Indian Short-term e-Tourist Visa

It is undoubtedly true that the tourism industry is booming in India and cross-country travel is playing a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of tourist destinations. However, there has been a growing concern about the detrimental effects of the travel industry on the local inhabitants and natural surroundings in India. For this reason, strict laws got introduced by Indian authorities meaning there is a need for steps to be taken to regulate and facilitate the process of obtaining visas for British residents. This article is made to critically analyze the merits and demerits of a complete procedure on how to get an Indian Short-term Visa in 2022.

Let’s consider this:

Introduction

1. Top questions

1.1 What is an e-visa & who needs to get it?

1.2 What e-Tourist Visa is to enter India? 

1.3 How long is an e-Tourist Visa valid for?

1.4 When should I start applying to get an e-Tourist Visa?

1.5 How long does it take to get an Indian e-Tourist Visa?

1.6 Where is the e-Tourist Visa processed?

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain an Indian e-Tourist Visa? How to pay? 

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa

2.2 Steps to apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa

3. e-Tourist Visa Extension

4. How many enters are possible there?

5. Where to enter with e-visa?

6. Top-importance points

In overall 

One of the highly controversial issues today relates to the dissolution of barriers between countries and the unprecedented rise in international tourism. In this article, we are going to shed some light on the tourist regulations in India.

There are several benefits of tourism in India. The main reason for believing this is that British people bring into the country they visit a lot of foreign currency which can boost the local Indian economy. It is also possible to say that tourism creates a great diversity in India which is celebrated in modern communities.

However, every coin has two sides and despite all the advantages of international tourism, there are some disadvantages too, that may affect the environment and the locals. Firstly it is often argued that foreign visitors like British tourists may not be very keen on preserving the environment.

So, tourism in India has several advantages and disadvantages. However, we tend to believe that welcoming British tourists to India is highly beneficial if the government is able to control most of the negative impacts of tourism by implementing strict and consecutive legislation and visa requirements.

Let’s start to answer as well as reply to some questions to find out the subtleties of the Indian visa application process.

1. Top questions

1.1 What is an e-visa & who needs to get it?

When you have a trip to India, you have to apply for a visa. Before you should come to a consulate or embassy to apply for a visa. Since the introduction of e-visas for India, that process is normally no longer useful.

WHAT IS AN INDIAN E-VISA?

The e-visa to India is a digital document (PDF/ PNG OR JPG) and is also called ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization). The e-visa is a substitute for the physical visa, which is glued to your passport as a sticker. Previously there used to be a paper-based process for applying for an Indian Visa for UK Citizens. This has now been revised to an online process that does not require any paper-based forms to be filled out by British citizens. The process is to fill out an easy-to-complete Indian Online Visa application form. Also, there is no requirement to get a stamp on the passport, have an interview, or courier your passport. UK citizens need to keep the PDF/ PNG or JPG copy of the electronic Indian Visa (eVisa India) emailed to them. But all India e-visas, require applicants to have a legal machine-readable passport for six months from the date of arrival in India. The passport must also have two blank pages for stamping.

UK Citizens can now acquire visas and pay in their local currency like the British Pound Sterling or any of the 135 currencies in the world.

INDIAN E-VISAS ARE VALID FROM THE ISSUEYNG DATE not the date of your entry to India so applying months in advance will waste time on your visa.

What are the advantages of an e-visa?

– lower fees;

– short delivery time;

– simple application process.

REMEMBER THAT CHILDREN ALSO NEED TO APPLY FOR AN INDIA E-VISA regardless of their age.

But you need to fill in a separate form for kids and newborn babies. If you have more than one child traveling with you, then you have to fill in and apply using a separate form for each child, and carry the visa approval along with a valid child’s passport. In such cases, minors applying must be in possession of their own separate passport.

ELIGIBLE PEOPLE FOR AN INDIAN E-VISA:

• International travelers whose sole objective for visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives, attending a short-term yoga program, short-term courses on local languages, music, dance, arts & crafts, cooking, medicine, etc. which should not be a formal or structured course/program (courses not exceeding 6 months duration and not issued with a qualifying certificate/ diploma, etc), Voluntary work of short duration (for a maximum period of one month, which do not involve any monetary payment or consideration of any kind in return), medical treatment including treatment under Indian systems of medicine, business purpose, as attendant to e-Medical visa holder, attending a conference/ seminar/ workshop organized by a Ministry or Department of the Government of India, State Governments or UT Administrations, etc. & their subordinate/ attached organizations & PSUs and private conferences organized by private persons/companies/organizations.
• The applicant’s passport should have at least six months of validity at the time of making an application for a grant of e-Visa.
• International Travellers should have a return ticket or onward journey ticket, with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.
• International Travellers having a Pakistani Passport or Pakistani origin may please apply for a regular Visa at Indian Mission.
• Not available to Diplomatic/Official Passport Holders or Laissez-passer travel document holders.
• Not available to individuals endorsed on Parent’s/Spouse’s Passport i.e. each individual should have a separate passport.
• Not available to International Travel Document Holders other than Passport.

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1.2 What e-Tourist Visa is to enter India? 

An India visa UK application may be a regular visa or an e-visa.

THE REGULAR INDIA VISA requires applicants to send their passports to the Indian embassy for visa stamping.

PURPOSES FOR THE REGULAR VISA:

– studies;

– employment;

– filming.

AN E-VISA is a fully online procedure. The e-visa is issued when the applicant travels for visiting conferences, tourism, or medical purposes. If you are traveling for other reasons like studies, employment, or filming, then a regular visa is required.

PURPOSES FOR THE E-VISA:

– tourism;

– medical treatment;

– visiting conferences, business meetings, workshops, yoga, sales and trade, and volunteer work.

Citizens from almost 161 countries, including the UK, will be entitled to apply for an India e-visa online. If you are traveling for tourism or visiting family or friends, then an Indian e-tourist visa is required.

1.3 How long is an e-Tourist Visa valid for?

The time of visa to be actual is primarily dependent on a visa type. Consequently, this enables us to pay attention to the duration and prepare some documents to make your trip a great pleasure.

FOR E-TOURIST VISA (30 DAYS), the validity would be 30 days from the date of your first arrival in India. Double entries will be granted within the e-Visa validity period stamped on your Passport. Your first arrival must be between the date of issue and the expiry of the ETA.

To ensure that the validity of your visa has not expired when you arrive in India, your application is automatically processed exactly 3 weeks before departure, if you applied before that. After you have received your visa, you can still decide to arrive in India three weeks earlier or one week later than the date stated in the form.

1.4 When should I start applying to get an e-Tourist Visa?

For an e-Tourist visa, Applicants of the eligible countries/territories may apply online a minimum of 4 days in advance of the date of arrival.

1.5 How long does it take to get an Indian e-Tourist Visa?

After UK Citizens have completed the Indian Visa Application Form including providing any supporting application documents like a British Passport scan copy and face photography then UK Citizens can expect the outcome of the India Visa Application in 3-4 business days. In some cases, however, it could take up to 7 business days.

It is also important to note that UK citizens can only apply for an e-Visa twice in a calendar year.

1.6 Where is the e-Tourist Visa processed?

To start, all visas are processed in a similar way. The only difference worth mentioning is the rare cases when additional documents are needed.

THE FIRST OPTION IS THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITE:

You can apply for an e-visa to India on the government website here, you then collect your visa on arrival at one of the major airports in India.

Sounds easy but bear in mind that there is still quite a lot of paperwork to fill out and if you make a mistake on the forms you could be rejected and have to apply again. The fee for the visa and for processing the application is non-refundable, even if the visa is not granted.

THE SECOND OPTION IS OUR COMPANY WEBSITE:

To release your stress of applying for your Indian e-visa let our company sort everything out for you. We charge a service fee but make the procedure faster and easier to follow and offer a zero frustration policy. We can help you to make your application to be processed and get your e-visa via email. We also have a window for the arrival of 120 days meaning you can get your visa sorted well in advance of your trip but remember you still need to apply online no later than 4 days in advance of your arrival date to India.

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain an Indian e-Tourist Visa? How to pay? 

PAYMENT IN CASE OF DOING WITH OUR COMPANY:

If you sought the service of our company, then you should pay £20 extra as a service fee.

PAYMENT IN CASE OF DOING WITH THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITE ON YOUR OWN:

Remember that banks normally charge an additional 2.5% of the above amount as their service charge.

The e-Visa fee payment status updation may take up to 2 hours due to technical reasons/network delays. Before re-applying, the applicants are requested to wait for 2 hours for payment status updating, after the final submission of the application form and payment of the fee. In cases, where the e-Visa fee has been deducted but the status is not updated, the applicants are advised to verify their payment status by clicking on the ‘Verify Payment/Pay Visa Fee’ tab or by clicking on the link Verify Payment.

If the payment is not accepted by the e-Visa government website make sure you delete the browser history and cookies before trying to make payment. Also, try to change the browser if the problem persists. In case you have already tried more than thrice, then you may have to re-submit the entire application form once again.

Axis Bank Technical support. Email address: ecom[at]axisbank[dot]com

Contact No Toll-free Numbers from the UK: 0808178 5040

SBI ePay payment support provides technical support for all payment related transactions: +91-22-2752-3816 (10.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. IST) and +91 1800-22-1401 (24 x 7).

If you want to use the Indian government website then you should choose one of the two payment methods.

THE FIRST PAYMENT METHOD ON THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITE: SBIePay

SBIePay is the Payment Aggregator service of State Bank of India – India’s Largest Bank and amongst the top 50 Banks in the world, which provides a bouquet of multiple payment options on a single page for the convenience of the customers.

SBIePay has facilitated the following channels on the e-Visa platform:

Payment Gateway: It seamlessly processes Credit card and Debit Card transactions for all the cards issued internationally by Visa & MasterCard. SBIePay Payment gateway is enabled with a BIN identifier which recognizes the BIN online when a customer enters the no., which drastically improves the success percentage and reduces customer friction. Paypal: SBIePay also facilitates e-Visa customers to make payments through the widely popular and accepted Paypal channel.

To understand that payment has been made successfully you should enter the necessary details on the website, and clicks on ‘Pay Now’. The applicant (you) is redirected to the SBIePay payment page and is presented with payment options of either entering Card details (Payment Gateway) or Paypal. Applicant enters his card details and clicks ‘Proceed’. Now, either of the below mentioned 2 scenarios will occur:

– 3 D Secure page of the Card Issuer will be displayed, where the applicant must enter 3D Secure Password/OTP;

– transaction is processed without a 3D Secure page. After successful completion of the transaction, the applicant is redirected to the website with a successful receipt of payment.

In an ideal scenario, once the transaction is processed, the applicant shall be presented with a payment successful page along with a reference number.

In some rare scenarios, it may happen where the application is not shown. Payment successful page post completion of the transaction, which may be due to a drop in connectivity leading to non-receipt of a success response. If the applicant does not receive any success message even after the card account has been charged, a refund shall be initiated after the due reconciliation process to the applicant’s card account.

In the rare case of transaction status unknown to the applicant, which is when the applicant has not received success response due to time out or connectivity issue and the account has been debited, we advise the customer not to attempt another transaction immediately and rather provide their Order no. on the e-Visa site after 30 minutes to check the status of the transaction. If the transaction status is showing ‘failed’, then the customer may attempt another transaction. Also, the debited amount shall be refunded to the applicant’s card account after the reconciliation process within seven (7) days of the transaction.

The banking charges (including any taxes) for:

– Payment Gateway Card transactions (both Debit or Credit Card): 2.5%* of the applicable e-Visa fee;

– Paypal: 3.5%* of the applicable e-Visa fee.

An applicant can perform multiple times transactions for a single application ID, with a gap of a minimum of 25 minutes between each transaction. It is advisable that the applicant may check the status of the transaction at the e-Visa portal before attempting another transaction.

An applicant shall be charged only once for any successful transaction against an application ID. Any further debits shall be refunded back to the customer after due reconciliation, within seven (7) days of transactions.

THE SECOND PAYMENT METHOD ON THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITE: Axis Bank Payment Gateway

Axis Bank is an Internet Payment Gateway Solution that allows you to make payments on a 24 X 7 basis from around the world. It accepts all Credit and Debit Cards issued by MasterCard and VISA.

To understand that payment has been made successfully you should after filling in the details on the website clicks ‘Pay Now’. The applicant is redirected to the Axis Bank payment gateway page and is presented with payment options like MasterCard and VISA. The cardholder enters his card number, expiry date, Name, and CVV value, and clicks ‘Pay Now’. In case the cardholder Bank is enabled for 3D secure, then a page will appear for the cardholder to entire either his/her OTP/3D secure password. Else transaction would be processed. After successful completion of the transaction, the applicant is redirected to the website with a successful receipt of payment.

The applicant shall be presented with a payment successful page along with a reference number. If the applicant does not receive any success message even after the card account has been charged, a refund will have to be initiated after due reconciliation to the applicant’s card account.

If a transaction has failed but the applicant’s card account is debited more than once, the amount will have to be refunded to the applicant’s card account after the reconciliation process within seven (7) days of the transaction. In some cases, If the fund still lies with the card issuing Bank, kindly get in touch with your Bank for such case.

The banking charges are subject to a maximum of 2.5% plus applicable taxes on the applicable e-Visa fees. These charges are charged to the applicant at the time of making an online e-visa fee payment.

Axis Bank provides technical support for all payment-related transactions at ecom[at]axisbank[dot]com

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa

When applying for an Indian e-Tourist Visa, you must provide the next documents:

FIRST DOCUMENT – VISA APPLICATION FORM

You need to fill in your Short-stay e-Visa Application Form legibly, correctly, sign it, and be aware that addresses in India must specify the number, street name, city, and postal code.

SECOND DOCUMENT – RECENT PHOTO

It is recommended to follow all the following Indian Visa Photo Requirements:

1. photo must be no older than 6 months;
2. the photo must have a white background;
3. image format: JPEG file;
4. image size: minimum 10KB and maximum 300 KB;
5. the dimension of the photo must be like this:

– the minimum dimensions are 350 pixels (width) * 350 pixels (height);

– the maximum dimensions are 1000 pixels (width) * 1000 pixels (height).

THIRD DOCUMENT – VALID PASSPORT

Original Passport or Travel document of UK with at least 6 months remaining validity on the date of travel and have at least 2 visa pages clear of any markings. If you got a new passport but your ETA was on your old passport and it is still valid you may be allowed entry into India on the new passport even if ETA has been issued on the old passport with the condition that you must carry the new Passport and old passport on which ETA was issued.

FOURTH DOCUMENT – PASSPORT COPY

A clear colored scan copy of the passport (the first and last page) of the UK with the information pages that has a signature. Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, passport issue, and expiry dates. You will need to submit it in a PDF format with your application. The passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months.

FIFTH DOCUMENT – VACCINATION DOCUMENT

COVID-19 vaccination proof for travelers coming to India. The last dose of vaccine must be taken at least 14 days before departure.

SIXTH DOCUMENT – NEGATIVE COVID-19 PCR TEST RESULT

A negative COVID-19 PCR test result is required for all international travelers coming to India. The negative PCR test must be issued within 72 hours before departure.

SEVENTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF ACCOMMODATION IN INDIA

You need to prepare one of the next recognized docs to get your visa:

– Hotel Booking or Reservation;

– An Invitation from The Host with a Copy of His Passport (proof of sponsorship);

– Proof of a pre-paid tour with your payment info to the tour company.

It may be solely chosen like Hotel Booking Plan as Proof of Accommodation because you should not pay for the complete hotel stay before getting an Indian Visa. Actually, you could lose your money to pay the hotel fee if your visa is denied.

VisaReservation is a good company that may provide you with a Proof of Accommodation Letter for Visa application with paying a small fee to reserve a room in a hotel. Follow the website VisaReservation, choose the Hotel Booking Plan Only, write the necessary information about you and your residing time in a hotel, pay online, get the confirmation of your payment and the e-mail with info of your hotel reservation in your inbox, print the email details and provide it.

EIGHTH DOCUMENT – A FLIGHT ITINERARY (RESERVATION)

Sometimes you can hear other names of this document like Booked Flight Itinerary, Flight Itinerary for Visa Application, Flight Reservation, Air Ticket Booking, Dummy Air Ticket for Visa, Dummy Ticket, Flight Confirmation, and Return Ticket.

A Flight Itinerary for Visa Application is not an actual air ticket that you spend money for without ensuring that your Indian Visa will not be declined. Flight reservation means a document of a detailed plan of your flight or travel journey to India. So, it is only a flight timetable on the chosen flight airline including a flight name, your name, a valid flight reservation number or booking ID, arrival and departure date and airport IATA codes, and the price of a real Flight Ticket.

Getting a Flight Reservation for your visa application is not a price-free matter. It is real to get charged with a small amount of money to be confirmed about your flight. There are not so many air companies to do this for free by not charging you anything until you buy the actual Flight Ticket. But, in the long run, you can try to find some air companies that offer a charge-free Flight Reservation.

NINTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF SUBSISTENT FINANCIAL MEANS

This is a supporting document that demonstrates you have enough money to support yourself when your stay in India. Proof of subsistent financial means maybe one of these docs:

– bank account statement;

– sponsorship letter from another person who can financially support your trip to India;

– a combination of both.

A recent monthly bank statement of the applicant from the UK must clearly show the applicant’s name as the account holder, the balances of the accounts, and the date of the statement. If statements are printed online then it has to be Authenticated (stamped) by the bank officials.

In other words, there are some recognized docs to use as proof of subsistent financial means:

– a personal bank statement with your financial affairs for at least 3 last months;

– credit card;

– cash;

– cheques;

– payslips;

– proof of employment;

– document from your sponsor during your stay;

– proof of prepaid accommodation;

– a document about your private accommodation;

– proof of prepaid transport;

– other docs.

TENTH DOCUMENT – NATIONAL IDENTITY

A certified copy of your national identity card/s (other than your passport) of the UK. You must provide a copy of both sides of each card.

ELEVENTH DOCUMENTS – PAID FEE FOR YOUR VISA DOCUMENT  

2.2 Steps to apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa

Irrespective of your visa type, your movements after collecting all the corresponding docs to getting an Indian e-visa are the same:

FIRST STEP – fill out the India e-visa application form online;

SECOND STEP – look through and confirmed paid fee for your e-visa;

After completing the application, be sure to revise that all information is accurate. Then you will need to pay for the cost of your e-visa to India. Until the payment of the visa fee is made, the e-visa application for India cannot be processed. Once you have paid the electronic visa for the India fee your application will be processed.

THIRD STEP – get your approved e-visa;

When the application has been approved it will be sent directly to the e-mail address you provided on the application form. When you receive the confirmation e-mail with your India e-visa attached, be sure to print a copy to present at the port of entry upon arrival in India.

FOURTH STEP – print a copy of your India e-visa;

Before you travel to India, you are required to print at least one copy of your India e-visa. You are also expected to have it on you at all times during your entire stay in the country.

Upon arrival at one of the designated ports of entry, you will be required to show your printed Electronic Indian Visa and your passport. You must have a passport with at least six months of validity when you arrive in India.

Take note that the visa application form must clearly contain the dates of your visit and which cities you will be staying in. For this reason, it is better to collect your documents and fill in your visa application form once you have all of the information you need for the visa application.

3. e-Tourist Visa Extension

If your Indian Visa Online is expiring, then you need to renew it before its expiry. E-visa to India cannot be extended but a new e-visa India (Indian Visa Online) can be applied before the expiry of the original one.

Remember that when applying for an India e-visa your passport needs to be valid for at least six months from your expected date of arrival in the country. Your passport also needs to have at least two blank pages given that the immigration and border control authorities will stamp the document upon entry and departure.

4. How many entries are possible there?

It is highly important to keep in your mind that your visa can be VALID ONLY FOR THE PERIOD OF YOUR ACTUAL MEDICAL INSURANCE.

Irrespective of the number of entries, an Indian e-visa will be granted within the e-visa validity period stamped on your passport.

5. Where to enter with e-visa?

Indian e-visa is not valid for entry into India from any Indian land border, only via designated airports and seaports.

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Persons holding e-visa will be allowed to enter India only through the designated international airports namely:

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E-visa facility is also been provided for entry at 5 major Indian seaports for cruise tourists:

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6. Top-importance points

If you travel to India then you must abide by the rules and conditions imposed by the immigration authorities on the use of your e-visa. That is why it is vital to check whether you follow the universal points:

– your passport must be valid for at least six more months on arrival in India, and contain two empty pages;

– you must follow the Covid-19 requirements for India, so please check them again before your trip;

– you cannot visit certain protected regions in the north-eastern point of India, to the north and east of Bangladesh. These are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim. There is a need to have a specific official permit to travel there;

– nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries or travelers arriving from these countries must carry a YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CARD at the time of arrival in India, otherwise they may be quarantined for 6 days upon arrival in India. Please visit our Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare’s latest guidelines regarding yellow fever countries;

– you must travel on the Passport to which you have applied for e-Visa. Entry will be allowed into India on the new passport even if ETA has been issued on the old passport, however, in such cases, a traveler must carry the old passport on which ETA was issued.

In overall,

we do really hope this article has helped you apply for an India e-visa from the United Kingdom.

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