Porttrait of India

Susiq_34683Susiq_34683
in General Discussion
There does not seem to be any discussion at all on Portrait of India Trip, which is a little unusual. Wondering what happened because there used to be a discussion. We are going on the Jan. 3, 2107 trip,

Wondering if anyone has recommendation about whether to get regular visa to India or the newer eVisa.

Comments

  • NanosNanos
    hi Susiq--You are looking at the wrong place!! Go onto the section: Asia - and then log onto the Portrait of India section. There is lots of action!! I am going on the February 16, 2017 trip...have my airline tickets and cannot wait. From what I have read, I am thinking of the eVisa - so much easier and cheaper than going through a visa service. I just need to get a new passport - I am out of pages!!

    Nancy
  • joyceswjoycesw
    The E-Tourist Visa is absolutely the cheapest way to get a visa. It is not difficult to fill out, and I found a very helpful post on Trip Advisor that gave a step-by-step explanation of the form (even included a web site to reduce the size of your photos and the size of your passport file). A HUGE plus was that upon arrival at 1:30 AM, the E-Tourist Visa line was much, much shorter than the regular passport line even if you are one of the first ones off the airplane. If anyone is interested in how to do this, come back to the Forum and I will list the web address and a few cautions (learn to tell the difference between a lower-case "l" and a 1 (number one)! Duh, on my part!!
  • NanosNanos
    Joyce--I am interested in the inside scoop!!!

    Nancy
  • joyceswjoycesw
    edited July 2016
    Hi Nancy,
    As promised, here's how the ETV worked. You may get the ETV no sooner than 30 days prior to arrival(not all airports are covered...Delhi is okay), and it is only good for 30 days (I think). So, here is the Trip Advisor address that I used for the E-Tourist Visa .

    https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g297604-i6045-k8794822-ETourist_Visa_A_Guide-Goa.html

    In case there is a problem getting to that address, look under ETourist Visa Guide Goa in the forums. A gal from the UK has taken the time to write information for the visa (hope it hasn't changed since last December), and then she gives a question by question comprehensive guide to filling it out. It makes getting an ETV a piece of cake!
    We usually do our own visas anyway, but our travel agent sent me the forms for the service Tauck uses. They were just about as long as the form to do it oneself (maybe it was the same form...I tossed it so have no reference). If you gather all of the info beforehand, have your passport and photos copied in a file (of the correct size), it is actually quite easy to complete. So what was my problem?
    Stupidly, I had not even thought to clear the debit card I was using with my credit union. I did not realize that I would be dealing with a bank in India. The minute I hit the "pay" button, the transaction went dead in the water. Of course, it was the weekend, and when I called my company, they told me that ALL transactions to India are denied unless cleared first. Lots of fraud. They gave me 24 hours to make the payment. A deadline loomed! Lesson #1: Clear the credit or debit card you are using FIRST.
    Instead of losing all of the information in the application if there is a problem, (I was doing two, one for each of us), they give you a HUGELY long number to access the form and make the payment. Problem # 2? I could not get back to the forms using either of the numbers! I went in panic mode and rewrote the same codes what seemed like a bazillion times! No luck. Then I got smart and put a question on Trip Advisor ( I LOVE their forums). Within hours someone had replied and suggested that perhaps I was confusing the letter "l" and the number one and/or misreading zero for the letter "O" ! Duh on my part! Sure enough it was the number one that was tripping me up! Another try, and "Bingo" that was it!! Lesson #2: Get glasses or zoom in on the code to be sure you are reading the letters/numbers correctly!!
    By the next morning I had received an approval, I printed up the papers to carry with us and that was it! The cost was $61.50 + .49 cents each (not sure whether the .49 cents was their bank's fee or my company's)!
    Joyce
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