Hope it works out for you Mike. India might think that they don't need you but the Goa HT forum certainly does.
Who knows, we might even meet in person after all as we are in Candolim this year !
cheers Dave

I still can't work out why they are still letting certain people back in before their 60 days are up ?????? and then not others !!!!!.

I never heard anything about a one month visa?? this is a completely new one to us... anyone else heard this?

Chilly

Hi Chily

I think you have read it wrong or i have written it wrong lol they are saying i cannot re-apply for my visa until one month after it runs out !!.

Mike

Oh yes that was me Mike i must have not seen those last posts of yours as i clicked in from an old email alert.........

but the one mth visa i was referring to was about what sfelts wrote, which i have never heard about, quoted below...

last time I asked immigration about the 2 month rule, they told me it is here to stay and 1 month visas on entry will be introduced once the online system is fully functionable

Chilly

The one month VISA on arrival is a trial

introduction of "Tourist Visa-on-Arrival"

In order to facilitate Bonafide foreign tourists who plan their tours at a short notice, the Government of India has decided to introduce "Tourist Visa-on-Arrival" for a period of one year with immediate effect for citizen of five countries viz. Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore .

Citizens of these five countries can get "Tourist Visa-on-Arrival" with a maximum validity of 30 days with Single Entry facility from the Immigration Officer at Delhi , Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata only. The said "Tourist Visa-on-Arrival can neither be extended nor converted to any other kind of visa during his/her stay in India except in certain exceptional circumstances.

If it is to be extended to all touriststs remains to be seen. It's the system they have in Thailand. Presumably there will also be a way you can apply for an extended stay but you would have to give reasons as to why you need longer. They may decided that staying long term to enjoy their climate, cost of living etc isn't good enough. There again they might not and they too might introduce the system that Thailand has whereby provided you put a certain amount of money into a bank account each month to prove self sufficiency you are OK .

As for the 1 month before reapplying I can't see any reference to that anywhere but the 60 day rule is quite clear.

Tourist Visa advisory

This is for information that there should be a gap of at least 2 months between two visits to India on a Tourist Visa. This stipulation of two months gap does not apply on any other type of visa, i.e. Business (B) or Entry (X) types of visas. It also does not apply to PIO and OCI card holders.

In case of requirement to visit India within 2 months, permission should be sought from the High Commission of India, London or the Indian Consulates at Birmingham and Edinburgh directly without going through the outsourcing agency VFS Global (UK) Ltd. Applicant may fill up application from, one photograph, application stating reason for re-entry within two months with supporting documents/travel itinerary etc and a fee of £7/-. Where permission is accorded in such cases, registration with the local FRRO/FRO would be required within 14 days of arrival in India . Request form can be downloaded through the website:

http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/images/Tourist%20Visa%20Re-entry%20request%20form.pdf

Processing time of the request will be 3-4 working days. However, those applying for fresh Tourist Visas, who after initial entry into India plan to visit another country and re-enter India before finally exiting, could be permitted more than one entry, as the case may, be subject to their submission of a detailed itinerary and supporting documents along with application form.

In case of requirement to visit India within 2 months, permission should be sought from the High Commission of India, London or the Indian Consulates at Birmingham and Edinburgh directly

Re the visa on arrival i had forgotten they had introduced this for some countries last season........... but didnt realsie it was going to come into force for Uk visitors... .. lets hope this can eventually be resolved successfully for everyone... its just such a shame in many ways all this confusion
Chilly

Regarding the 1 month wait before you can apply for a new tourist visa.This was dropped a few months ago,so you can re apply as soon as your old one has ended.

John

Regarding the 1 month wait before you can apply for a new tourist visa.This was dropped a few months ago,so you can re apply as soon as your old one has ended.

they are saying i cannot re-apply for my visa until one month after it runs out !!.

apparently not jcBrum!!
chilly

yes Davewales quite correct I knew these were the rules, but Mike did get a re entry stamp, thats what i find strange!! and he also had special reasons for coming back to u k initially... his daughters illness which is meant to be a valid reason for allowing exceptions according to the foreign office India entry requirements page

Chilly, Possibly Mike's problem is that they see him as going back to the UK where he lives to visit an unwell daughter and that is not a reason to let him back in for a further extended stay. Had he been revisiting India to visit a sick relative there that would have been seen as legitimate.

I can only see that they are trying to underline the purpose of a tourist VISA.

However, having been given the necessary stamp to return here in the UK you would have thought they would accept it in India. Being turned away in India must have been awful and even worse that it was without explanation.

Possibly Mike's problem is that they see him as going back to the UK where he lives to visit an unwell daughter and that is not a reason to let him back in for a further extended stay. Had he been revisiting India to visit a sick relative there that would have been seen as legitimate.

yes Davewales I guess you are right there, didnt think of it like that.

Chilly

If that was the case why did they not tell me i could not re-enter when i applied for the emergency visa instead of issuing me with one and i pay for another flight just to get turned back again all at my expense ???????.

My visa ran out end of July and i am to re-apply end of August as instructed by the embassy, one month after it runs out and my 60 days is from when i came back to see my daughter 25th June.

Mike

Hi Mike
Sorry to hear you are having all this aggro - it must be so frustrating for you as well as very expensive. I do hope that your daughter is recovering well.

As for the 1 month before reapplying I can't see any reference to that anywhere but the 60 day rule is quite clear.

My visa ran out end of July and i am to re-apply end of August as instructed by the embassy, one month after it runs out and my 60 days is from when i came back to see my daughter 25th June.

It becomes clearer now. As your VISA effectively starts on the day it is issued they are making you wait for 60 days before you re apply then you are abiding by the 60 day rule and won't need it stamping for re entry.If you intend trying to come home during the 6 months of the VISA validity, now is the time to apply, but you have to give reasons and a travel plan with documentation to prove why.
If you put that you are having an extended Indian holiday but need to see the family, check the post or whatever it may well be rejected. If you were planning a round the world trip stopping over in India before carrying on to say Australia and then stopping over on the way back, then I think they would give you the stamps you needed. You would probably have to demonstrate you have the air tickets already purchased and yet , in their advice they suggest that you should get the VISA before buying the tickets !!!!
The speculation is why are the Indian authorities hell bent on rules such as the 60 day one ? I think that they don't want to deter what they perceive as genuine tourists but they don't want foreigners abusing the tourist VISA. Maybe the 1 month tourist VISA on arrival will become a reality for all once the technology is in place.
In the meantime I'm sure there will be quite a few people who suffer the same kind of treatment you did Mike.

the plot thickens!!!
chilly

....................except that for my March flight Qatar checked my passport at Manchester to make sure I wasn't breaking the then newish 60 day rule. The check in girl told me several people had been turned back at check in and they were not best pleased to say the least. She said Qatar wouldn't fly them because if there was a problem in India it was their responsibility to bring them back as they are meant to check travel documentation.

well that just shows the inconsistency of it!!! as my neighbour has had no such problems and travelled only recently!!
chilly

Hi Mike
we are really sorry to hear off your predicament hope you can return for the season
you must have been mortified when they sent you back
best wishes to your family hope your daughter is recovering ok
hopefully we will see you in November
all the best Pat and Andy

Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and wishes.

Mike

Hi Mike

What a nightmare only hope that Dragon and ourselves don't have the same problems

Think you may have the wrong date for leaving India, thought you traveled back the same day as us on the 25 May