Going to India

You need to get a visa to visit India.  When we went to Brazil we needed a visa too.  Brazil's visa lasts for 10 years and for India there are a variety of choices.  We opted for the six month which is all we need which is the shortest amount of time you can get. 

Never quite got the visa thing but have always thought it was just a process to charge everyone entering the country something and forcing you just to go the extra mile to come.  Regardless, I did it.

Getting the Brazilian visa was far from seamless but India was a piece of cake.  The information is online, you fill out all the information, get a bar code, make an appointment and show up.  All incredibly impressive. 

I went up to east 53rd street today with my information in hand.  One for everyone including passport pics and our passports.  Stamp, stamp and then a text on my phone to tell me the visas are ready for pick up. 

Gotta love that.

Comments (Archived):

  1. shafqat

    Visas are the bane of my existence. As a Bangladeshi citizen, I was required to get visas for EVERY single country I visited. The US Visa process was by far the most difficult and most expensive. It was a constant stress when it came to travel planning. Thankfully I now have a Swiss passport and am somehow ‘above’ the need to get visas! No one is exempt from India though… Very impressed by the SMS notification!

  2. chefbikram

    hi GG, how long did it take for the India visa to come through?

    1. Gotham Gal

      Dropped the visas off at 10am and they were ready to pick up at 5…sameday.

  3. Frank Lynch

    If it’s your first time to India I’d recommend a visit to a tropical medical bureau to get some booster shots.I usual load up on Malarone and start taking 2448 hours prior to arrival.I also pack a first aid kit with antiseptic hand wipes, mosquito replant, insect bite ointment, Immodium and Dioralyte.Take particular care where and what you eat. Avoid street vendors.Maybe I’m a bit of a Charlotte York but colleagues of mine have had horrifying gastrointestinal experiences.I’ve been seven or eight times to India now, enjoyed every visit and never fell ill. It was always reassuring to know though that I was prepared for the worst.Though nothing prepares you for the culture shock on your first visit.Enjoy

    1. Gotham Gal

      Thanks. Great advice.

  4. shafqat

    BTW, where are you going specifically? Would love to see a post about your travel plans. You could crowd-source helpful tips!

    1. Gotham Gal

      We are starting in Delhi then off to Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur andMumbai.

  5. kenberger

    I went back in 2000, left the day of that big market crash. Went partly looking for programmers, partly for exploration. Only hit Mumbai and the South. Here’s my travel story:http://kenberger.com/india_