Visas posted Monday, landed Hayes Tuesday, delivered back this morning - well impressed.

Hope ours come soon. Spike, all being well we will will see you at Ganesh's on 17th

Posted our visas Tuesday and got them back today Very quick this year. Really glad we didn't have to pay the higher fee.

Just had a look and can not beleive the price of the new visas from 17th January the normal 6 month tourist visa has gone up to £92.20 what a joke, and bet you they put the price up again for the start of the next season 2013-2014

Sorry - But for which country is the tourist visa for? I don't find that very expensive.

India

Meschugga wrote:

Sorry - But for which country is the tourist visa for? I don't find that very expensive.

Urm............. what forum are you reading?

And any visa that doubles in price is going to elicit this response.

Thats why I posted it under the Goa discussion forum, as I am sure many people like me who return year after year, will not be very happy with this,

littlepen wrote:

and bet you they put the price up again for the start of the next season 2013-2014

What do you base this statement on?

The visa fee had been £30 for lots of years (I reckon at least ten).

When HCI outsourced the visa application process (maybe 3 or 4 years ago), an admin fee of £9-odd was added (now £10.24) plus a £2.00 consular Fee to make the fee £42.20.

If a small percentage increase had been added year-on-year for the last 10 years there wouldn't have been this furore.

This was being discussed when the notification first appeared on the VFS website (13th Jan) and that thread has now been amalgamated into the main 'Visa' thread.

hi all. havnt been on here for ages but can someone please tell me if you only need to glue one photo on front of visa application and thats it. cannot find any info. you used to have to send 2 photos. one glued on front and one attatched by paper clip on back. please reply asap as i have to send this off this morning.
thanks
smudger2

Hello
You still need 2 pictures as before one stuck to front and one fastened to back. 50mmx 50mm

Prettypollycat wrote:

littlepen wrote:

and bet you they put the price up again for the start of the next season 2013-2014

What do you base this statement on?

The visa fee had been £30 for lots of years (I reckon at least ten).

When HCI outsourced the visa application process (maybe 3 or 4 years ago), an admin fee of £9-odd was added (now £10.24) plus a £2.00 consular Fee to make the fee £42.20.

If a small percentage increase had been added year-on-year for the last 10 years there wouldn't have been this furore.

This was being discussed when the notification first appeared on the VFS website (13th Jan) and that thread has now been amalgamated into the main 'Visa' thread.

So you think £200 to allow a couple the "privilege" of entering India for a few weeks holiday is ok then?

As the new cost of a visa for entry into India is only £14.50 per head more than the cost of a similar short term visa for entry into the UK for non-EU nationals then it doesn't seem that out of line to me. The costs climb steeply if you want to stay longer. And believe me, the bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through both to get the visa and on arrival in the UK make India's procedures sound easy!

The cost of visas is just something that you have to factor into the budget for many holidays these days.

SM

And of course many countries popular with tourists such as Thailand offer tourist visas free, a fact that many past visitors to India may well factor into their future holiday plans !
Alan

I take issue with the “UK Nationals Only” aspect, admittedly the uk charge any non-EU Nationals £78 for a 6 month visa, this applies to all nationalities, no discrimination, whilst the same visa for India costs a Russian applicant £42

The UK Boarder Agency’s bureaucratic approach and fees should be looked at bearing in mind the major problems the UK have in ensuring visitors to the UK are bona fide visitors, there are 15,000 visa applications to the British High Commission in Delhi alone each week, so there is considerable expense involved processing these, you only need to look at a few episodes of UK Boarder Force to realise the extent of the problem

silentman wrote:

So you think £200 to allow a couple the "privilege" of entering India for a few weeks holiday is ok then?

Did I say that?
No, I didn't.
I pointed out that the price had stayed the same for quite a number of years.
How many other things can you say the same about?

If you think £200 is too expensive, there are lots of other places you can go on holiday to - some don't even require a visa.

I look at the total cost of my holiday:
flights, accommodation, food, drink - and visas if applicable.

Then I ask myself:
Does this place tick all the boxes?
Will I enjoy it?
Will the weather be good?

I don't really care how much an Indian national pays to visit the UK.
I don't really care how much a Russian visitor pays for a visa to visit India.
I'm a UK national and the visa fee is what it is.
My choice (and yours) whether to pay for a visa or not.

I have to say I feel more sorry for the Indian people living here who have British passports because they were born here. They frequently travel to India to visit family and take their children with them, it is going to be very expensive for them too now. As Polly says it is something we have to cost into the price of our holiday and decide for ourselves whether it is worth it, no point in thinking about what everyone else gets or doesn't get - who said life was fair?

Just popped in to see what's happening in Goa this season. It's been 3 years since we were last there and we are not missing it either. The VISA hassle is just one reason. By comparison we have just booked to go to Sri Lanka and the VISA is completed online. No need to send in photo's or your passport. It's all checked out electronically and you get confirmation that you have been accepted within 24 hours.The cost is less than £40 for two people. I don't understand why it has to be so difficult for India ( although I'm assured it's very difficult for Indians to visit the UK so maybe that's the reason.)
We only booked the Sri Lanka trip 4 weeks before departure. I couldn't risk doing that with India, you just don't know what is going to happen with your application and passport return.

Sri Lanka and the VISA is completed online. No need to send in photo's or your passport.

Hi Dave.
Not sure if you heard, but India actually put a huge increase on their Visa charge this year!
The only conclusion we can draw is that they really don’t want Brit tourists, they are happy now with the increasing numbers of locals and Russians.
Like you, I decided after many years to dump Goa this year. I went to Thailand in December (zero visa cost) and I’m off to Sri Lanka very soon – with, as you say on-line Visa application, less than £20, and instant issuing. Overall – India is now getting to be an expensive and far less attractive destination.
I do still miss the wonderful morning light of India which makes photography so good there.
The weather in Phuket, Thailand in December was nowhere as good as Goa. But it was so clean, and the hotels are wonderful, the food is great, the people are the most polite on the planet, and there’s lots to see. Until India shows that it really wants us Brits to come back, I’ll go elsewhere each year.
Where in Sri Lanka are you going,? This time I’m staying down in Aluthgama, but aim to make the Adams Peak pilgrimage, and the scenic Kandy train ride this trip.
Cheers
Bill