Visa for India? That's Easy! Here's how.

I travelled to northwestern India and Vanarassi in 2012 and back then, I only applied for a visa on arrival at the Delhi Airport which was quick and easy. I am toying the idea of going back there because I miss the food and culture of this hate-it-or-love-it destination. Also, I’m going to Myanmar January next year so it will be cheaper to fly from there to India. This time, I’m planning to do Mumbai because well, Bollywood.

The Ganges River, Varanasi, India

Seems like three years is quite a long time as India already change its visa policies for tourists and businessmen. I am quite surprised that, for Filipinos at least, you have to secure an e-Tourist Visa (eTV) at least four (4) days before your planned date of arrival. (I have to note that three years ago, Myanmar, despite its ASEAN membership, required Filipinos to secure tourist visas which isn’t the case at present.)

The eTV is also applicable not only to the Philippines but to other countries: Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island,Chile, China, China- SAR Hongkong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand,Nicaragua, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Russia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam.

The Taj Mahal, Agra, India.

The good news though is everything is done online so you won’t have to go through the burden of appearing at the Indian Embassy for an interview. Fill out the online forms then upload 1) Scanned first page of your passport in PDF format, 10-300kb only; 2) Your jpeg photo, 10kb-1mb, the height and width should be equal (350 x 350 – 1000 x 1000 pixels), the background should be plain light colored or white, without borders and no shadow on your face nor on the background.

After uploading the requirements, you can now pay via debit or credit card. Visa fee is country-specific and non-refundable. Filipinos will have to pay US$48. Click here if you’re a non-Philippine passport holder. Once payment is done, the eTV will sent to your email.

City Palace, Jaipur, India.

The visa’s validity is 30 days from arrival in India and you have to carry your eTV to be presented at the Indian immigration. The eTV is valid for entry at any of the 16 designated Indian airports:  Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum & Varanasi.

Going out of India is much easier as you can exit from any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.  The eTV is allowed for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year but once it’s issued on arrival, it is valid for single entry only.

Also, the Indian Immigration Officer may ask for your return or onward journey ticket and money enough to be spent during your stay in India.

Agra Fort, Agra, India.

So there, I might pursue my plan on January and jai ho my way to Mumbai and Goa maybe?