E-Visa To India is at the Fore of Your Eyes
I’m excited to talk about e visa to India which can fulfill the dreams of many people visiting India because of the economic developments associated with the country. A major setback to Indian entry is the manual accessibility of the visas. The world today has changed. People are either too busy or lazy to visit immigration offices for the permits for their short-term visit, triggering the government to come up with an idea of E-visa to India.
By the end of this article, you will have all the information you need during application for an e-visa to India, no matter the reason for the visit. The introduction of E-visa to India triggered more than 700 percent increase in Tourist Arrivals according to digital visas power to empower the latest news. What is holding you back? Let us get started.
India and Tourism
Tourism in India is a huge business, and millions of people around the world travel to this hospitable country every year. In fact, data from India’s Tourism Depart reported that in 2012 alone over 6.5 million people from every corner of the earth visited India. The Indian Government took notice of this lucrative business opportunity and has been working since 2010 to streamline the tourism visa procurement process for eager potential visitors to the country to bring more travelers to the country.
The Development and Growth of India’s e-Visa Program
Early in 2010 the Indian Government rolled out a program commonly known as visa on arrival. This allows for travelers to obtain visas when they get to India. This is different than a typical travel visa. With standard travel visa potential guests to India would have to apply for an approved travel visa before departing for their trip. This makes planning a trip more complicated and gives the tourist more hoops to jump through. This new pilot program initially accepted visas on arrival from five countries and expanded to include six more a year later.
By 2014 the visa on arrival program was made available on the internet using an Electronic Travel Authorization system and citizens of more countries were continuously approved and encouraged to use this convenient means of obtaining a visa on arrival when taking a trip to India.
In 2015 the visa on arrival program was given the new moniker “e-Tourist Visa” and by 2017, 161 countries were eligible for e-Tourist Visas. Not only that but the travelers that could use an e-Tourist Visa were expanded to those who were traveling to India for short term business affairs, medical visits, and even yoga courses. These expansions to the e-Tourist Visa program were defined as such:
- e-Business Visas
- e-Medical Visas
- e-Conference Visas
- e-Medical Attendant Visas
Indian E-Visa Website
Like any other development, there has been a challenge with dishonest people, wanting to reap where they did not sore which is the critical problem to many personnel who want to venture into online e-visa to India. An earlier generation who did not have access to internet exposure are vulnerable the con-men. E-visa to India application does not require anyone to visit the Indian embassy due to the accessibility of accurate information to identify a fake website from an approved one.
Any website that claims to be the intermediary of the government of India thus speeding up the process of processing E-visa to India is fake. Indianvisaonline.gov.in is the approved site to gather all the information you require. One may want to clarify the atheist of data by sending an email to [email protected]. No shortcut, follow all the information and instructions for the best experience of getting an E-visa to India.
The Eligibility of e-Visa Application
Every country has its own rules and regulations set for smooth flow of every operation. An e-visa to Indian application is not excluded, meaning some reasons might hinder one from accessing the E-visa to India. One of the main reasons is, if the passport has less than two pages for stamping by the immigration offices and that it is not valid for six months at the time of entry to India. To avoid inconveniences during your stay in India, one should be having enough money to spend and should have also paid the return ticket in case of international travelers.
E-visa to India is not available to the holder of the diplomatic passport because some people would take advantage of the online application to commit atrocities in their country and hide in India. For the persons who would like to travel in the company of their young ones or spouse, they should make sure that everyone holds their passport because the E-visa does not allow endorsement.
Medical e-Visa to India
India is known for being one of the best and most affordable medical facilities in the world. Some people from other countries around the globe associate India with medicine. Many of those countries import the original drug from India. Indians passion and qualification in the practice of medicine has triggered many people, mostly those who have cancer or any other chronic disease including major surgeries, to travel to India.
The patients should have a letter from their referred hospitals and address the hospital of referral. The travel could be an emergency one or urgent. E visa to India only allows three visits just in one year and the stay period of not more than sixty days from the point of entry.
Tourist e-Visa
India has many adorable sites to be visited by tourist. One of those sites is the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. For those who like traveling, they would plan for it even when they have no money. The idea of visiting a site motivates them to work even extra hard and the availability of money prompt into making a travel decision through the E-tourist visa.
e-Business Visa
Many doctors and hospital managers visit India on a business visa. I have seen doctors who have agreed to work in conjunction with some of the hospitals in India, meaning that if an issue escalates, the patients are immediately sent to India for treatment. In the process, the doctor makes profits from the agreed commission, every time a patient gets treatment. The government of India also makes profits through the e-business visa. A business e-visa to India establishes you as having visited for a business transaction. To be eligible for a business e visa, one must be having a personal business card or a detailed letter from the company they represent.
Group e-Visa
Group e-visa to India is also available. Some companies usually send representatives to India for a site visit and bench-marking. Another group may visit India as friends to explore or as tourists. Some other companies may decide to do their team building in India. The regulation is that the group should not have less than five people and not more than fifty. Each member of the group must be having an original valid passport. The group is requiring to have existed before group e-visa application. Group visa instruct a stay of sixty days from the day of entry and all persons in the group should also leave the country at the same time.
Eligible Countries for India e-Visa
One must meet certain nationality criteria to attain an e-Visa from India. People must hold a passport from one of these countries to be eligible: Albania, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameron Union Republic, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger Republic, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
There are some specific limitations on eligibility for those with parents or grandparents that were born in Pakistan. They must apply for a regular travel visa.
The Indian E-Visa Acquisition Process
What you’ll need:
- Internet access and a computer or smart device to apply online
- A valid email address
- Your visit’s travel schedule, details of your trip, and purpose for your trip
- A colored photograph of yourself taken against a white background that is two by two inches in size and less than one megabyte
- A passport that has been valid for six months
- A copy of the passports page containing personal particulars
- A debit or credit card to pay application fees
Available ports for Arrival to India
- These Airports will be your options: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kochi, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Varanasi, and Vishakhapatnam
- Additionally, these seaports are available for arrival: Kochi, Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai, Chennai.
The Application Form for getting Visa Online (Steps you need to follow)
- Visit the website: On Indian e-visa website, click on apply for a visa. A detailed online application form will appear, and on it, the visitor is required to fill the form accurately.
- Type of Passport: To start with, one must select the type of services they need, for example, if you are going as a tourist, you should fill a tourist e-visa. If you are going to the hospital, you should apply for a medical e-visa to India. It is possible that some people may want to bite more than they can chew by trying to extend stay time in India fraudulently. The bad news to such people is that one passport number cannot be used to apply two different types of visit at the same time, meaning that if one has asked to do a tourist e visa, you cannot apply for a business e visa at the same time. Attempting to apply for two e visas at the same time, leads to disqualification of all of them. If one notices duplicity during application, be free to contact customer care to avoid inconveniences. If one experience a specific emergency, they may choose super urgent processing where your travel date is seventy-two hours from the time the application form was submitted.
- Personal Information: Some of the information expected on the online application forms are personal information like full names, passport number, the date of birth, nationality (meaning that you must fill in the specific country in which one is a citizen), etc are required.
- Other Details: It will also ask you about your address, education, father & mother details, marital status, spouse details & occupation.
- Visa Type Details: Then, it will ask the details about the visa type that you have selected. You must also fill the previous/current Visa details. Some references are required including one from India and one from your home country (for emergency purposes).
- General Info: Some general information with yes/no selection is asked in the next form.
- Photo: After the last step, you’ll be required to upload your photo (min size 360px*360px).
- Scanned Documents: In the next step, you’re required to upload a scanned copy of all the documents (including business cards, invitation letters, passport etc) in the PDF format. No other format is accepted.
- Final Confirmation: A final confirmation screen will come-up with all the details that you have filled. If you need to make any changes, click on modify button; else proceed further. Next, you need to make the payment.
Note: All the personal information as filled in the online application form should match the information on the passport otherwise the e-visa to India application would experience revocation. Additional flight information is also required, this means that one must be able to specify the airport of arrival and the date too. Also, you can save your application and note down temporary application id. You can later complete your application anytime using that temporary application id.
How to make the E Visa Payments
Making payments after a successful online application for e-visa to India is very simple. One does not have to travel all the way to the bank or any govt office. The same online procedure used during form filling is the same way one is required to pay. The e-visa approval websites accept payments through credit and debit cards, through PayPal and mobile banking. If one applies through the official website, extra pay or 2.5% is applicable, however, no bank transaction fee is charged. E-visa India is convenient because the charges are fixed, and there are no hidden charges.
Money matters are very crucial. No single penny should be lost during online payment. Online visa application website has taken care of this issue conclusively, by confirming every detail concerning your money and establishing through email detailed with the serial number. Once done with the payments, an email is sent confirming the e-visa order arrival. Besides, the email might request for some more papers required during visa processing. Rush and urgent services may cost more than the standard charges because the rush service takes five working days to complete the processing and the vital services might take only twenty-four hours processing time. The regular processing time is seven working days.
How to Download The E-Visa?
Previously, we have discussed all the steps to take from website to the point of paying. All that work was don’t at the comfort of your bed. An extra activity proceeds and this is where you are required to download your e-visa to India into a hard copy that will give your entry to the airport due to physical presentation. If you have not downloaded at home, visit a cyber café or any facility that will help you download the permit from your email and print it into a hard copy.
The immigration officer is required to stamp the visa onto your passport at the airport or the seaport. After presenting the downloaded e-visa to India application form, to the immigration officer, it only takes a minimum of five minutes and a maximum of ten minutes to be approved for travel. Keep a copy or two of the downloaded information for convenience and safely file all the documents you need as back up.
Conclusion
My highlight in all this is that one can apply for an e-visa to India at any time of the day and night. In case of any challenges, customer care support is available round the clock, and the applicant may also contact indianvisaonline.gov.in through telephone or email at any time.
In one way or the other, shit happens, and the visa gets misplaced in the process. There was a case where a house burnt down a day after a client had downloaded their visa. It was so traumatizing since he was doing a medical e-visa. He proceeded to call the customer care who assured him of recovering his permit through requesting for another copy which he did immediately.
Documenting applicants information as done on database ease next times travel hassle, they will not be required to fill the application form but will only provide the passport number. The language barrier has been a significant setback on other areas of online application, but on the e-visa platform, everything gets sorted out. Any person from all over the world would want an e-visa to India even when they cannot communicate in either Hindi or English. A team of interpreters has been employed to tackle any significant language from all over the world.
As we all do with other payments, either after shopping of any other transaction, it is good to retain all payment messages and all the feedback sent to your email which might help track everything or may help you at a point when confusion has occurred.
Note that the India e-visa is a valid entry to India through twenty-six designated airports meaning that, one must check their destination before application to avoid inconveniences. You must be able to choose the easiest and the most convenient airport leading to your site. Note also that, the e-visa to India is not available to all nationalities around the world. There could be some exemption, so, make sure that you confirm your country’s eligibility.
The information as given in this article is conclusive and detailed and is meant to help everyone, and even a beginner visit India through the e-visa. India has made profits through the increased tourist and visitor and would like to recommend the method of entry to anyone visiting for a short time. Let us be part of history making in the twenty-first century. I take this opportunity to wish you all the best as you visit India.
