[davidw]

I am in Nepal.

200 people apply everyday for a visa but the embassy can only (will only) process 35 applicants. Just to get the application form you must queue with all the rest.
I cannot be the first in the queue by arriving at the gate at 0500 as the really determined young ones do. I'm an oldie.
If I arrive at 0700 I am already number 80 in the queue and so will never even get the application form.

As they say in Nepal, "ke garne?"
What to do?

David

[cyberhippie]

I've never been to Kathmandu but I understand there are agents who can do this for you!

Someone with better info will let you know, so only 35 applications a day, hmm.

[davidw]

Thank you Cyberhippie,

I should have added that an agent CAN assist. But you must still show up at the first visit WITH the agent in the queue at 0500. Just so the embassy can see your face. Thereafter the agent can do the subsequent visits.
However, this requires an exhoribtant fee of which 80 per cent goes to the man at the desk or his chief. Precisely what I don't want to pay.

Thank you,

David

[WonderWomanUSA]

Well, it seems as if you have painted yourself into a corner, doesn't it?

Don't want to get up early and be in line at 05.30, so you won't get an application.

Don't want to pay the fee/bakshish to do it with an agent.

What's a poor fellow to do?

You can always go back to your home country, where they keep reasonable hours, and hand in your (downloaded and filled-in) application at the outsourcing office and go back and collect it when it's ready.

[AlanD]

I'm an oldie too David but I don't see that makes it a problem to get up early - I get by on about 5 to 6 hours sleep a night. In fact, you have a definite advantage as some of these young travellers need a lot more sleep than that. I think if I really wanted to go to India without paying a travel agent, I would be down there in a blanket or sleeping bag well before five o'clock.

The visa situation seems to have got more difficult in recent times - I don't remember there being a fixed quota last time we got Indian visas there some years ago.

By the way, have you discovered what the going rate is for the services of a travel agent - that might be useful information?

You could also try asking the travel agent for a senior citizen discount

Edited by AlanD, 30 July 2008 - 02:24 PM.

[john.sw]

According to the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Nepal web site:

• Applicants are advised to obtain Indian visas from the Indian Missions located in the country where they normally reside.
  
• The Embassy of India in Kathmandu will normally entertain visa applications only from foreign nationals residing in Nepal.
  
• Transit/tourist visa applications from foreigners visiting Nepal for short periods will be entertained.
  
• Applicants are required to be present at Embassy of India, Kathmandu for interview before grant of visa.

It seems you either have to get up early to obtain a visa in Nepal, or return to the country where you normally reside to get a visa there.

[davidw]

Thank you everybody for the replies.

Okay, so I shall just bite the bullet and queue with the rest of them.
All that expensive advertising on international television channels for "Incredible India" and then; play by our rules or you just won't get a visa.
A very bad attitude, at the least. (Or maybe I've just got grumpy in my old age)

[davidw]

To AlanD;

This time LAST year when I approached a travel agent for visa assistance, the rate was Nepal Rupees 4,800. I think it would be fair to add a thousand or so more onto this year's rate.
There are 1.6 Nepali Rupees to each Indian Rupee.

I have got to this stage of my life by never paying a bribe, and I don't want to start now.

Once again, thanks for all the replies.

[obione980]

No David - you're not a grumpy old man. (Well not particularly grumpy anyway). India presents - and is increasingly labelled as, a fast developing, internet savvy tiger on the world stage. The reality is a little different. India has the capacity to fit the above description perfectly - but is terminally captive to a massive, unmoving bureaucracy, which keeps it a tortoise. Pity!!

[WonderWomanUSA]

davidw, on Jul 30 2008, 05:33 AM, said:

All that expensive advertising on international television channels for "Incredible India" and then; play by our rules or you just won't get a visa.
A very bad attitude, at the least. (Or maybe I've just got grumpy in my old age)

Ask an Indian citizen what they have to do to get a visa for US, Canada or England.

[john.sw]

WonderWomanUSA, on Jul 31 2008, 05:10 PM, said:

Ask an Indian citizen what they have to do to get a visa for US, Canada or England.

A friend of mine was at university in the the UK in the 1940's.

Subsequently, she returned to India and became the headmistress of a prestigious school.

Now that she's retired, she wanted to visit her niece in London.

She had to make two trips to Chennai (a total distance of 2,366.00 km) and provide reams of paperwork to satisfy the Deputy British High Commission that she was certain not to overstay a visa, should she be granted one.

Part of this paperwork was my letter of invitation; my bank statements for the previous 6 months; details of my house along with the number of bedrooms, and my personal guarantee that she would return to India.

She got her visa and stayed here for only two weeks.

Now the British government is talking about Indian Citizens having to pay a bond of 1 lakh rupees for each person who applies for a visa.

Imagine if a family wanted to come to the UK for a family wedding - it's ridiculous!

Contrast this with having to stand in a queue early one morning, and I know which seems the fairer and better system!

[noflylist]

davidw, on Jul 30 2008, 07:53 AM, said:

To AlanD;

This time LAST year when I approached a travel agent for visa assistance, the rate was Nepal Rupees 4,800. I think it would be fair to add a thousand or so more onto this year's rate.
There are 1.6 Nepali Rupees to each Indian Rupee.

I have got to this stage of my life by never paying a bribe, and I don't want to start now.

Once again, thanks for all the replies.

Travel agent charge is not bribe, it is service charge. Also no country will grant visa without your personal appearance, good luck.

Also, visa is priviledge not a right!

[dzibead]

WonderWomanUSA, on Jul 31 2008, 09:10 AM, said:

Ask an Indian citizen what they have to do to get a visa for US, Canada or England.

Absolutely!  We Westerners have to stop feeling so freakin' sorry for ourselves about the "hassles" involved in getting an Indian visa!  "Boo hoo, I had to get in line early.  Boo hoo, I had to wait two days for them to return my passport with the visa in it" (if that - I can get one same day in San Francisco).  

If you are a Yank or a Brit wanting to go to India, you aren't required to make an appointment with the consulate, sometimes months in advance, to be subjected to an extremely intrusive personal interview.  No one demands to scrutinize your personal finances (or those of your friends/family in the U.S. or the UK).   One of my friends, for whom I had written an invitation letter for a U.S. tourist visa, in order to convince the officious interviewer at the U.S. consulate that she had sufficient ties to India (in the form of her two children ages 7 and 4 who weren't coming on the trip) that she  intended to return, showed the interviewer her Caesarian scar, for God's sake, to convince him that the kids were really hers!

I'm sorry, david, but just get your lazy rear end out of bed and queue.

[Strawberry_Blonde]

retiredflylist, on Aug 1 2008, 12:56 AM, said:

Also no country will grant visa without your personal appearance, good luck.

Are you sure that you need to appear in Nepal? I know for a fact you do not have to go in Person in the UK to get your Visa and can get a representative to go on your behalf!

Edited by Strawberry_Blonde, 01 August 2008 - 03:12 AM.

[iwanttogoback]

here in l'il old perth you turn up to the consulate (an honorary one i think), leave your form and fee with the receptionist and return in a week when said receptionist hands over your passport with the visa stamped into it.

no hassle, no interview, and there's a decent cafe in the same building so our group made a bit of an outing of it.

[davidw]

Let me have another stab at this.

At the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, three visits are necessary; viz:

1) Obtaining the application form
2) Handing in said form with passport and monies involved
3) Returning after four (five?) working days to pick up visa or otherwise.

My principle objection is queueing at 0500 in pouring rain (it is the monsoon season, had you not realised), waiting until the embassy opens many hours later and then waiting until you get near to the front of the queue (but not near enough), and then being told, "come back tomorrow and queue again, applications close now". This happened to me three years' ago, and two years' ago.
All I want is the friggin' application form!

Now, I certainly agree that BOTH the troubles the Indians go through and my little problem are not pleasant.

Are the US/Canadian/British/Australian/NZ tourism boards spending crores of their money enticing tourists to visit their countries? If India is, why doesn't it ease up on its red tape?

When I pass through the security guard at the entrance, he could hand me the application form there and then so that, completed, I could queue with 33.3 per cent of the waiting done.

Does the Indian to the above western countries have to "bribe" officials?

Look, BOTH the Indians' efforts to visit the west and the stupidity I have experienced are shameful. So, why not try and improve the situation?

David

[john.sw]

davidw, on Aug 1 2008, 05:44 AM, said:

...Are the US/Canadian/British/Australian/NZ tourism boards spending crores of their money enticing tourists to visit their countries? ...

The English Tourism Council (formerly known as the English Tourist Board) had a total estimated spending of £43.5 million (363.43 crores) on tourism support in 2007-08.

That doesn't include spending on promoting Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Yet tourists from some countries are still expected to jump through hoops of fire to get a visa!

India spends approx. 140 crores (£16,757,031) on overseas promotion and Publicity including Market Development Assistance.

2% of Indian GDP is generated through tourism.

Tourism contributes 6% to UK GDP.

[kullukid]

davidw, on Aug 1 2008, 05:44 AM, said:

Does the Indian to the above western countries have to "bribe" officials?

Look, BOTH the Indians' efforts to visit the west and the stupidity I have experienced are shameful. So, why not try and improve the situation?

David

Because it's "The Indian Way" always as been,probably always will be!
IMHO it's part of what makes India so different/interesting?? than other countries.
If you don't like hassle & bribes then why go at all? I always think the hassle & pointless redtape of getting a visa prepares you for India in advance.........you could call it a mini-test of your patience!      KK

[AlanD]

davidw, on Aug 1 2008, 05:44 AM, said:

My principle objection is queueing at 0500 in pouring rain (it is the monsoon season, had you not realised), waiting until the embassy opens many hours later and then waiting until you get near to the front of the queue (but not near enough), and then being told, "come back tomorrow and queue again, applications close now". This happened to me three years' ago, and two years' ago.
All I want is the friggin' application form!

Allright, I did forget about the monsoon - I'm never in Nepal at this time of year, so change blanket/sleeping bag to umbrella and possibly add a little portable stool.

If you have been doing this for years and you know the situation how can you expect someone to come up with a solution to the problem? I'm afraid that I have no real answer to your question.

It seems it's becoming more difficult for people to get Indian visas outside their home country and the situation in Kathmandu also seems very irregular, to say the least.

All I can say is that it might be better for you to get an Indian multi entry visa next time, then enter Nepal and exit to India but you haven't given any information about how long you are in Nepal and how long you want to stay in India or what your home country is.

[dani]

I have been in Nepal in April 2007 and I got a new visa for India in Kathmandu.
It seems that just before I arrived, they have changed the system because the old one was not working well (like queuing in the middle of the night because of too many applicants.)
So now the rules were a bit different:
-the applications of everybody inside the embassy gets processed, no matter how long it takes, all you have to do is appear at the embassy before closing time (that was 1200 noon I think). It does not matter if closing time arrives while you are inside, just get there before they close the gate.
-an agent cant help you anymore, all they can do is give you the form and help you filling it in. BUT you still have to queue at the embassy two times personally.

The trick is, don't let this queuing annoy you. just plan in a couple of hours. You could take a good book. You don't even have to queue, if there is already a long queue, no point in standing around. You can just make yourself comfortable in the grass, relax, read, listen to some music, chat with fellow travelers.

This system got introduced sometime before April 07 and it worked still exactly like that in July 07. It seemed to work very well compared with the old system, so I'd be surprised if they changed it again. But then, its still South Asia and anything can happen, no?