India is among the most popular holiday destinations for Brits travelling abroad. However, the country’s visa system can be difficult to navigate, leading to people getting the wrong visa or needlessly overpaying for their visas.
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E-visa or embassy visa for India
As with most countries, the various visa for India all depend on two important details about your trip: what you will be doing in India and how long you plan to stay. Depending on this, you can apply for an e-visa instead of an embassy visa. Embassy visas have a lengthy application procedure, as they require you to appear in person for an interview, and these appointments are very quickly filled. This leads to long waiting times to get a spot.
India’s e-visa system, which the country introduced in 2014, simplifies the visa application process, as it allows the entire application to proceed online, without needing to visit an embassy or consulate anywhere. All that is required for an e-visa application is to fill out the online form, make the payment and then upload a photograph of yourself. After these steps have been completed, the application is processed automatically. Unlike embassy visas, approval generally comes through within a week. In short, if you’re eligible for an e-visa, it’s almost always the better option for a holiday to India.
Am I eligible for an e-visa?
The e-visa is not available to everyone. A number of requirements apply, both to your trip as well as to your person. As mentioned above, two of the most important requirements are the purpose of your trip and how long you plan to stay. The e-visa is available for tourist trips, business trips, visiting family or friends, and medical trips. If, for example, you plan to work or study in India, you can’t apply for an e-visa and will have to apply for an embassy visa instead. If you arrive in India with the wrong visa type, they won’t allow you to leave the airport. So make sure to check which visa you need to apply for.
E-visas for India also have limited validity. There are e-visa that are valid for 30 days and ones that are valid for a year. The 30-day visa allows you to stay in India for 30 days as well. The one year visa allows you to stay in India for up to 90 days per visit. This means that if you plan to stay in India for more than 30 days, you have to apply for the one year visa. If you want to stay for more than 90 days, you have to apply for an embassy visa.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the e-visa for India is only available to specific nationalities. These include all countries in the European Union, as well as the UK, Canada, China, and a large number of other countries. Identity cards, travel documents or other non-passport permits are not accepted for e-visa applications, and neither are emergency passports. The only document that is accepted is a standard, government-issued passport.
Do children need a visa?
Some countries allow people under 18 years of age to enter without a visa. India is unfortunately not one of them. All individuals travelling to the country who are not visa-exempt must submit a visa application in advance, and as mentioned previously, they require a passport to do so. This includes children. They must have their own passport to get a visa. There are no exceptions. On arrival in India, the passport must have at least 6 month remaining validity.
Specific arrival locations with an e-visa
When travelling with an e-visa, you are only allowed to enter India at specific airports. During the visa application process, you have to fill out in advance which location your arriving at. If, after receiving the visa, your arrival location changes, for example because you had to re-book your flight, this generally doesn’t pose an issue. As long as your new arrival location is also included on the list, you can still travel as normal.
How to complete the e-visa application process
An e-visa application is fairly straightforward, especially when compared to the application process for an embassy visa. To acquire an e-visa, the online form has to be filled in, which can be done on a computer, but also on a phone or tablet. While most of the information asked for in the form is pretty standard, the form also asks specific questions about your employer (even for children), your parents (even if they have passed away), and your partner (if you have one). You are also asked about your recent travel history, to make sure you haven’t visited any forbidden countries. However, the most important field is the passport number field. If this is filled in incorrectly, the visa might be approved, but will be invalid, meaning you can’t travel. Even the tiniest typo will prevent you from getting on your plane to India.
After filling out the form, you’ll be asked to upload a photograph of yourself as well as a photo of your passport. If you’re going on a business trip, you also need to provide a business card or letter of invitation from the company in India you will be visiting. Once these files have been provided, the application is processed, and approval usually takes a few days to a week.
What if you can’t get an e-visa?
There can be many reasons why you might not be eligible for an e-visa. For example, if you or your parents were born in Pakistan, you can’t make use of the online e-visa procedure. Similarly, if you do not have a nationality of one of the countries in the e-visa list, the form is likewise inaccessible for you. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t travel to India. In these kinds of cases, you can instead apply for a physical visa, also known as an embassy visa. As the name implies, these visa types require a visit to the embassy for an interview, but the benefit is that almost anyone can apply for an embassy visa, as there are much fewer requirements compared to e-visa.
