eTourist Visa for India: Tips, Payment, Photo
I should have titled this article: “How we almost didn’t go to India because of a saturated payment platform”
These last few days have been stressful for us, and also for thousands of Indians. Because of the online payment platform of the bank SBIePay.
We absolutely needed to pay the $40 to get the Indian visa online, but the payment platform just didn’t work. Panicked, we wanted to know if the site was still slow or it was an exceptional phenomenon. A little research on Twitter and we discovered that
- Some have been trying to pay for 14 days, without success
- This bank is recruiting 2,500 new employees this year and the annual deadline to apply and PAY was set at the same time as we were applying for our e-visa. So we may be 10,000 paying at the same time.
Really bad luck! Contrary to IRCTC, SBIePay’s Twitter account was not very helpful.
With only 10 working days to go around the world, we didn’t want to give up the online visa to go through the “traditional” method (embassy) and risk seeing our passports sleeping quietly at the embassy while our plane flies to South Africa without us. And we had no valid reason to receive emergency treatment.
However, if we are unable to pay, our application will simply not be considered and the real Visa on Arrival (i.e. without filling out a form on the Internet) does not exist in India.
The only solution: TEST, TEST, TEST, TEST, TEST…
Hint : Happy ending
If you have the bad idea to ask for the eTV right now like we did, here’s how we did it :
- We noticed that access to the payment page was easy when the official site and one of its pages were loading fast. So before trying our luck, we had to check the loading speed of the official site. If the official site is having trouble, it’s useless to try to pay.
- And for good reason, each request/folder you create entitles you to only 3 payment attempts, no more. If you manage to enter your credit card number and you fail at the next step, it still counts as a try. However, if you can’t even get to the payment page, it isn’t counted as an attempt. And how do you know if you have reached the 3 attempts limit? Well, by clicking on “Pay Now”, instead of arriving at the payment page, you are asked to click on “Exit”. In this case (sniff), you will have to recreate your request.
- Some have managed to pay via the 3G/4G of their mobile. I tested this method but it didn’t work. Finally, the laptop connected to the Internet by cable on Chrome, private session, was more efficient.
- Each page took 20 minutes to load. It took 1 hour to complete the process: 20 minutes to access the payment page, 20 minutes to enter the 3D Secure code and 20 minutes to reach the payment confirmation page. Since it’s a very long time, I took the care to check the Indian time when I tried my luck. JB made his payment at 11:00 pm French time (2:30 am in India); and I made it at 4:30 am (8:00 am in India – fortunately I was insomniac that day).
- We tried 2 credit cards. Mine (VISA) never managed to pass the 3D Secure step. When JB made a successful payment with his MASTERCARD, I simply swiped his 😀 So try all the cards you have!
After payment, only 8h later, we received an email telling us that the visa was granted (thank you!!)
…When I learned that the platform had been broken for 15 days, I was very angry that I hadn’t opted for the normal method. I was already imagining myself without a visa, landing in Delhi just to catch the next plane to Kathmandu and having to cancel all the trains I could book by sacrificing 3 weeks of my life (I don’t know why but this image came to me long before I regretted not seeing the Taj Mahal … LOL). I could already see myself telling this tragic story to my friends by giving them the VFS Globalvisit card
In short, note for myself (and you) :
For any e-Visa request, always make sure (via Twitter or other travel forums), that the site works/will work well. If there is the slightest doubt, go through the embassy.
If you have the following elements and enough time (4 working days for waiting + 1 morning at VFS to submit the file + 15 min one afternoon to pick up the passport), go to VFS Global, the sooner the better (like 9 hours)
- The name & address of a contact in India: basically, the name and address of the hotel you plan to book for the first night in India (if you haven’t booked yet, it doesn’t even matter)
- About the date of arrival (within a few months): the visa issued by VFS is for 6 months and begins on the date of its issuance by VFS . Please note that applicants can obtain a visa for a shorter period of time than indicated on the visa application form by decision of the consular services. This is more advantageous compared to eTV, which requires a more precise date of arrival. Indeed, eTV can be requested a maximum of 34 days and a minimum of 4 days before departure. If there is a problem with payment (as is the case here), this leaves you little time for a plan B. In addition, you must calculate your arrival date carefully. Once you have obtained the eTV, you have to come to India within 34 days. The visa will be valid for 30 days from your date of arrival.
- The plane ticket isn’t even mandatory to obtain the visa
- For the square format photo, the easiest way is to go to a photographer and pay about 10€. That way you will have both the digital version (for your file previously filled online) & 2 physical photos to paste on your file. If you don’t have a photographer near you, ours is at 103 avenue de Saint-Ouen 75017 Paris
If you absolutely want to do it online (eTV)
- For the square photo, it was JB who took my picture, I edited and cut the photo myself via Picasa to get the white background & the right format
- Make the request between 34 days and 4 days before your departure
- If there are any payment problems, please be patient and follow our payment tips above.
If you wish to be assisted in obtaining a visa for India, you can use the services of the company Action Visas.
