Visa on Arrival in India for 5 Countries

[anna]

it's weird because Luxembourg and The Netherlands are basically the same and while Luxembourgers are getting visa-on-arrival...

...requirements for us poor Dutch has been increased since July 2009... before Dutch students could visit India like anyone else but now they have to submit bank statements etc to prove they have means to support themselves.

 

[cat]

oh, that is like for Indians to get SA visa!

When consulate is convenient and visa process is quick and efficient 3 days like for me, it's better than visa-on-arrival. I get through immigration and out the door quick! ...mmm, I look forward to it.
Oh and by the way, even visiting the consulate here is a pleasure. But unfortunately, they've now outsourced it, apparently doing that in many countries.

 

[anna]

sometimes outsourcing can work to an advantage

before us Amsterdammers had to travel all the way to The Hague for our Indian visa and now it has been outsourced to a company here in Amsterdam, IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD... yipee!!

 

[darkside_of_d_sun]

I am strong backer of reciprocal visa issuance hence support the same requirements from an European for an Indian tourist visa which the EU demands from us!

There is some good news, with the Headley case uncovering more skeletons, the Govt. is reviewing the entire tourist visa issuance policy. I hope they make it more aligned to reciprocity.

Cheers,
Shamik

 

[cat]

ya, sure, become more like China.

So who should throw the first stone, that the other should reciprocate, and who should be the first to show kind and welcoming attitude?

 

[darkside_of_d_sun]

ya, sure, become more like China.

So who should throw the first stone, that the other should reciprocate, and who should be the first to show kind and welcoming attitude?

I read that as bending over backwards! Charity begins at home, so whoever wants easier visa regime from India must get their government to allow easier visas for Indians as well.

 

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Welcoming someone with an open heart and without any condition isn't bending backwards! Bending backwards is when we stop building roads in our territory, because a certain neighbor complains or going ahead and having talks after talks after talks, even though we know the sole intent of the other nation is to spread terrorism in India!

 

[cat]

India is not like any other country and basing such policy on what other countries' policies and philosophies and cultures are doesn't seem like a good idea.

The process or policy for India tourist visa depends on factors other than reciprocal agreements. I suppose that would influence some perceptions, but they do not let it dominate the policy and process. The process will vary according to concerns about security, and with ties of culture and history.

10 year and 5 year multiple entry visas for USA citizens, why? I don't know. New rule is that there must be 60 day gap between entries. Because of Headley business (pbuh) and because of Russian mafia property deals. How much it would help, I don't know. Some of the tourists are complaining because of inconvenience and some others would now have to stay 60 days in Nepal before coming back. I envy them, if I could get 10 years visa and spend next 10 years, 180 days in India and 60 days in Nepal and repeat, I would do it.

Reciprocity...
Well, it is the same between India and SA, except that SA charges $47 and requires proof of income etc. (as with all countries except for about 40 that do not need to apply for visa,) and India does not charge South Africans. Because of 1.5 million or so Indians that have been here from 1860.
You think ordinary people like me and a million Indians could get the african govt to make it easier for Indians? huh, if it wasn't for good efforts by Indian govt, they would be more likely to make it harder.

 

[sharninder]

How India issues tourist visas is laughable! You just fill up the form, submit the money and the passport and some photos and pickup it up duely stamped after 5-7 working days. No checks, no verifications are conducted for majority of the countries.

This is a prime example of our government bending backwards to please whomsoever is concerned.

Not to pick on you man, but I think the whole premise of this discussion is wrong. I agree that, in theory, VOA should be given only to countries with whom we have a reciprocal relationship going on but that's now how it works. VOA is a diplomatic problem and granting VOA's to these countries is a business/diplomatic decision. It has nothing to do with security.

I also don't think by having a stringent visa policy, anyone can enforce security. Security has to be enforced at checkpoints not at the immigration office and its not their job anyway. HongKong, technically a part of China, gives Indians visa-on-arrival but try getting into mainland china ! Even a proper visa will not make things easy for you. Terrorists don't use Visa's.

I think we should give VOAs to as many countries as possible. Encourage their citizens to come to our country and see our beautiful country and spend their money here. Security is a different matter and should be enforced regardless of wht kind of visa a person has.

Someone here mentioned how Indian embassy folks give visas easily. Have you applied for a Singapore or a Malaysian visa ? I have and I didn't even visit the embassy. They sent me one via courier ! And those countries are secure, aren't they ?

 

[witold]

How India issues tourist visas is laughable! You just fill up the form, submit the money and the passport and some photos and pickup it up duely stamped after 5-7 working days. No checks, no verifications are conducted for majority of the countries.

I recently applied for an Indian visa and it was the worst process of any visas I've ever had to deal with. In the US, the Indian Embassy doesn't do the visa work. They outsource the work to some private company (Travisa) and that company held my paperwork hostage for about 9 days before they actually gave it to the Indian Embassy to be stamped for approval. My application was perfect so I don't know what they were doing with it for 9 days. Once the Indian embassy received it, they stamped it in one day - and promptly returned it back to the outsourcing company. In total, this was one of the most time consuming visas I've ever received (~12 days). I live in Washington, DC and all the embassies are here and I can generally show up to most embassies, pay extra, and often get my visa same day. Very easy - unlike Indian visa. Even visas to very restrictive countries like Vietnam and Burma are a lot easier and quicker to get.

12 days may not sound that debilitating, but many people who travel do not just go to one country. Often, they go to several. And if they know that an Indian visa is a pain and will take 12 days they will just skip it and go somewhere else instead.

My trip is centered around riding in Kashmir so I am planning for India and it is just a small inconvenience for me. But on my previous trips to Asia, I could've easily gotten the itch to take a quick flight to Delhi/Goa/Agra/whatever and if I learned about these visa rules and times, I would definitely not bother with the hassle.

I don't know if my experience on this is unique or typical because Travisa never got back to me after I filled out their 'customer satisfaction survey' and voiced my opinion.

On top of that, I learned that my 6 month visa carries a stipulation that if I exit India, I can't come back to India for 2 months. (unless I apply for yet more paperwork.) This is more bureaucracy that makes side trips to Nepal/Bhutan/Sri Lanka/etc more difficult and schedule more inflexible and the reason why I will probably end up spending less time - and less money - in India.

I don't really care what rules and processes India chooses for visas. It really depends on how much the powers that make these decisions in India want to encourage or discourage tourism. Different countries make different decisions on this and I respect that.

I just wanted to share my experience so you can see how an average tourist looks at it.