Recent experiences with Indian visa for US citizens?
 

Has anyone had recent experience with getting an Indian visa in the US?

India has recently outsourced this task (or a part of it) to Travisa. I've heard a couple of bad stories about this.

From the web site it looks like you can do walk-in same day service (in the specific cities supported)

Thanks.

Hi Cordata,
I was planning to apply for visa in the next couple of weeks, so very interested too -- what stories have you heard?

FoT

For business travel I normally use a visa service since it's on the company dime. They told me that with the new system they can't stand in line for clients for same day service and have to submit by mail for 4-5 day processing. Even then they have had cases where the visa has taken over 2 weeks to arrive.

Just want to hear others' experiences and should I go without the service and mail in or perhaps travel to the site.

i just got an india visa through their outsource agency, works great, takes just over a week with regular handling (overnighted passport to them wed afternoon, got it back Monday a week later). fill in app online, pay with credit card, print the app and send it with photos and proof of address (i sent copy of phone bill, or anything else with ur address on it). they give u a link to track ur passport once u mail it to them and email u updates

https://www.indian-visa.com/get-a-visa.html

I have never had any problems getting Indian visa, but I have often found the front-line consulate personnel to be less than friendly.

Disclaimer: The last time I applied for a visa to India was in 2002 when I got a 10 year multiple entry visa.

in most india consulates in the US now u cant just go to the consulate to apply, unless it is an emergency, they want u to use this outside agency which they list on the consulate web site.

So, you are stuck with paying the fee for this agency.

SF in December
 

we duly went to the Travisa office in SF in November (WED before t-giving), barely making the cutoff for same day return. They were pretty strict about this; at 2 minutes to cutoff, the nice young man called us up to the counter so he could "start" our process. I really felt sorry for that guy; he tried hard to help customers and everyone kept shouting at him. (And the shouting got worse later that day :td: )

Then, went out to lunch, walked around SF and came back. There was a two hour delay in getting the passports back from the embassy ... no information given .... unruly crowd (no queuing guidelines, just snaking around the room and people jumping to the counters if they had dropped off their passports the day before). You get the picture. But, it was same day service, as advertised.

My advice: if you're near the office, drop it off and have them send it back to you via fedex. By the time you pay for the extra parking, it'll be more than worth it. If you need it the same day, well, I guess you have no choice. Just make sure you get there early enough in the morning to make the cutoff.

(were we the only ones that found it funny that the Indian Embassy outsourced this activity :D )

Excellent experience with Travisa
 

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I had sent in my daughter's passport for Indian visa -- it was nothing short of fantastic!!

Mailed it to them overnight on Friday, Got email confirmation on Monday:


Dear Ms.Fabric,

Travisa Outsourcing has received your application (#XXXXXXXXX) for an Indian visa. You applied for a Tourist Visa. Requested duration of visa is 10 Years Multiple Entry. We have processed your payment, and will submit your application to the Indian Embassy/Consulate shortly.

Fees were charged accordingly:
Consular Fee Processing Service Fee Shipping Fee Total
$150.00 $13.00 $20.00 $183.00

Your payment receipt is detailed below:
--- payment details ---

We will notify you again by email once your application has been processed and is ready to be mailed back. You can keep track of your application every step of the way by using our Track Passport tool.

Sincerely,
Travisa Outsourcing
=======================
Today morning (Wednesday) I got another follow up email from them:

Dear Ms Fabric,

Travisa Outsourcing has received your passport (application #XXXXXXXX) back from the Indian Embassy/Consulate. We have verified your visa has been processed correctly. You applied for a Tourist Visa. Requested duration of visa is 10 Years Multiple Entry.
Your passport is being sent back to you via the following method:

FedEx
Tracking Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXX (Please note that package tracking information may not show in the FedEx system immediately)

Please contact us if you have any problems or concerns about your visa. We appreciate your business, and hope you found the process easy and efficient.

Sincerely,
Travisa Outsourcing
=====================

Way to go Travisa!

Cheers,
FoT

I got my Indian visa yesterday using Travisa in NYC. It was very easy. I showed up at 9:05am to drop off my materials, was out of the building by 9:25. When the website said my passport was back from the consulate I returned to pick it up, which took less than 5 minutes.

My only complaint: they need to stay open a bit later. By the time they post the notice online that your passport is ready, there's only like 45 minutes left before they close. I barely made it. If they stayed open until 7pm instead of 6pm that'd make same day service a lot easier.

^ for this. Im using them and sending my stuff today, my flight to India is mid-may so we should have plenty of time.

I went to the DC office of Travisa yesterday (after filling out the online application), and it was a breeze. There was one person in line in front of me when I dropped off the application, and two people in line when I picked it up.

It might be harder if you don't live near an embassy/consulate, though. My mother (who lives nowhere near a consulate) had one of our relatives take her application to the Houston Travisa office, and they actually called her to ask who brought in the application, and how they were related! It seems like there is no way to get same-day service unless you go in person (or know someone who can go on your behalf).

$183! No way i will pay so much. No India for me.

Its 73$ for normal ones. The poster above applied for a 10 year multiple entry visa.

https://www.indian-visa.com/consular-fees?id=1

I think $163 for the 10 year visa is a fantastic deal. I got Brazilian and Chinese visas within the past year and they were each $130 but only good for 5 years and 1 year respectively.