The daughter of a friend began to apply on line at the Indian consulates website for a visa. She had been to India before and they asked for her old visa number?? Well I don't get that and it's on an old passport which she can't find and she can't proceed w/o that. So we looked at the Cox and Kings website for an e-visa and no such info was needed. This was much easier to finish. So why is the consulates website so different? I suggested she cancel that app and go thru C and K. Any ideas?

I'm confused. I understood that the Indian Consulate had contracted out visas to Cox and Kings. I though that if she was in the US or Canada, she had to get her visa through Cox and Kings.

I agree she should cancel the first application and go through Cox and Kings.

Me too. In fact I just called this gals mom after looking at the Indian consulate website Chicago and under visa saw no way to apply outside of C and K. For a visa they link you to the C and K website. So does the Indian embassy in DC so I told her to tell this to her daughter. I don't know what tree she's barking up but its the wrong one.

Thank you Kathie. .

The Indian Govt E-Visa site does ask for the number of your previous visa but I just said unknown and it was approved within 24 hours. The Govt site is https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html. They charge $60. There are lots of lookalike sites.

That's the thing and it looks like an official government side but is it really? Because the official Indian called Summerside in Chicago as well as the Indian embassy website does not have a link to that but does have links to Cox and Kings.

Should read "consular website" not "called summer side "

I believe it is definitely an official website as I was seeking to apply for my India evisa today and it is the very same link that the official UK government foreign office website gives for UK citizens to use.

It appears that in UK we have no alternative to this and I too have had difficulty with answering some of the questions [my last visa to india was issued over 25 years ago and I have no idea of its number or its date and as we are travelling independently we have no 'indian reference name' to offer]. I have therefore just emailed their help line in order to double check I get it right !

Perhaps so for the UK but in the US the site the govt. websites link you to is Cox and Kings. Maybe my friends daughter came across the one you use in the UK.

Thanks!

Larry. .

The site I gave is for e-visas. Cox and Kings is the agent for regular visas.

Whoops, I hit submit when I meant preview...

I was going on to say that the Chicago Consulate site does give the link I gave for e-visas: it's the second bullet down on the right, where it says "eTourist Visa". I think the question is: does the daughter of your friend need an e-visa or a regular one?

I followed that and is this what you mean?
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/info1.jsp

I wasn't about to fill it out but is this the one that asks for previous visa numbers?

On the front page of the consulate site after you click on visas are links to C and K and when I showed this to her she seemed surprised as if she had not gone that route before. I did see the e-visa link you mentioned. I don't know why there are different links to the visa app process from the official consular site?? I also don't know how she got to the site she ended up on but it seems likely she went this route as you pointed out.

Our last two trips to India involved visa nightmares! First it was for my wife and I won't get into how crazy it was. Then for me it was the BLS mess. I paid like $500.00 plus visa fees for a lawyer to get mine and he went thru hell too. Given what some people went thru when BLS was in charge I consider myself lucky.

I will follow up with her and get back when I have an answer. In late 2013 when we were last in India I read the govt. was going to begin issuing e-visas and it took more that a year to roll out this procedure. I suppose trying to simplify what had been at times a terribly cumbersome process takes time.

Hi jacketwatch, I cannot help you on the US preferred website but can confirm that the site you link to above is the official e-visa site. It does definitely have a section which asks the applicant questions on previous visa numbers and dates. Like you I no longer hold any records from my previous visit which was some years ago and so I rang the official help line [the number and email address is half way down the right hand side of evisa page] and then to be double sure I subsequently requested the advice in writing via email.

Basically they said that if you did not have a record of the old visa number it was not a problem at all and that you should just write 'not available' or 'unknown' in the number box. Hope this helps.

Very good. Thank you. I will tell my friends daughter that!

Ok so she called Cox and Kings and they advised her to drop the old application and apply for a new one per the link on the Indian consulate website and so far that is going well so thanks to all for your contributions .

So she got the 10 yr. visa, no muss, no fuss. All went well. Good job Cox and Kings and thanks to all who replied!

Larry. .

I'm glad to hear it, Larry.

Thank you Kathie. Sure glad she did not have to go thru what I and others went thru with BLS and I was really one of the lucky ones. I got my visa finally while others had their passports lost.

Glad your friend got her visa OK.

I also got my e-visas through OK so putting 'unknown' into the last visa number box and a vague approximation of the date of it in the date box worked fine !

Less than a week to go now before I fly so I am getting excited !

Glad it worked out for you.

You must be getting pumped now so safe and fun trip!

I hope we can hear from you when you return!

Cheers, Larry. .