India visa info

Plan ahead. India says it want tourists, but does its best to screw them around with the visa process. 2010 new rules say you must have a 2 month break between visits to India, although this is about to change according to mid-March info. Currently for a tourist visit plus a fast transit in that two month "Cooling" period is at the discretion of the issuing visa officer.

Transiting via New Delhi

If you are merely transiting New Delhi en route to Kathmandu then staying in the 2011-new Eaton transit hotel may be the best option.

Visa on arrival

Generally NOT possible.

However it seems from 1 Jan 2010 that five nationalities, Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore can get up to 30 days on arrival. If thinking of using the facility you should carefully double-check a month prior that this will be possible.

Visa issued from India's embassy in Kathmandu 

Yep, you will have to waste good time on this. There are two types available:

Transit visa - this is valid for a maximum of 14 days FROM the date of issue, not the date you enter India. 2 photos required, 1500+250Rs. You must be transiting, ie going from one place to another via India, not beginning and ending in Kathmandu, for example.

Tourist visa - valid for 1-6 months from the date of entry. First you have to fill out a telex form so that they can check whether you have been refused a visa in your home country, and wait a week for a reply, then it is a one day process of waiting. The cost varies by country but US$40 or so is normal.

Visa issued in your home country

This is definitely the best option. In London you wait 10-30 minutes and the process is complete. Using your travel agent's visa services is worth it, if you are not in London.

Similarly in the USA. For Americans, there are 5 and 10 year visa options available, well worth getting one of these if you will be returning.

You might have to list two contact addresses in India, you can use these, the hotel we usually stay in, and our Delhi agent's address:

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