Traveling abroad sometimes requires a visa. We still don’t live in that world where you can go anywhere you want, whenever you want. The Europeans managed to do that. They still have a few kinks, but they are still allowed to travel within the continent however they like. It would be an amazing thing for that to happen to the rest of the world. Until then, we rely on visas to get some places.
India is among the countries that have managed to make getting a visa incredibly easy. You can simply go online and apply for one. It’s as simple as that. However, this service is only meant for people who are traveling to India by plane. There are 16 listed airports that accept an e-visa. If you go by any other means, like a car, train, or cruise ship, you are still required to get a visa from the Indian consulate in your country.
What you need
The documents you need are nothing out of the ordinary. The documentation is pretty much the same wherever you go. You need a valid passport. If you don’t have one or the current passport is about to expire, take care of that. You can even get cheap passport photos online if you like. You also need a recent digital photo of yourself, a scan of the information page of your passport, and a credit or debit card. If you want, you can even fill in a valid Paypal address because the service can be paid using that method as well.
Step one
Applying for an Indian e-visa is very easy. The process starts with you filling in some general information about yourself, like name, address, the reason for travel, and other basic information. It’s a fill-in form that you can complete directly on the website. At this point, you need to choose the processing type you want. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. This step is required so you can get to the next one.
Step two
The second phase requires you to do two things. First, you answer a set of personal questions. It’s a little questionnaire that shouldn’t take much of your time. The questions are straightforward, and you don’t have to tell your life’s story. Secondly, you will need to upload the documents I mentioned above. And that is pretty much it.
What about the costs?
In my opinion, the service is more than affordable. It varies from 0$ and 97$, depending on your nationality. Also, it depends on the processing type you choose. The Standard Processing has a service fee of 35$, the Rush Processing is 35$ extra, and the Super Rush Processing will add another 65$. You will receive your visa via e-mail in 3 business days, 1 business day, 18 hours respectively. In case that something comes up and you cannot go to India after all, you can get a full refund, but only if your application hasn’t been sent to the Indian embassy already.
From where I stand, this is all too easy. It beats getting off from work and standing in line at the consulate. Anything that can be done from the comfort of your own home is something to be grateful for. So start packing. It will take you longer than getting the actual e-visa.