Easiest Way to Get Indian Visa for British Citizens
What is the process for filing an Indian Visa Application for British Citizens?
In the past there used to be a paper based process for applying an Indian Visa for the UK Citizens. This has now been revised to an online process which does not require any paper based forms to be filled out by the British citizens. Government of India allows entry to British citizens for the purposes of sight-seeing, tourism, medical visits, business meetings, yoga, seminars, workshops, sale and trade, volunteer work and other commercial ventures on this new regime of Indian eVisa. UK Citizens can now acquire visa and pay in their local currency viz British Pound Sterling or any of the 135 currencies in the world.
British Citizens can obtain an Indian Visa Online in a very streamlined manner. The process is to fill out an easy to complete Online Indian Visa Application form and make an online payment. Any additional evidence required can be uploaded online or can also be emailed to our Indian Visa Help Desk.
Do the British Citizens need to visit Indian Embassy for obtaining eVisa for India?
No, there is no need to visit Indian embassy at any stage. Also, there no requirement to get a stamp on the passport, or have an interview or courier your passport. UK citizens need to keep the PDF copy of the Online Indian Visa (or India e-Visa) emailed to them.
Do the UK citizens need to courier their passport or supporting documents?
There is no requirement for the UK Citizens to visit Indian embassy or Indian High Commission or any other offices of Government of India. UK Citizens can upload the supporting documents for the Indian Visa Application Form on this website either online through a link sent to the applicants email address or by emailing documents back to India Visa Help Desk. Documents supporting the Indian Visa Application can be emailed or uploaded in any file format like PDF / PNG or JPG. UK citizens can check which documents are required to support their Indian Visa Application. The most commonly required documents are Face Photograph and Passport Scan Copy, both of them can be taken from your mobile phone or camera and a soft copy can be uploaded or emailed.
Can British Citizens come to India for Business Purposes and apply for an eVisa India on this website?
Yes, British Citizens can come for business visits as well as tourist and medical visit for the electronic Visa for India (eVisa India Online).
Business trips can be for any purpose as described in Indian Business Visa.
How long does it take for Visa outcome to be decided for UK citizens?
After UK Citizens have completed the Indian Visa Application Form including providing any supporting application documents like British Passport scan copy and face photography then UK Citizens can expect the outcome of the India Visa Application within 3-4 business days. In some cases, however, it could take up to 7 business days.
What are the advantages of Online Indian Visa and what are the constraints or limitations?
The advantages of the Online Indian Visa (or India e-Visa) are as follows:
- It can be procured for up to 5 years in Validity.
- It is valid for multiple entries.
- It can be used for continuous entry for up to 180 day (this is especially for handful of nationalities like British and US citizens, for other nationalities maximum duration of continuous stay in India is limited to 90 days).
- This e-Visa for India is valid on 30 airports and 5 seaports for Entry Ports in India for eVisa.
- It allows entry in any State or Union Territory of India.
The constraints of India Visa Online (eVisa India) are:
This eVisa India (India Visa Online) is not valid for film making, journalism and working in India. eVisa India also does not allow the holder to visit cantonment and protected areas of India.
What are the other considerations to be aware of?
Do Not Overstay: You need to be aware that you need to honour the laws of the country and avoid over staying. There is a fine of 300 dollars in India for overstaying up to 90 days. And up to 500 dollars fine for over staying up to 2 years. Indian Government can also take legal action.
You may also tarnish your image and may find it difficult to acquire visa for other countries by over staying in India.
Take printout of Indian Visa approval by Email: While it is not required to have a paper copy of the eVisa India (India Visa Online) but it is safer to do so because the phone may be damaged or battery may be exhausted and you may not be able to provide the evidence of having obtained electronic Indian Visa (eVisa India). Paper printout acts as a secondary proof.
Passport with 2 Blank pages: Government of India never asks you for the passport and ever only ask for scan copy / photo of biodata page of the passport during the eVisa India (Indian Visa Online) application process so we are not aware of the number of blank pages in your passport. You need to have 2 blank pages so the border officers of the Immigration Department can affix entry stamp and exit stamp on your passport.
Validity of 6 months for passport: Your passport must be valid for 6 months on the date of entry into India.
How can UK Citizens extend their stay in India?
If your eVisa for India is expiring, then you need to renew it before its expiry. eVisa India by itself cannot be extended but a new Online Indian Visa can be applied before the expiry of the original one.
India Visa Help Desk is at your service to answer to and address all clarifications and doubts that you may have before your visit to India. We understand that travelling needs to be stress free and have created process in place to make it convenient for International travellers to get responses in their native language.