Indian visa
 

I have scheduled an appointment to apply for an Indian visa on August 7th (from 12:40 to 13:00 hrs). I will be going to the BLS International visa center in New York.

I have already filled out and printed my visa application, along with an attached passport photo.

What else do I need to bring? Nothing is mentioned on BLS's website.

I know that the total cost of the visa will be $67.00. But I am unsure whether or not I can pay this in cash at the center, or if I need to bring a blank money order for this amount. I really wish they would be more clear exactly how the whole process works.

It's obvious that I will need to bring my U.S. passport and my application, but is there anything else? I want to make sure this appointment is successful.

Thanks.

i think you would get a better response in the thread below....i believe bls took over from travisa earlier this month....

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india...residents.html

The link to the post you provided was not only outdated, but irrelevant to my questions.

OP, have you checked the requirements listed on their website?

http://visa.blsindia-usa.com/howtoapplyvisa.php

Select the type of visa you are applying for and then click "Requirements" -- for example, if you are applying for a Tourist visa, you will also need something that provides proof of address. Acceptable forms of proof of address are also given. Different requirements apply for different visas as well.

Forms of payment are listed a bit lower down on the original link. It looks like cash is accepted.

If you are still unsure, contacting them by phone/e-mail to confirm would be a good idea.

http://visa.blsindia-usa.com/contactus.php

Since this transition is still relatively new, it would be nice if you could follow-up with a short report of your experience. Thanks! :)

did you even read my post????i never said you would get the answer to your question in that thread....i said you have a better chance of a response in a thread that already exists as opposed to starting a new thread....

It's a dead post. Not only that, but I have a much better chance of getting an answer to my question by starting my own post that is specific to my concerns, rather than burying my question among 103 comments made somewhere on page 7 of that post.

Thanks for this info. I should have been able to dig this up myself, but I obviously had trouble.

The only problem I see is that they require a birth certificate for all U.S. born citizens.

I was born in the U.S., and my birth certificate first name is "Giuseppe", which is Italian for "Joseph" or "Joe".
However, all my other documents have "Joseph" on them, including my driver's license. I also applied for my Indian visa with "Joseph". Will this be a problem?

That requirement is only for minors (less than 18 years old). If you're older than that, you don't need to worry!

Thank you. I checked again, and you're right.

suit yourself....if you ask a question in an existing thread then its not 'burying' your question....posting in a thread that already exists has a better chance of being read by more people....

No problem. Please post your experience after your visit if you can and have a nice trip to India :D

Drivers license is needed
 

I am going thru the same visa application with BLS right now, they do say a drivers license copy with a matching address is needed or a copy of a utility bill with name and address on it.Best of luck

Thanks. Thankfully, I have this documentation.

Maybe you're right, but this time I got what I wanted by starting my own thread.
I will take your advice into consideration next time. I may even try both methods to see which is more effective.

Seeing that the company providing visa service has changed and the information is likely to be outdated, wouldn't it make sense to let that thread die and start a new Indian visa thread?

There are times when we at Flyertalk let threads go on too long, and information which is at best stale and at worst completely incorrect gets mixed up with current info and the end result is confusion.