The ETA or Electronic Travel Authorization is a temporary visa issued by the government of India, which is required for tourists entering the country for tourism purposes. In November last, the ETA replaced the earlier special tourist visa-on-entry policy adopted by the Indian government. The new policy provides tourists with a free travel document called the E- TOURIST Visa which is valid for six months from the date of issue.
Tourists have to visit the nearest railway station or any other public place on the date of issuance or collection and the stamp duty shall be paid at the railway station or the location mentioned on the application form. An official who is authorized to do so shall collect the stamp duty from the visitor’s ticket purchased at the railway station or the location mentioned on the application form. An official may also affix his signature on the application form and stamp it into the India visa online application form.
The applicant needs to fill in the online form called Indian visa online application form with details such as name and address of the applicant, name of spouse, parent, legal status etc of the dependent children who are non-residents of India. After submitting the details, one needs to submit his passport along with the photos of dependents (if any) after verifying the identity and nationality of the applicant. The passport should be original and in the prescribed format. Two photographs should be submitted along with the application form. Within three months from the time of application, the applicant receives his visa. The processing time starts after one gets a response from the Department of Posts and after confirmation of the result one gets a mailed certificate which he needs to present while travelling to India.
The online Indian visa services are provided by many companies, which have come up with new software called Electronic Presence Verification System or e-visa. This software allows applicants to login to their website and to avail the service. One can log in using any reputed domain name. There are three types of e-visas – Indian e-visa, British e-visa and Singapore e-visa.
In case of applying for the Indian visa online, one has to follow the given procedure mentioned in the related manual. The first step is to fill in the application form with details like name of the applicant, contact details, age proof, residence proof, work permit etc of the applicant. The next step is to visit the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, union ministry, department of immigration, and other authorized Indian Embassy where one has to submit his visa application form along with the required documents. The submission of the form by the applicant will get him the approval in a span of two weeks.
Nowadays, most of the online providers have taken up the process of Indian visa process from the ground up. They have customized their website as per the requirements of the applicant and have personalized the application form and the supporting documents in such a way that it fits the requirements of the applicant. In this way, an applicant gets a specialized treatment when compared to what he would get if he visits the Indian embassy to apply for an Indian visa. The Indian authorities offer the facility of paid online Indian visa enrolment but the applicants can also go in for the free online registration which is equally beneficial.
The applicant has to fill in the application form with accurate details and submit via the online mode which is available till the processing of visa. The applicant receives notification about his status after four days. If the applicant does not find any positive response then he has to visit the Indian Consular Office for further clarification. On the completion of processing, you get the permanent visa and five years validity period after which you are eligible for the Indian tourist e-visa. Thus, India Visa Online is indeed one of the most convenient ways of obtaining India e-visa.
There are certain points to be considered while applying for an India Visa Online. First of all, one should choose the approved website which is known to provide assistance to the applicants. Secondly, the website should offer the facility of electronic submission of visa. Moreover, the website must have the facility to reschedule the visa at any point of time without prior intimation. The third criterion is the expiration date and the fourth is the arrival date.
