Six weeks ago the broadsheet newspapers were reporting on changes in obtaining an Indian tourist visa.
Up until that point it had never been a particularly easy process for UK tourists anyway. It required completing an online application, at the same time as submitting paper forms. Depending on where you lived, it was often confusing trying to work out to which office to send your application – it was not necessarily the nearest one. Once you had answered all of the questions, some of which were bewildering and a little ambiguous, then you needed to part with approximately £100 for a six month visa which begins the day your application is processed and not the day you first set foot on Indian soil.
However, about six weeks ago, the Indian High Commission announced that from March 14th 2015, UK passport holders would need to book an individual appointment at an application centre (one of 14 in the UK) for biometric testing. However, at the time of the announcement, only 3 centres were actually open. There was no guarantee that members from the same family would obtain consecutive appointments on the same day.
In the UK, a company called VFS processes UK visa applications.
Travel agents and tour operators, in particular, as well as regular travellers to India, expressed grave concerns about the proposed changes. As a result of the outcry, the Indian High Commission seems to have changed its mind about biometric testing. A notice on the VFS website states that it “has been deferred until further notice”. The website also currently states that “Scheduling appointment to visit the application centre is now mandatory effective 16 March 2015”. Yet, there have also
been reports in some newspapers that it will not be necessary to turn up for an appointment.
This added layer of bureaucracy to a process that was not easy to start with, plus the high cost and the confusion of what is needed, is likely to deter many UK tourists to choose to visit other Asian countries instead, like Thailand.