I have heard from a couple of friends that it takes a while for a Brit to get a visa to visit India, and that lots of paperwork is required. I'm glad they have done it already, as I would never have thought to allow so long to get paperwork together. How long did it take for others here to get a visa?.
It took me about a month, however, I've heard that for some, it has taken even longer. I think you can count on it being anywhere from 1 to 3 months.
I haven't got my visa yet for India - the most recent one I had to get was when I went to Vietnam. That took about a month - I had to send my passport to the embassy and wait for it to come back. I always think it's good to err on the side of caution, and even add extra time to the longest case scenario they give you. There would be nothing worse than booking a trip, only to have to cancel if you didn't get your visa organized in time or if your passport was tied up at the embassy!
I doubt that anyone makes an impromptu decision to visit India. Most people book way in advance. If you prepare your trip for the following year, you have plenty of time to get your paperwork together. Just don't procrastinate! Get started as soon as possible!
Oh, I've made many impromptu travel plans before myself...I've gone places with a week's notice because I've found super cheap flight deals. Thankfully some countries let you get a visa on arrival - it's sometimes more expensive though. Not sure if India does the visa on arrival though -- that might be something that some other members might be able to advise us of, though!
I think India recently extended the list of nationalities eligible to apply for a visa on arrival, but for some reason British people are excluded. Someone just mentioned the e-visa, I may check that out and see what the rules are.
I'm notorious for spontaneous travel, so I can relate to getting frustrated with waiting on documents to go through. That's interesting that Britain isn't on the list for a visa on arrival. I wonder if there's a good reason for that or if it's bureaucratic silliness.
I'm wondering the same thing. I want to visit India but if applying for a visa and waiting for months before it arrives I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle. I never thought it would be that difficult to get a visa to visit India. I know it's complicated to get a visa to visit China. In the past few years China has really changed their visa requirements. Now you need some sort of travel insurance to go there on top of all the other papers they ask for. Is it the same for India?
