Need a Visa for India - Any Recommendations?

[bad company]

Mrs BC and I will be traveling to India and arriving by sea rather an air.

Has anybody here used any of the companies that handle the Visa applications?

[Ynox]

Used CIBT a few times. More than happy with their service.

[StevieBee]

Visa World is my go-to provider. Very good service: www.visaworld.co.uk

But I've twice gone direct for my Indian Visa. Start here: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html

Very efficient service

[shindha]

You might as well start your experience of India here, go to the consulate in Birmingham.

[Blue Cat]

When I went to India, I did the visa myself by going up to their offices in London but checking their website, it appears you can do a lot of it online.

It was very simple and easy, seems a waste of money to pay someone else to do it

[thirdstage]

We go to India regularly and get a visa every year. It is now done on line at http://www.vfsglobal.com/India/UK/
There are 3 types of Tourist visa 28 day, 1 year and 5 year. The application for a 28 day visa is different than
that for the longer ones.
Make sure your photos totally comply and the correct information is supplied as VSF and the Indian High Commission
can get a bit "jobs worth" about everything.
One more thing the website does not like Safari or early windows browsers, Firefox works best.

[pherlopolus]

I recently needed to expedite a business Visa so went to Smethwick to the VFS office. It was exceptional service with minimal waiting (I was seen before my appointment time). Ok I had to pay a lot for it which probably focuses them, but would rather go there again than visit the passport office in Liverpool.

So my advice would be do it online with VFS, and ignore any third parties.

[bad company]

thirdstage said:

We go to India regularly and get a visa every year. It is now done on line at http://www.vfsglobal.com/India/UK/
There are 3 types of Tourist visa 28 day, 1 year and 5 year. The application for a 28 day visa is different than
that for the longer ones.
Make sure your photos totally comply and the correct information is supplied as VSF and the Indian High Commission
can get a bit "jobs worth" about everything.
One more thing the website does not like Safari or early windows browsers, Firefox works best.

Thanks for that. I thought we couldn't get an online Visa as we are arriving by ship rather than air. Will take another look.

[anonymous-user]

Might be worth checking out your local Sikh temple to see if they run a visa clinic on a saturday, last 2 visas I have had to get were vis the visa clinics, and for a bonus you get a free meal whilst you waited to be processed.

[thirdstage]

Just a thought, Only certain airports accept the 28 day visa so you may have to get a year now at circa £100. I would check this with the shipping or cruise line you are travelling with

[bad company]

thirdstage said:

Just a thought, Only certain airports accept the 28 day visa so you may have to get a year now at circa £100. I would check this with the shipping or cruise line you are travelling with

That's correct, we need the full year Visa

[dazzalse]

We arrived by ship in April this year as part of a world cruise, the visa application is not straight forward for people arriving by ship rather then air as if you are flying you can apply online, but not if arriving by ship. There are however a number of Indian consulate sub offices about, we went up to Bristol, you need an appointment and you just can't turn up. You can print everything off the indian consulate website and fill it in, we were all done within about 15 minutes and our passports were returned 5 days later. can't a paper heavy process but half the price of using a processing centre.