India Tourist Visa US passport EU resident

[litlover]

Hello,
I have a US passport but am a legal resident in the EU. I'm planning a trip to India in Sept. and was planning on getting my Indian visa when I go to the States in Aug. However, I was just on the Travisa website (which handles tourists visas for India in the US) and at the top of the page is a warning that they are "outsourcing service" and to "anticipate significant delays." I will be in the US for a month in Aug. and wanted to get the visa then and there because I hate being without my passport here in Europe should (heaven forbid, a family emergency arise). Now I'm thinking that 'significant delays' means that I should get it here in Spain. The visa faq and application form are very vague (because I don't fit the standard online application criteria due to my passport/residency situation) and emails to the company have proven fruitless. Unfortunately I'm 6 hours away from both Madrid and Barcelona where they have offices.  Anyone else have experience/advice about applying for an Indian visa in this situation?

Thanks in advance!   

[mdgirl]

Not in your specific situation, but I have an Indian tourist visa. They made a mistake processing it (my passport was amended with my married name but they printed the visa with my maiden name). I had to send it back to get corrected, so the process took longer than usual. If you're going to be in NYC or some place with an actual Indian consulate I think you'll be OK because you could rush it in person if need be. Otherwise I wouldn't count on a fast turnaround.

[alleinesein]

Travisa Outsourcing is supposed to STOP processing Indian visas at the end of the month according to their may newsletter. I will see if I can dig it up in my inbox.

My first Indian visa took 30+ days to process whereas my second visa took 36 hours.

I would recommend getting it in Spain.

ETA- The Indian government is transitioning to a new outsourcing service. We anticipate significant delays during this transition period, and recommend that you send Indian visa applications to Travisa as early as possible.

Also...where are you planning on going in India?  Details please I lived in Mumbai for 5 months so if you end up there for a few days I can provide some recommendations

[pittpurple]

I got my Indian visa in my American passport and I live in Scotland. This was a couple years ago though so I'm sure plenty has changed and we do have an Indian consulate in Edinburgh. I would actually look at going through a travel agent - we have one we use here for work and they're able to fast track things and ensure all the paperwork is correct. Just given your time constraints and location (being far from the consulates) it might be worth a chat to see if anyone can rush it through at all.

I agree - I HATE being without my passport. We just had a situation actually that our British passports were off getting Chinese visas and had a family emergency so my husband had to delay flying home until we got them back, it was so stressful.

[Brit]

I don't know about the India tourist visa, but I got my India business visa in one day in Chicago a few years ago. It was outsourced then to Travisa and 'had significant delays'. You can probably get a one day one if you are willing to pay. I think it was in the range of $500?

[litlover]

Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it!
In the end I've decided to get it here in Spain. I hadn't thought of looking into a travel agent and that's a great idea! It's curious because one of the requirements to get it processed here is that I include a copy of my ticket, whereas in the US it specifically states not to buy the ticket until you have the visa.
We're flying into Delhi and doing the Golden Triangle for 3 weeks. The last week we will fly to Goa and leave from there.  Unfortunately, we won't be visiting Mumbai on this trip. We have to leave something for the next trip, right? It's such a diverse country and too many things to choose from!  It's number 1 on my bucket list and I'm so excited! Any advice or recommendations?  

[pittpurple]

We spent two weeks in the golden triangle and had an amazing (though sometimes hard!) time. How are you getting around? Just a few random thoughts...bring lots of food and water with you if you're taking a train. We learned this the hard way. Go to the Taj Mahal when it opens, it's so peaceful and seeing the sunrise is one of my all time favourite travel moments. We were there for 6am and had parts totally to ourselves. by the time we left around 9 or so, it was a madhouse. Always look before stepping backwards to take a picture, had an unbelievably disgusting experience. We ate almost entirely at Lonely planet recommended restaurants and cafes and never got sick, I actually gained weight, the food was so good! We travelled around on our own with our backpacks and stayed in little guesthouses which was great.

Am sure I have more thoughts, let me know if there's anything specific you were asking though Brit is definitely the expert!

[alleinesein]

May 29, 2014 14:23:30 GMT -5 litlover said:

Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it!
In the end I've decided to get it here in Spain. I hadn't thought of looking into a travel agent and that's a great idea! It's curious because one of the requirements to get it processed here is that I include a copy of my ticket, whereas in the US it specifically states not to buy the ticket until you have the visa.
We're flying into Delhi and doing the Golden Triangle for 3 weeks. The last week we will fly to Goa and leave from there.  Unfortunately, we won't be visiting Mumbai on this trip. We have to leave something for the next trip, right? It's such a diverse country and too many things to choose from!  It's number 1 on my bucket list and I'm so excited! Any advice or recommendations?  

Depending on what airline you book your ticket you may be able to do a 24 hour hold on the itinerary.  If so, you can then print out a copy of the itinerary with the Record Locator/Reservation # and include that with your visa application without actually buying a ticket. 

My advice- HAVE FUN!  Remember that everything you have heard about India is true BUT the opposite is also true.  Don't be afraid to eat the food.  Drink a ton of water.  Dont wear shorts and tank tops (if you go when its hot).  Carry a scarf or pashmina with you; some temples require that you cover up when you enter.  If you are there during any type of festival join in the celebration and don't be surprised if the locals pull you into the crowd. Try some Bengali sweets and some kulfi.  Carry a decent amount of cash on you; a lot of places still dont take credit cards and some ATMs will only dispense INR 10,000 at a time (citibank ATMs tend to dispense up to INR 25,000 at a time).  Do NOT give money to begging children; if you feel the need to give them something give them candy.  Did I mention Have fun??

You will be there right in between holidays (Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali).  If you go right at the beginning of September you may be able to catch the end of Ganesh Chaturthi; its celebrated to an insane extent in Mumbai but other parts of the country celebrate it as well.  It runs for 10 days and starts on August 29th this year. 

Get your shots before you leave.  Bug Spray is a must.  Malaria pills- typically you get Doxycycline for this and you need to take it 3 days before your trip, while you are travelling and for 30 days after your trip.  For a 3 week trip you should get a prescription for 60 pills.  Take it at night before you go to bed b/c it can cause some stomach issues.  Take pepto bismol pills with you and take 2 every morning.  It will help coat your stomach.  While the food in India is delicious it can upset your stomach if you aren't used to eating the spices that they cook with. 

[litlover]

Mil gracias for the great advice!
We'll be arriving on Sept. 2 so hopefully we can still catch the end of the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday. Any good book recommendations? 

[HamishHealys]

I’ve got 2 suggestions: 1) get a travel agent to do the work for you, or …2) check out travelvisaonline.com/ they’d usually have the information you might need.