Visa to India

Whew!! I am wiping the sweat from my brow. We just finished the tedious visa application process and all I can say is wow! They ask for everything you have save your first born. BUT as promised…HOW TO GET AN INDIAN VISA.

First things first, what in the world is a visa? Visa literally means “paper that has been seen” and is from the Latin word charta visa; it basically states that an individual is authorized to enter a certain territory.

It is not enough to possess a passport, an American I.D., birth certificate, marriage license, your airport ticket and a major credit card. No, no, to enter some countries you also need the “paper that has been seen” as well. Apparently, some embassies in certain countries require a visa to “identify the traveler” and keep its home country “safe”. I suspect that the fees they accumulate upon receiving each visa application is probably a pretty good motivator as well.

Does one need a visa to enter any and every foreign country? NO. Some countries have reciprocal treaty arrangements with the United States of America, thus U.S. citizens are not required to obtain a visa before or upon entry into these certain countries. Countries that do require visas from Americans have various stipulations (some quite stringent), that must be fulfilled before visitation is granted. Even after these rigorous regulations have been followed, a visa can be denied upon whatever arbitrary directive the country decides upon. In the event the visa is granted and a traveler has safely arrived at his destination, a visa is not a “ticket” into the country. It is merely a verification of identity of the applicant and therefore entry can still be denied.

INDIAN VISA

Courtesy of passportsandvisas.com

In our case we paid $118 PER PERSON for outsourcing fees, consulate fees, shipping fees and other miscellaneous tid bits. There are outsourcing companies, mediators,  “go-betweens” and a bunch of red tape. But after all is said and done you are really just applying to the embassy of that particular country.  You are in essence saying, “I am safe, can I please come in?” Once all of your paper work is received they will determine if they will grant you a visa. This process is true of obtaining an Indian visa specifically. The particulars and fees may vary between countries and to know the exact procedures one would have to check with the embassy of the country they would like to visit.

Guidelines change from time to time. For example, just recently, Australia became a country that requires U.S. citizens to obtain a visa before entry. However, it is a simple electronic process that does not require the sacrifice of your family heirlooms and every other document you have in your safe deposit box. Other countries curious travelers may be interested in visiting are listed below:

THIS APPLIES TO US CITIZENS

You need a visa for:

BRAZIL PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

CAMBODIA UPON ENTRY

CHINA PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

EGYPT UPON ARRIVAL

TANZANIA PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

TURKEY UPON ARRIVAL

VIETNAM PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

ZIMBABWE UPON ARRIVAL

AUSTRALIA (AN ETA OR ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION CAN BE OBTAINED BEFORE DEPARTURE)

You do NOT need a visa for:

CHILE

COSTA RICA

CROATIA

ECUADOR

FRANCE

GREECE

ISRAEL

ITALY

JAPAN

MOROCCO

PERU

PORTUGAL

SOUTH AFRICA

SPAIN

THAILAND

Note: Be aware that all of the countries that do not require visas do however require passports. Those that require visas also require passports. Your visa is stamped inside your current passport.

Note:  When visiting another country, various other fees can be accrued and can potentially become very expensive (visas, passport acquisitions or passport renewals, baggage fees, etc). Be sure to factor these fees into the price of your trip during the planning process.