India was a colony of British for a very long time and coming to India was not a problem then because most of the Indian princely states were under the British Raj. After independence, the rules have changed and now every UK or British citizen needs a visa before traveling to India. So the answer to the question Do UK citizens need a visa for India? Is yes, the British nationals need to get a visa before traveling to India. So before traveling to India a British passport holder need to get all the information and proper documents to enter into the country.
What are the requirements for obtaining an Indian visa for a British National?
A British passport holder has various options for obtaining a visa. The Indian government issues different types of visas to a UK citizen:
•Tourist visa
•Transit visa
•Student visa
•Business visa etc.
Because of all the trouble, one needs to go through in the Indian embassy for obtaining a visa, the Indian government decided to provide for a tourist visa to people who like to travel to India from abroad. Around 160 countries including the UK can get a tourist visa or E- visa to India. The easiest way to visit India for a UK citizen is to obtain an E- visa or Electronic Indian Online Visa.
Rules for applying an Indian visa for UK citizens
The answers to do UK citizens need a visa for India? Is quite simple, a few years back when a British national wanted to travel to India he/she had to obtain a visa from the Indian embassy. An application had to be filled and submitted at the embassy. All this was in the paper. But recently rules have changed, now getting an Indian visa has become quite easy and fast. All the process can be done online. The Online Indian Visa provided by India has come as a blessing for UK citizens wanting to visit India.
The introduction of electronic travel authorization by India allows about 180 countries including the UK to travel to India without a physical stamp on the passport. This permission is to visit India without the stamp is called an E- visa or electronic Indian visa. This particular visa permits foreign nationals of 180 countries including the UK to visit India for five reasons:
1.Tourism
2.Recreation
3.Short term courses
4.Business
5.Medical visits or conferences
Each type of visa has further sub-categories, and as per Indian government immigration authorities, a British national or any other foreign national has to have an Indian E-visa or a paper visa before the entry to India. The foreign nationals traveling to India from the UK or other permitted 180 countries need not go to the Indian embassy or the Indian High Commission to get a visa to visit India. If you belong to any one of the eligible 180 countries you can apply for the online Indian visa.
Time is taken to process the visa
Once all your documents are submitted online, you will get your Indian visa in about four to five working days. The entry documents will come to you via email, once you acquire this visa you can carry this electronic visa either in the electronic format in your mobile or take a print out. The immigration officer will check this visa at the entry to verify whether it belongs to the same person traveling or not. E- Visa or Indian visa online is the safest and easiest way of visiting India. And the best thing about E-visa is that there is no need for you to go to the Indian embassy or the Indian high commission to submit the papers or neither is it necessary to get a physical embassy stamp. All the procedure is done online and the result too is very fast.
Requirements for getting an online Indian visa
Do UK citizens need a visa for India? They surely do and for that, you need to fulfill certain requirements so that you can apply for your Indian visa as soon as possible:
•The passport details of the person traveling to India
•The address of the person
•A valid e-mail address
•Payment by debit card or credit card or PayPal
•The person traveling to India should not have any criminal record
The things a foreign citizen should know when applying for e-visa
•You can stay in India for 180 days with the visa validity of one year and this e-visa can be used multiple times for one year
•Apply for the visa at least four days before your date of travel
•Once you apply for e-visa it cannot be extended, it cannot be converted and it cannot be canceled
•The passport must be valid for at least six months after the entry date
•The visitors should have their return tickets when entering the country
•If you are traveling as a family the e-visa should be applied for each individual in your family
These are a few key points you have to take into consideration when applying for your e-visa online. So the question of doing UK citizens need a visa for India? It has a simple answer and that is yes, and for the visa, you can apply online without any confusion about going to the Indian embassy. And for this, you need to answer a few simple questions: personal details, passport details, and character details. Once all this is completed and you have properly completed the online requirements, a link is sent to your e-mail depending on the type of visa you have applied, and you have to upload your passport scan copy and a face photograph to this link. If you are visiting for business purpose then a business card or a visiting card should be uploaded and if it’s for a medical visa then a letter from the hospital is required.
Conclusion
A British national when applying for an Indian online visa does not have to undergo any hassles in the Indian embassy or the Indian High Commission, he can do all the procedures online from the comfort of his home or office. Lots have changed and visa rules have become more lenient provided you don’t have any criminal records. The Indian government is doing all it can to make the rules as friendly and making the travel as comfortable as possible.