shipping both ways was just under two weeks. We were both granted 120 month visas. The application process is not very intuitive, be sure and follow all the instructions closely! And have all your documents and information ready before you start the on-line process. They didn't like the passport style photos we sent first, so we were delayed a few days while I went and had new ones taken and sent. If it had not been for that, I imagine we would have had out visas back in just about a week.

 

Joe

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I am Michael and my experience was the same. Just under two weeks. We applied about 60 days in advance. Unlike Joe, my visa was good for only one year. My wife's was for the expected ten years.

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Not Michael, but happy to share my experience. I am also in the US. I applied in January (using Indian Embassy required vendor Cox & Kings Global) for our cruise in April. Total processing, including shipping both ways was just under two weeks. We were both granted 120 month visas. The application process is not very intuitive, be sure and follow all the instructions closely! And have all your documents and information ready before you start the on-line process. They didn't like the passport style photos we sent first, so we were delayed a few days while I went and had new ones taken and sent. If it had not been for that, I imagine we would have had out visas back in just about a week.

 

Joe

Thanks Joe! Ours will be processed in San Fran and I believe yours was also, so this is very good to know.

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