althom1122

Thanks, skibumette. I may do that.
I had no idea it could be such an ordeal. Given that tourists generate money for the economy, it doesn't make sense that they make it so hard for people to enter the country. Hm.

thursdaysd

althom - it used to be simpler. But it turned out that the "scout" for the Mumbai bombers had visited frequently on a western passport, and things have gotten much tougher since.

althom1122

Ah, that makes sense. I hadn't thought of that. It's a sad world we live in...

althom1122

I got my passport (yay!) and am ready to apply for the visa. The Travista site says that the service fee for a tourist passport is $50. On the visa application itself, it says $60. I'm assuming that I should send a single check for $110, is that right?

Also, I can't find where it says how to send it - a personal check? Made out to whom? Or should I send a money order? Or what?

The instructions are clear except for the part about paying...

Thanks!

althom1122

I know to use cash/money order if I go down there, but if I mail it in (which I think I have plenty of time to do), what should I use? And should it be made out to Travista?

Kathie

Karen, I'm not sure what you are looking at, but look here:
https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing...ular-fees?id=1

The visa for 6 months visa is $60 and the service charge is $13.

You can send a money order or use your visa card. They say the use of a credit card may delay the processing, but we had no problem.

Have you thought about getting the 10 year visa? If you expect to take another trip to India in the next 10 years, I think it's worth getting the 10 year visa.

You MUST fill out the visa forms online, then you will print them and send them with the other required documentation, photos and payment to Travisa.

althom1122

Thanks, Kathie. I was here...

http://india.travisa.com/VisaInstruc...?CountryID=IN&

I still can't find what you clicked to get to the page you found, but thanks. I'll bookmark it. I did fill out the application online and have it all printed (and have all the rest of my stuff together). I thought about the 10 year one, but I think it's very unlikely that I'll be back. And if so, surely not more than once. So I decided it wasn't worth it. Too many places still on my list...

Thanks!

althom1122

I've been divorced for 10 years and Travisa says they need my marriage certificate. I don't even have it. They said they'd try without it, but the embassy/consulate might request it. I understand them wanting to be careful, but good grief. I provided my passport, driver's license, birth certificate and all the background info they asked for. Grrrr.

thursdaysd

That's a surprise, althom, they must be getting stickier. I've been married and divorced twice, and they didn't ask for any of my certificates. I actually have them, safely stashed in a safe deposit box, but I knew I would need them at some point for the US immigration people.

althom1122

I talked to the woman at Travisa. She said she could try without the certificate and maybe they'd process it, but there was no guarantee. I should know in a few days. It never occurred to me that I'd ever need my marriage certificate. I have the divorce decree... I wonder if that would suffice.

thursdaysd

Well, a little difficult to get divorced if you're not married, lol, so it might be worth trying!

shelleyk

Although it does seem like an over the top requirement, if you absolutely must have it, you can request a certified copy from the town where you got married.

jacketwatch

If you read my thread here about getting our Indian visas you will see how we had to go thru hoops to get it done and what Travisa says you need or "require" and what actually suffices are two vastly different things. Good luck. BTW remember that US terrorist David Headley who aided and abetted those nuts who shot up all those folks in Mumbai? He got his Indian visa from the Chicago counslate office. Thats what brought on all these new proceedures.

520

Interesting. Our experience was very different. We filled out the forms on line, sent them with the required documentation (except that my husband didn't have his birth certificate so instead he sent in our marriage certificate which had his parents' places of birth on it. A day after Trevisa received everything they e-mailed to say everything was all right and was being forwarded to the Indian Consulate, and two or three days after that, we received an e-mail saying everything was ready to be picked up. Maybe it depends which office one is working with!

althom1122

520 - maybe because you and your husband were traveling together and had your marriage certificate that made a difference? Or then again, yes, maybe it depends on the office. In my case, it's the Washington one. From what I could tell of the website instructions it looked like a marriage certificate was required if someone had been born in India but not in the US. It wasn't quite clear to me. I'll let everyone know how it goes, and if necessary I guess I'll contact the courthouse in the town I was married and see if I can get a copy of my marriage certificate.

jacketwatch

520: What office did you use?

thursdaysd

I used the Washington office. I was traveling alone and was not asked for marriage or divorce certificates, although I did need a notarized ""translation" of my birth certificate. Since it was in English anyway (I was born in England) I simply got a notarized copy. The whole process just took Monday to Friday, for a 10 year visa for someone who had previously visited Pakistan.

520

we used the Manhattan office.

althom1122

Woo-hoo, I got an email from Travisa today saying they'd picked up my passport with the visa and sent it via FedEx, so I should have it tomorrow or the next day. Yay!

So, it turns out that, although Travisa wanted the marriage certificate, the consulate did not require it. I'm glad I spoke to them on the phone and asked them to go ahead and try it without the certificate.

Now my biggest worries will be deciding what to pack!

Kathie

Great, Karen, I'm glad it all worked out!