gbs1112

Is anyone else experiencing online problems? My application proceeds right up to the payment page, accepts my credit card but fails to collect the approved amount from my bank. I thought maybe my bank was blocking it, but they say they see the sum requested and there are no problems with the card nor account but the other bank fails to complete the transaction.

Keyser

have you tried using a different browser????i know someone who was having problems with the payment page earlier this year & it worked once they tried a different browser....

gbs1112

Yes: I usually use Chrome but did try on IE5 with no success there either. I did get advice that the payment connection was through State Bank of India in Mumbai where the completion then failed. Later on that the application has now been cancelled because too many payment attempts have been made and a new application must be created. There are Non Govt Agencies that will do the application, for a fee, anything up to double the cost of the basic one.

Blueskyheaven

How do you upload photos? use one of your existing passport size photo or the regular 4x6 inch size photo to scan on your printer and upload it?

gbs1112

It is pretty straight forward. You will be asked to chose a suitable photo and can browse your PC files to find a JPEG file. If you don't already have something suitable a photo taken on your smartphone can be used. Maybe not all smartphones but certainly the iPhone. You just have to get the background shadow free and you can crop the photo to the right size then send it to your computer and so forth. You don't have to bother about the 4x6 dimensions, just the file size.

Blueskyheaven

Thanks. I have pics taken from my new iphone and have other pics saved on my PC but they are casual pics and these are not OK right?

If it means cropping and editing, I am not good at these but I will try as I have to.

gbs1112

It needs to be a photo taken specifically for passport and other ID purposes. Plain shadow free background, full frontal face and so on.
Stand a few feet in front of a plain wall, preferably white or very pastel hued in a well lit room, well in front to avoid shadows. No flash. Choose the best of several exposures and edit it on the iPhone. If you are looking at the photo on your phone you will see 'edit' as an option. You can play with this and you will see tools to adjust the exposure and contrast to get the background etc exactly right, and to crop the photo down to exact head and shoulders format. Send the adjusted photo to your PC and you are there.

jonathaninlondon

Hi there, I've got the same payment problem and wonder if you solved yours, and if so how?
I've tried different browsers, different computers, different credit cards and have also gone to the bother of re-applying a couple of times (I think you only get three goes on the payment). Nothing seems to work. It goes all the way through to the very last screen, after the 3d secure credit card page and at that point the transaction fails and I get a Page Will Not Load screen and a bundle of error messages. I know my credit cards are fine.

If anyone solves this for me (the help service has been hopeless - they just send messages to State Bank of India, who ignore them) then I'll gladly make a Ł30 donation to the UK charity of your choice!

Best wishes, Jon in London

jonathaninlondon

Hi there - did you manage to solve this. I've had the same problem. Gnash, gnash... Jon

gbs1112

I was going to try again this evening, having given them to chance to fix any known glitch, but after reading your posts will give that attempt a miss. I have a good two weeks before departure, but if it is not corrected soon will have to try the commercial route at extra cost or get a standard visa.

gbs1112

i sent an email to the Indian High Commission here in London asking if they were aware of the problem.
If anyone manages to complete a payment do post a report here, please.

jonathaninlondon

Tried again to pay for my evisas this morning. Different credit card, different computer, whole new set of application forms. Continues to fail after the very last 3D secure screen. I get an error message about the website (ie the State Bank of India) not being available.

I know others have made this e-visa service work - I wish you could tell me how! For me it's been worse than useless because I've spent so much time trying and failing with it.

gbs1112

I received no reply to my email to the Indian High Commission here in London. I called their Public Response Unit this morning, an interesting exercise. Their phone is answered but silent. If you hang on to what seems like a dead line for a couple of minutes a recorded voice tells you that you are in a queue but they are experiencing high demand so just hold on. There are then several minutes of silence but you have not been cutoff, the voice repeats its message and so it goes. I gave up after 30-40 mins.
I wondered if UK applications were being help up to divert income to their designated visa operation. Maybe an evil thought but these things can happen. I made an application using my Antipodean passport but again payment failed so as I need some finality I have gone commercial and it was completed in less than an hour. I have a print out and can relax.

flashware

Also have the same issue. I can't even get to the 3d secure part of the payment.

Tell me, are you able to see the 'Billing Details' tab and enter your address? That's where I'm failing. The only way I can get that tab to show is accessing the site via my mobile, but then I can't actually select the tab.

Blueskyheaven

I was able to apply for 3 people by just clearing history= cookies, caches.
try it it will work