Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur

Traveling has never been as easy as it is now. But don’t be that person (ahem, me), who shows up at the airport and doesn’t have the required visa. News flash: You won’t be allowed on the plane. The solution is to apply for an e-Visa online. Many who want to travel to India have no idea that they can apply for a 30-day visa online. The process is quite straightforward and it doesn’t take long. It beats going to the consulate and standing in line for hours. However, if you travel by cruise ship, I’m afraid you can’t evade the line after all.

An Indian e-Visa is valid only if you enter the country through one of the 16 listed airports (Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, and Varanasi.)

First, fill in an India e-Visa application that you can find in the attached link. It can be processed 33 days prior to your arrival, but must be at least 4 days before your flight. The document can be obtained in as little as 18 hours. If you plan to go to India 6 months from now, you can apply now.

Upload requirements include:

• Valid passport
• A recent digital photo of yourself
• A scanned copy of the information page of your passport
• Credit/debit card or Paypal account

The required documents are just the first part of the application. The second consists of a few simple personal questions and photo uploads. It’s simple and will only take 10 minutes. If by any chance, you can’t handle it and need help, you will receive assistance 24/7.

Haji Ali in Mumbai

What are the costs of getting an Indian e-Visa?

The fees differ according to nationality, but the price range is no cost to $97. There is a service fee of $35 for standard processing. For rush processing, you pay an extra $30. There is even a super rush processing for an extra $65.

The payment can be made via credit/debit card, but what is even more convenient is that you can pay with a PayPal account as well. The Indian e-Visa is 100% refundable as long as your application has not been sent to the Indian government.

When does the e-Visa arrive?

If you are in the 33-day timeframe, you will receive the e-Visa via e-mail withing 72 hours of submitting the application; 24 hours if you chose the rush processing; or 18 hours if you went for the super rush processing. No other proceedings are required. You just print the document and present it when you board your flight to India, as well as at the immigration office upon arrival.

It’s that easy. Namaste!

New Delhi Temple

Is India on your bucket list? It’s on mine!