India - Travisa Outsourcing - Indian Visa for US Residents

Hi everyone,

I am US citizen that will be in India in a few weeks and had to get my visa renewed. In the past, I had dealt directly with the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. I would get there early in the morning, drop-off the paperwork, and it was typically ready same day or next day. I actually found it fairly simple, as my last visit was in December 1999.

However, it appears all Indian visas in the US are now being processed by a 3rd party called Travisa. They charge a $13.00 processing fee on top of the Indian Consulate's fee. All in all, I found it to be much more of hassle dealing with a middleman.

I happened to be in San Francisco for work, so I decided to drop off my visa in-person on Monday, and Travisa said it would be ready by Tuesday afternoon between 4:30pm - 6:00pm. Rather than making a 2nd trip to Travisa, I handed them a prepaid FedEx envelope, and they could ship it to me directly. I checked FedEx tracking on both Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and there was no record of it being shipped.

I called their San Francisco Office phone number multiple times, and sat in their phone queue for upwards of 45 minutes. At some point, they transfer the calls to another tier 1 support center. Finally, when reaching a human, they reviewed my issue, and said that I would need to speak with someone directly in their San Francisco office --- uhh, that's why I called in the first place.

Finally, when I did get a person in the SF office, she said my visa was sitting there for pick-up. I explained to her that the FedEx envelope attached to my visa that she's looking at needs to be used to mail it to me. She corrected the error and processed my visa for shipment same day, but what would have happened if I didn't call in. I was on a tight schedule, as I need to leave in 1 week and this visa will arrive only 4 days prior to my departure.

What a hassle. My wife's visa is coming up for renewal next year. Is there anyway process an Indian visa directly from the consulate, or is Travisa the ONLY method for US residents?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

202K American AAdvantage, 250K Marriott Rewards, 65K Hilton Honors, 80K Amex Rewards

Sorry to hear of this, AFAIK Travisa is the only way. If you are of Indian heritage, try for an OCI?

I haven't been a fan of government outsourcing for this function. Unfortunately, the clowns in the Indian government decided to copy ideas from the clowns in other governments and get third parties involved to make money off visa applications. The result: this kind of ridiculous situation of dealing with a third party when the government itself could just do it itself too.

Hi everyone,

I am US citizen that will be in India in a few weeks and had to get my visa renewed. In the past, I had dealt directly with the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. I would get there early in the morning, drop-off the paperwork, and it was typically ready same day or next day. I actually found it fairly simple, as my last visit was in December 1999.

However, it appears all Indian visas in the US are now being processed by a 3rd party called Travisa. They charge a $13.00 processing fee on top of the Indian Consulate's fee. All in all, I found it to be much more of hassle dealing with a middleman.

I happened to be in San Francisco for work, so I decided to drop off my visa in-person on Monday, and Travisa said it would be ready by Tuesday afternoon between 4:30pm - 6:00pm. Rather than making a 2nd trip to Travisa, I handed them a prepaid FedEx envelope, and they could ship it to me directly. I checked FedEx tracking on both Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and there was no record of it being shipped.

I called their San Francisco Office phone number multiple times, and sat in their phone queue for upwards of 45 minutes. At some point, they transfer the calls to another tier 1 support center. Finally, when reaching a human, they reviewed my issue, and said that I would need to speak with someone directly in their San Francisco office --- uhh, that's why I called in the first place.

Finally, when I did get a person in the SF office, she said my visa was sitting there for pick-up. I explained to her that the FedEx envelope attached to my visa that she's looking at needs to be used to mail it to me. She corrected the error and processed my visa for shipment same day, but what would have happened if I didn't call in. I was on a tight schedule, as I need to leave in 1 week and this visa will arrive only 4 days prior to my departure.

What a hassle. My wife's visa is coming up for renewal next year. Is there anyway process an Indian visa directly from the consulate, or is Travisa the ONLY method for US residents?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

202K American AAdvantage, 250K Marriott Rewards, 65K Hilton Honors, 80K Amex Rewards

Typically drop off visas are picked up. Which is why they probably missed the fed ex envelope. Even though it was attached with your passport there are no instructions to mail it.

I haven't been a fan of government outsourcing for this function. Unfortunately, the clowns in the Indian government decided to copy ideas from the clowns in other governments and get third parties involved to make money off visa applications. The result: this kind of ridiculous situation of dealing with a third party when the government itself could just do it itself too.

you took the words right out of my mouth....^^

Unfortunately, the Indian clowns are only mimicking their US counterparts in India.

If you think this is bad, you should try using VFS for applying for a US Visa in India. Those guys are often more rude than the some of the bureaucrats working at the US consulates there.

Nothing can be worse than when the government clowns were running the show. Couple years ago, before OCI and PIO, we sent in a passport to get a visa. A few weeks went by. Nobody answers the phone. Nobody responds to voicemails. Contacted an outside "agent", and apparently they just dump all the passports in a room and were letting outside "agents" go in to "facilitate" the process of getting a visa. Hopefully your passport doesn't have private data that you don't want random strangers seeing :rolleyes:

If you think this is bad, you should try using VFS for applying for a US Visa in India. Those guys are often more rude than the some of the bureaucrats working at the US consulates there.

you can say that again....my US visa recently expired & i reapplied last month....i used to have a green card but voluntarily gave it up many years ago....this guy at vfs starts questioning me on why i gave up my green card....he refused to accept the fact that i simply did not want it....it was a pain in the a$$....

Nothing can be worse than when the government clowns were running the show. Couple years ago, before OCI and PIO, we sent in a passport to get a visa. A few weeks went by. Nobody answers the phone. Nobody responds to voicemails. Contacted an outside "agent", and apparently they just dump all the passports in a room and were letting outside "agents" go in to "facilitate" the process of getting a visa. Hopefully your passport doesn't have private data that you don't want random strangers seeing :rolleyes:

atrocious.

I am totally dreading this TRAVISA deal. I just found out that I have to "Surrender" my expired Indian passport which I never did since I became a citizen in 1996 and I have to pay for this to be done.

Another issue is that my USA passport will expire soon and I will need to get a new OCI stamp on the new USA passport since the passport numbers do not match the old OCI certificate and new passport.

India govt immigration policies are so backwards azz sometimes.

my last experience with Travisa was a real nightmare. Submitted my visa application at Houston branch for an important assignment in India 4 weeks later. Initially was told it'll take 1 week and that i can check the status online with the application ID...

1 week passed and i called in and as expected said that its still not ready.. 2 weeks passed and still no news. Called again and got the same response from Travisa..apparently i'm was Malaysian passport holder with no green card hence the reason for the long lead time.. 3 weeks passed and by this time i was calling almost every day and they keep giving me the same answer and refused to give the contact information at the embassy and neither could i find any contact no on the indian embassy website.

Long story short, after 5 weeks i finally got a call from the Indian Consulate asking if i applied for an Indian visa !! U can imagine what i felt then as my trip was obviously cancelled by then and this joker tells me that.. Apparently the passport got misplaced and Travisa never picked it up (at least that was excuse that i could remember). And the worse part, the visa was actually approved 2 days after my submission. Unbelievable !

I am now praying hard again as i have an urgent business trip to make next friday to India and i just submitted my wife's and my application today. Wish me luck !

my last experience with Travisa was a real nightmare. Submitted my visa application at Houston branch for an important assignment in India 4 weeks later. Initially was told it'll take 1 week and that i can check the status online with the application ID...

1 week passed and i called in and as expected said that its still not ready.. 2 weeks passed and still no news. Called again and got the same response from Travisa..apparently i'm was Malaysian passport holder with no green card hence the reason for the long lead time.. 3 weeks passed and by this time i was calling almost every day and they keep giving me the same answer and refused to give the contact information at the embassy and neither could i find any contact no on the indian embassy website.

Long story short, after 5 weeks i finally got a call from the Indian Consulate asking if i applied for an Indian visa !! U can imagine what i felt then as my trip was obviously cancelled by then and this joker tells me that.. Apparently the passport got misplaced and Travisa never picked it up (at least that was excuse that i could remember). And the worse part, the visa was actually approved 2 days after my submission. Unbelievable !

I am now praying hard again as i have an urgent business trip to make next friday to India and i just submitted my wife's and my application today. Wish me luck !

I reminded of a trip in which I got my passport back a few days before I left. Stressful indeed.

I think Travisa may have gotten in over their heads. They are not only the required outsourcing service for India, but also for Russia. In the past I have used them for expediting without incident, but my most recent experiences with them have been aggravating.

In March, I used them for my Ghanaian and Nigerian visas. After 2.5 weeks, during which time I'd checked in with them on progress and been told that the Ghanaian visa was complete and Nigerian visa in process, I got a call from a guy there saying that my Nigerian invitation was missing. I had been extremely careful to put all required documents in separate folders, marked with their contents, etc. when I originally submitted them. After about 20 minutes of questioning him as to where the invitation could have possibly gotten to, and him insisting that they never had it, I was going nuts--if I didn't have the visa by now, I'd have to re-apply and pay rush fees. I re-e-mailed him the invitation. An hour later, he called back to say that actually, BOTH visas were already in my passport and he was sending it back to me that day. He had just never looked at the passport!

It seems like Travisa staff is overwhelmed, or undertrained, or both. All I can say is that I'm glad I got my Indian 10-year multi-entry two years ago.

I've used Travisa multiple times for many different visas and I've never had any sort of problem. They were fast and efficient. Last visa was for India for a trip we took this last December.

Oh, I've always used the Travisa office in Washington, DC.

The Travisa office in Houston is hit-or-miss, usually hit.

I flew to Houston, sumbitted my app in person, and my passport was mailed out Fedex the next day.

Took over 3 weeks for visas for my wife, kids and my sister to get theirs through the mail. 3 of those were delayed because the consulate took its sweet time to issue the visa -- go figure, they had computer problems around Holi; my sister's visa was delayed when it sat at Travisa for 4 days before they decided to send the passport in the prepaid envelope.

However, in their defense, I like the idea of a third-party verifying the apps and requirements before sending them off to the Indian consulate. And I've always been able to reach someone at Travisa whenever I called them; on the other hand, no one ever picks up the phone at the Indian consulate.

I haven't been a fan of government outsourcing for this function. Unfortunately, the clowns in the Indian government decided to copy ideas from the clowns in other governments and get third parties involved to make money off visa applications. The result: this kind of ridiculous situation of dealing with a third party when the government itself could just do it itself too.

Unfortunately there are too many clowns in India, inside and outside the Govt, eager to copy ideas from "phoreign" entities mindlessly.

I've never had an issue with the office in New York, either. Two experiences -

I used a visa expediter (who shall remain nameless) and sent in all the required documents, and it was delivered the next day (they are also in New York). I was able to track the visa's process via Travisa's website, and the visa was issued the same day it was received. However, the expediter, who picked it up the same day, held onto my passport for about another week before sending it back (and only after I called them). They claim they were performing "quality assurance" on it. :confused:

My sister went in person, with all the required documents and was told to come back the same day to pick it up from Travisa, and as promised, it was ready for her. My coworkers also did this and they didn't have any issues, either.

If I need to get a visa in the future, I will probably skip the third parties processors and just go in person and get it done (and cheaper, too). Luckily, I am in New York, so that's a feasible option for many countries.

At least one of their forms is poorly designed. It asks for place of birth, i.e. city/town, tehsil, district and state, but gives less than an inch of space. A well designed tempplate would either provide sufficent space for the information asked, or the field would be expandable in order to fit the information.

DO all Indian states have a two letter abbreviation?

DO all Indian states have a two letter abbreviation?

Looks like there is, didn't realize it when i lived in India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_States_and_Union_Territories_and_th eir_two_digit_codes

Looks like there is, didn't realize it when i lived in India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_States_and_Union_Territories_and_th eir_two_digit_codes
Thank you. That would help. I knew UP, HP, MP etc.

Thank you. That would help. I knew UP, HP, MP etc.

OT - Uttarakhand is UK. Wonder if there have been misdirected mail.

OT - Uttarakhand is UK. Wonder if there have been misdirected mail.

States have been split up. Punjab into Haruyana, Punjab, H.P and Chandigarh. U.P. into U.P. and UK. What would some write if one was born in a city that's in a different district and state now, then it was at the time of one's birth? An inch of space isn't enough for 4 bits of information even with the abbreviation.

What would some write if one was born in a city that's in a different district and state now, then it was at the time of one's birth? An inch of space isn't enough for 4 bits of information even with the abbreviation.

Officially, they want you to write what it is today. I have this argument with the bureaucracy every time I fill out a form that asks for my place of birth and I say "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". You can change the name of the city but you can't go back in time and change the name of where you were born.

A friend of my dad's has "Lahore, Pakistan" as his place of birth on his passport, even though he moved to Delhi in 1945 at the age of 3 and hasn't set foot in Pakistan since it began to exist.

Officially, they want you to write what it is today. I have this argument with the bureaucracy every time I fill out a form that asks for my place of birth and I say "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". You can change the name of the city but you can't go back in time and change the name of where you were born.

A friend of my dad's has "Lahore, Pakistan" as his place of birth on his passport, even though he moved to Delhi in 1945 at the age of 3 and hasn't set foot in Pakistan since it began to exist.

I am with you on this one. One should write the name that prevailed at the time of the event. I can see Indian embassy giving a hard time to a foreign citizen of Indian origin, when applying for a visa, if he wrote Lahore, Pakistan as their place of birth.

An anonymous complaint was filed against VFS in holland. Interesting complaint and their response is at
http://www.indianembassy.nl/IE_visa_cons.htm

After reading this thread I gritted my teeth and sent in my application for a 5 yr. tourist visa via Travisa's Chicago office. I sent it on a Monday, enclosed a Fed Ex envelope for return. On Tuesday I received an email that it was received, Wed an email saying it was being mailed...no comment on if visa was granted or not. On Thursday I received the envelope with the 5 yr visa stamp/Passport.
I couldn't have been happier with the service except the Fex Ex expenses were $48, but justify it as I won't have to apply again for 5 yrs.

After reading this thread I gritted my teeth and sent in my application for a 5 yr. tourist visa via Travisa's Chicago office. I sent it on a Monday, enclosed a Fed Ex envelope for return. On Tuesday I received an email that it was received, Wed an email saying it was being mailed...no comment on if visa was granted or not. On Thursday I received the envelope with the 5 yr visa stamp/Passport.
I couldn't have been happier with the service except the Fex Ex expenses were $48, but justify it as I won't have to apply again for 5 yrs.

Congrats! You should've applied for the 10-yr visa, same price at the 5-yr one.

I was holding my breath for the 5 year visa :p. I heard it wasn't unusual to have that turned down, especially as I've never been before and do not have relatives there....I thought I had an even slimmer chance for the 10 yr one.

I was holding my breath for the 5 year visa :p. I heard it wasn't unusual to have that turned down, especially as I've never been before and do not have relatives there....I thought I had an even slimmer chance for the 10 yr one.

I'm not sure why people seem to have this misconception. As far as I know, the only people whose applications are delayed (but rarely occasionally turned down) are Pakistanis/people of Pakistani origin. Pretty much everyone else gets their visa without any issues.

I'm not sure why people seem to have this misconception. As far as I know, the only people whose applications are delayed (but rarely occasionally turned down) are Pakistanis/people of Pakistani origin. Pretty much everyone else gets their visa without any issues.

I know, same thought here. The Indian consulate has a lot of language in their app about final approval, but everyone I know who's ever applied for the 10-yr visa has gotten it with no problems.

Sorta bummed because I didn't stretch/apply for the 10 yr. Oh well, I'll stick to the 5 year plan^

Now I need to search for more threads looking for using ATM/CC's etc while I'm there but I will ask here first- if anyone wants to give me their 2 rupee's worth of thoughts.. I love using a credit card for most everything. Will it be easy to use in India-at least in major cities and normal tourist spots? I'd rather not carry a lot of cash. I prefer changing USD for local currancy via ATM's and normally do this in airport upon arrival. However
I will be staying with friends who are residents, born and raised there, so would it be better to utilize their bank for changing currancy?

At major stores/restaurants (and virtually all hotels), you should be able to use your credit card. However, most tourist attractions and taxis will only accept cash. There are many ATMs throughout the country (maybe more than in the US), and you should have no trouble with them. The ATMs generally don't charge a fee besides the 1% Visa/MC fee that your bank will charge you. I think it's best to just get cash from an ATM whenever you need instead of using a friend's bank. The fees will be roughly the same but you'll get the added benefit of not having to convert large amounts of USD to INR.

Sorta bummed because I didn't stretch/apply for the 10 yr. Oh well, I'll stick to the 5 year plan^

Now I need to search for more threads looking for using ATM/CC's etc while I'm there but I will ask here first- if anyone wants to give me their 2 rupee's worth of thoughts.. I love using a credit card for most everything. Will it be easy to use in India-at least in major cities and normal tourist spots? I'd rather not carry a lot of cash. I prefer changing USD for local currancy via ATM's and normally do this in airport upon arrival. However
I will be staying with friends who are residents, born and raised there, so would it be better to utilize their bank for changing currancy?

I was in India for a month recently, and thankfully followed my Indian relatives' advice by taking newer $100 bills. Changed the money as I needed, getting really good rates, and having the most flexibility & value (esp. in markets) by paying with rupees.

And don't sweat the visa thing. What's done is done, just enjoy your trip!

Thank you both, for your responses. I think I'll take a couple $100 bills and then rely on ATM's as they seem plentiful.
I am sooooo excited to go. I"ve been waiting 2 yrs for this, I can't wait for October to get here! Free tkt thanks to Cap 1 matching FF accounts :)

Now I need to search for more threads looking for using ATM/CC's etc while I'm there but I will ask here first- if anyone wants to give me their 2 rupee's worth of thoughts.. I love using a credit card for most everything. Will it be easy to use in India-at least in major cities and normal tourist spots? I'd rather not carry a lot of cash. I prefer changing USD for local currancy via ATM's and normally do this in airport upon arrival. However
I will be staying with friends who are residents, born and raised there, so would it be better to utilize their bank for changing currancy?

as others have stated, you will be able to use your credit card in most places & there are tons on atms everywhere where you can get local currency....

what bank do you use back home????

as others have stated, you will be able to use your credit card in most places & there are tons on atms everywhere where you can get local currency....

what bank do you use back home????

Hey, I'm a FT'er...so Chase (remember the annual CO bonus miles for opening ck?!;)) Suntrust (Delta promo) and my local credit union.

Hey, I'm a FT'er...so Chase (remember the annual CO bonus miles for opening ck?!;)) Suntrust (Delta promo) and my local credit union.

ok, so chase has no presence in india but at stated before, you can use any atm here....

ok, so chase has no presence in india but at stated before, you can use any atm here....

Thanks Keyser~appreciate the help.

I need to get my Indian visa transferred from my old passport to my new one. Apparently the Indian consulate in Houston is closed this weekend as they are moving. I'm sure that will cause some delays in the next few weeks. :(

While you technically may need to transfer your visa, in reality you don't have to. Often, you can just present your old passport (the one with the visa) along with the current passport to the customs officer in India and not face any issues.

While you technically may need to transfer your visa, in reality you don't have to. Often, you can just present your old passport (the one with the visa) along with the current passport to the customs officer in India and not face any issues.

Interesting to know! Though I'd rather not carry both passports around if possible. I'm currently not planning any upcoming trips to India, but just wanted to get it transferred if one does come up.

Interesting to know! Though I'd rather not carry both passports around if possible. I'm currently not planning any upcoming trips to India, but just wanted to get it transferred if one does come up.

its always better to have it transferred but as mentioned before, you can get by it by carrying your old passport....my uncle has been doing this for years & has never had a problem....

Going to India for the very first time in a couple of months. I was wondering how one would go about applying for a 10-year visa on the Travisa site. Do I put in a duration of 120 mths and multiple entries? Also, would anyone know what the procedure is for transiting through India back to a third country? I am thinking of flying into Nepal after India before I go back to Doha and home. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Going to India for the very first time in a couple of months. I was wondering how one would go about applying for a 10-year visa on the Travisa site. Do I put in a duration of 120 mths and multiple entries? Also, would anyone know what the procedure is for transiting through India back to a third country? I am thinking of flying into Nepal after India before I go back to Doha and home. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Know someone who did this without a problem a few months ago. He went to India and at the end of the trip went to Maldives. After the trip he went to COK, exited the airport and checked in for the US trip. The officers did not ask anything. He said the rules are not clear about this but his impression is that this reentry rule does not apply when visiting neighboring countries.

Know someone who did this without a problem a few months ago. He went to India and at the end of the trip went to Maldives. After the trip he went to COK, exited the airport and checked in for the US trip. The officers did not ask anything. He said the rules are not clear about this but his impression is that this reentry rule does not apply when visiting neighboring countries.
Had a feeling, but wasn't sure. Thanks! I am abandoning plans to see Nepal because it will still be bitterly cold. I will, however, use that time to see some of the south (I think). Still in planning phase.

Right now, the only thing that is booked is JFK-LHR-BAH-DOH-BAH-LHR-JFK for $141,70 on AA/BA. I am pretty sure I will spend at least one night in Qatar and maybe 2-3 in Oman before going to India. I can get to MCT from DOH for $160 using UA/EK. The schedule is terrible though. From MCT, I am thinking COK and then flying up to DEL and drive around there before connecting back to DOH and home. This is all easier said than done. :p

Had a feeling, but wasn't sure. Thanks! I am abandoning plans to see Nepal because it will still be bitterly cold. I will, however, use that time to see some of the south (I think).

Good choice. The north is just agricultural land. Nothing much to see save the Taj. Our North Indian FTers will be along to confirm that shortly. :p

Good choice. The north is just agricultural land. Nothing much to see save the Taj. Our North Indian FTers will be along to confirm that shortly. :p
The person I am most looking forward to hearing from is Keyser (cos I enjoy his posts on the SPG forum), but I assume he already knows that. :p

Good choice. The north is just agricultural land. Nothing much to see save the Taj. Our North Indian FTers will be along to confirm that shortly. :p

The person I am most looking forward to hearing from is Keyser (cos I enjoy his posts on the SPG forum), but I assume he already knows that. :p

thanks for the kind words....:D

i would have to agree with ua fan here....the winter months is not the best time to visit either nepal or north india....how many days are you planning on being in india????

thanks for the kind words....:D

i would have to agree with ua fan here....the winter months is not the best time to visit either nepal or north india....how many days are you planning on being in india????
9-10 days. Must see Taj (obviously). Am I better off spending less time in Jaipur/Delhi and go to Goa/Bangalore/Kochi instead?

Be prepared for some confusion when re-entering from a third country. OFFICIALLY you can't re-enter, although every official you talk to will say it's ok from certain neighboring countries (the list of those differs too).

In practice, you may get waived through with no questions, or you may be detained to fill out a form that they will need to hunt down. The latter happened to my daughter and I after a side visit to Sri Lanka, and it took about an extra 60 minutes in immigration.

Like all beauracratic Indian processes, be prepared to be patient.

9-10 days. Must see Taj (obviously). Am I better off spending less time in Jaipur/Delhi and go to Goa/Bangalore/Kochi instead?

i would usually pick jaipur & delhi over goa, bangalore & kochi but in the winter months delhi will be cold & foggy....not much to do in bangalore from a tourist point of view & i have never been a fan of goa but kochi is definitely worth a visit....oberoi hotels has a cruise option on the back waters in kerela....its expensive but i highly recommend it....more info here:

http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_vrinda/index.asp

i would usually pick jaipur & delhi over goa, bangalore & kochi but in the winter months delhi will be cold & foggy....not much to do in bangalore from a tourist point of view & i have never been a fan of goa but kochi is definitely worth a visit....oberoi hotels has a cruise option on the back waters in kerela....its expensive but i highly recommend it....more info here:

http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_vrinda/index.asp
I am unable to book anything despite the availability calendar saying that there are rooms available. :rolleyes: Thanks for weighing in on the trip though.

Also, I would greatly appreciate if anyone could chime in on whether I need to indicate 120 months in the application in order to get the 10-year visa.

Thanks!

Has anyone had a recent experience with applying for OCI's? My wife changed her name during the naturalization process. The US passport is in the new name but there is no official document proving the name change. The documents to prove name change are an endorsement of name change during naturalization or marriage certificate showing name change.

After the interviews and naturalization ceremony we asked the officers about such a document and none could help. The marriage certificate does not show any such name change.

Has anyone had a recent experience with applying for OCI's? My wife changed her name during the naturalization process. The US passport is in the new name but there is no official document proving the name change. The documents to prove name change are an endorsement of name change during naturalization or marriage certificate showing name change.

After the interviews and naturalization ceremony we asked the officers about such a document and none could help. The marriage certificate does not show any such name change.

I have seen OCIs granted to people in such circumstances repeatedly all this year -- most of them were born in India but some of them were not. Submitting photo copies of old passports in old name along with US passport(s) with post-US naturalization name did not result in an application rejection or material application delay for any of them.

I have seen OCIs granted to people in such circumstances repeatedly all this year -- most of them were born in India but some of them were not. Submitting photo copies of old passports in old name along with US passport(s) with post-US naturalization name did not result in an application rejection or material application delay for any of them.

Just wanted to report that everything went smooth. I had provided copies of old and new SSN and DL with the same number to show proof of name change.

Just a heads up! I recently applied for an India tourist visa via Travisa Outsourcing Houston. Initially they told me 5 days to process. After they got my paperwork and money, they then told me they had a backlog and it would take 2 to 3 weeks to process.

This Travisa visa thing is one big bureaucratic PITA. I'm taking my family late this month and have been delayed in getting our visas because I forgot that my son's passport expires less than 6 months after our arrival and I had to get him a new one. I was going to mail it all to DC yesterday, but realized I didn't have the right passport photos (my daughter is wearing glasses, which is apparently verbotten!), so now I'm planning on applying "in person" at the DC office (it's less than 2 hours away for me, so not a huge deal).

A few questons for anyone who has been there:

1. I made an appointment for one of my family members to apply in person (9 am). Is that appointment good for everybody in my family?

2. I'd love for them to process our visas that day and pick them up that afternoon. According to their website, they seem to do that. Do they really? If not, I'm assuming they'll mail them out to me in a day or two. Is that realistic, or should I rush to the visa office immediately (my trip is in a little more than 2 weeks). I was going to go later this week when it was more convenient for me.

3. On my own application, I said I'd mail it in. Now, as noted, I plan to show up in person. Do I need to fill out a brand new application (both Travisa and the offical application) or will Travisa not care when I show up with the papers?

4. I'm applying for the cheapo 6-month visa. On my application, I put in "1 month" for "period of visa." I did this because we're only staying 2 weeks in India. I'm now thinking perhaps the visa is only going to be good for 1 month from date of issue! Am I wrong about that, and will they just issue us standard 6 month visas?

So complicated! And silly.

Just go there in person with all the paperwork to sort it out this week and have them mail you the result. Same day pickup is probably too ambitious.

Just go there in person with all the paperwork to sort it out this week and have them mail you the result. Same day pickup is probably too ambitious.

Thanks.

I just called them and, to my surprise, I got a real person who was pretty helpful (well, I hope the information he gave me is accurate!). BTW, a couple days ago I sent them an email, but have received no response.

For the DC office, they tell me that, as natural-born citizens, I should have no problem getting same-day visas. They also told me that they send the same-day applications over to the Indian embassy at the same time; just show up with your application before 11. The guy also told me it's easy to change your appointment time on the website, even if you previously selected the "mail in" option. Just click on the "add/update/delete reservation" tab on the Travisa website. Everyone needs an appointment (I had no problem getting the same time for 5 people). Same day visas are apparently returned at 5:30 pm. (he says the office closes at 6).

I'm glad he told me that there was no incentive to show up early, because I had made a 9 am appointment thinking (logically) that this would increase the chances of getting it back the same day. Now I don't have to fight the AM rush hour traffic in DC.

They also will issue tourists a 6 month visa regardless of the "period" you select on your application.

As a follow-up, what I was told about same-day visas on the telephone turned out not to be accurate. I guess they could do them in an emergency, but it took them 2 business days to mail my visas back to me.

Overall, the Travisa experience was OK. They didn't seem overwhelmed, and they had some good electronic systems to keep you updated on exactly where you passport was at any given time. Kind of like a FedEx tracking system for visa applicaitons!