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India, visa question


simonpjd
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Hello. We are booked on QM and will be in Cochin for a day. Only stop in India. Can someone explain the visa situation and cost. We are reading conflicting stories about what is required, type of visa, is it needed if staying on board etc.

Thank you in advance.

 

 

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The Indian visa saga is a long running one and subject to frequent rumours and changes as you've no doubt found in your reading. Despite frequent news stories that the system is going to get easier, nothing really seems to change. There is an e-visa scheme mostly up and running that allows you to fly into certain airports without going through the whole visa process. It's been rumoured several times that this will extent to certain ports for cruise ship visits, but nothing has happened yet and is unlikely to in the meantime.

 

As it stands you will need a full Indian visa to visit even for a single day on a cruise ship, even if you choose to stay on board. It's not so much the Indian authorities that will necessarily insist on this, but Cunard will not let you board without it.

 

This won't be want you want to hear, but that's how it is, sadly, unless things change in the meantime. Even if they do, the cruise lines take ages to catch up. Whilst we love India, the visa nonsense is why we will no longer visit for the time being. For a while it was a requirement to attend the visa centre in person (3 hours each way for us). Not sure if this is till the case? Even reading about again now it's unclear.

 

Cost is around £120 each from memory.

Edited by milamber
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Hello. We are booked on QM and will be in Cochin for a day. Only stop in India. Can someone explain the visa situation and cost. We are reading conflicting stories about what is required, type of visa, is it needed if staying on board etc.

Thank you in advance.

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/Visa_Requirements

 

Together with our preferred visa provider CIBT we are pleased to provide you a simple online solution to all your World Cruise visa requirements www.cibtvisas.co.uk/cunard.

The online portal will provide you with:

  • Detailed visa information specific to your cruise
  • Details of required documentation needed to support your applications
  • Application forms available for you to print out and send to CIBT

Please note the online portal will replace our previous postal information pack and this information applies to British passport holders who reside in the UK at the time of the application. Your visa requirements may differ if you do not hold a British Citizen passport, should this be the case, you can contact relevant embassy or consulate for advice. Alternatively you can contact our recommended visa service CIBT on 0207 620 6998 . Be sure to advise that you are travelling by sea, as your visa requirements may be different to the standard advice supplied for air travel.

Fines may be imposed if you travel without the correct documentation and it is important we point out that it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct documents prior to travel or when in transit to the countries included in your itinerary. Failure to have the correct documents will result in denial of boarding or repatriation, in line with government regulations. Please be sure to check your itinerary and obtain the visas required for the specific countries you will be visiting during your cruise. Visas are required when embarking/ disembarking or staying on board.

From cibt website say:-

  • India: Cunard recommend against obtaining eVisas for India. Although India has recently introduced electronic visas, the sea ports the ship is visiting have limited capability and infrastructure to support the processing of large numbers of guests with this type of visa and very long clearance delays would be inevitable. This is due to the additional process requirements such as scanning of fingerprints and passports. In order for you to proceed ashore quickly it is important that you obtain a standard tourist visa. The visa is normally in the form of a sticker in your passport and must be obtained prior to boarding the ship.

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There is a whole thread about this on the Asia board with conflicting info.One certain thing is with evisas there is a seperate biometric inspection leading to big delays in going ashore.

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That's interesting because the last time we spoke to Cunard and RCI about this, which was only recently, they both said the e-visa for ports hadn't taken effect yet, even though Indian High Commission said otherwise . Just shows how much confusion there is around this issue. That would make things easier certainly, but it looks very much like Cunard and others are trying to put passengers off from using them anyway, which rather defeats the object. It would certainly be better for a multi-port stop in India, even if it meant a slightly longer delay getting ashore at the first port.

 

My main concerns with using one for a cruise would be the cruise line not recognising/accepting it at check-in and/or the Indian Government changing the rules again in the meantime.

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The new rules say arriving at Cochin by sea is fine for an E-visa and Cunard have sent documentation to this effect.

 

Hi CRuiseluvva, we will be on QM2 next year, and were sent the below info by Cunard two days ago regarding the Indian visa.

They are now contradicting their previous advice, and are now saying get the tourist visa not the e-visa.

 

On another note, there is no mention of passengers being denied embarkation at the start of the cruise without an Indian visa. The note from Cunard merely states that people without an Indian visa will have to stay on the Ship while in port at Cochin (as one would expect).

 

Hope this helps

 

 

 

**Important Information - Visa requirements**

 

 

Guests visiting India by ship and wishing to go ashore will be required to

a valid visa. Although India introduced electronic visas, the sea ports wevisiting have limited capability and infrastructure to support the processing

of large numbers of guests with this type of visa and very long clearancedelays would be inevitable. This is due to the additional process requirementssuch as visiting a port building by shuttle bus, scanning of fingerprints andprocessing passports (Biometric recording).

In order for you to proceed ashore quickly it is important that you obtain aTourist Visa from your local Indian Embassy in advance of your travels. This isnormally in the form of a sticker in your passport. Regular Tourist visa

holders are cleared en route prior to arrival at the first Indian port.

For more information, please check your Voyage Personaliser, or alternativelyplease visit our preferred visa provider CIBT at http://www.cibtvisas.co.uk/cunard

If you do not hold a visa or E-Visa, you must remain on board the ship when inport in India.

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To add another wrinkle to the India Visa...my husband and I both applied at the same time with the same information and I got a 10 year visa while his was only for a year. This same scenario played out with several other people we talked to. The difference between the spouses...military service. My husband served but was not career military but it didn't seem to make a difference.

 

The length of time awarded on the Visa is entirely up to the Indian government so beware. I saw one post where a couple applied too early and the husband only got a 90 day visa...and it would expire before they got to India! So don't apply too early if one of you has military service.

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I suspect poster # 9, Buchhalm is Right On Target!

 

Anyone have any wisdom to toss out re: this situation?? I have a valid INDIA visa on my passport, its good for 10 yrs., which is Well with in the 10 years, for April 2018 when I will again be in India ( for 1 day) via QM2.

 

However, that passport ran out of empty pages, so my "new" passport has been issued.

 

B I G question ???? Is this scenario going to be "OK" + meet all the " requirements" when I board QM2 next March in Hong Kong for 1/2 of the world cruise ?

 

I will bring, of course, both passports.

 

thks---- in advance for info + advice.

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We were on the Majestic Princess a few months ago that had a one day stop in Cochin. We were required to obtain a full Visa. We were not happy about that, but what can you do. Even if we chose to stay onboard, which I would have (and after going there, should have), we needed the obtain the Visa. Obtaining the Visa was not difficult for us. We did everything online. Passports were returned in 9 days.

Once you arrive in India, that is when it becomes more difficult. Our tour was suppose to leave at 8:30 AM. We sat in the auditorium for more than an hour while the Indian Govt. got themselves ready for us. Then when you leave the ship, at least 4 people look at your passport and Visa. It was a frustrating experience. On the return, 3 people had to check our passports and Visa. Not our favorite place to visit!! Good luck.

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We were on the Majestic Princess a few months ago that had a one day stop in Cochin. We were required to obtain a full Visa. We were not happy about that, but what can you do. Even if we chose to stay onboard, which I would have (and after going there, should have), we needed the obtain the Visa. Obtaining the Visa was not difficult for us. We did everything online. Passports were returned in 9 days.

Once you arrive in India, that is when it becomes more difficult. Our tour was suppose to leave at 8:30 AM. We sat in the auditorium for more than an hour while the Indian Govt. got themselves ready for us. Then when you leave the ship, at least 4 people look at your passport and Visa. It was a frustrating experience. On the return, 3 people had to check our passports and Visa. Not our favorite place to visit!! Good luck.

 

I’m sorry you didn’t like Cochin. I was on a P&O world cruise that called there this year and found Kerala beautiful, especially the Backwaters. I even got to see temple elephants at a Hindu festival. We had no delays disembarking with a full tourist visa.

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Hello. We are booked on QM and will be in Cochin for a day. Only stop in India. Can someone explain the visa situation and cost. We are reading conflicting stories about what is required, type of visa, is it needed if staying on board etc.

Thank you in advance.

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/Visa_Requirements

 

Together with our preferred visa provider CIBT we are pleased to provide you a simple online solution to all your World Cruise visa requirements www.cibtvisas.co.uk/cunard.

The online portal will provide you with:

  • Detailed visa information specific to your cruise
  • Details of required documentation needed to support your applications
  • Application forms available for you to print out and send to CIBT

Please note the online portal will replace our previous postal information pack and this information applies to British passport holders who reside in the UK at the time of the application. Your visa requirements may differ if you do not hold a British Citizen passport, should this be the case, you can contact relevant embassy or consulate for advice. Alternatively you can contact our recommended visa service CIBT on 0207 620 6998 . Be sure to advise that you are travelling by sea, as your visa requirements may be different to the standard advice supplied for air travel.

Fines may be imposed if you travel without the correct documentation and it is important we point out that it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct documents prior to travel or when in transit to the countries included in your itinerary. Failure to have the correct documents will result in denial of boarding or repatriation, in line with government regulations. Please be sure to check your itinerary and obtain the visas required for the specific countries you will be visiting during your cruise. Visas are required when embarking/ disembarking or staying on board.

From cibt website say:-

  • India: Cunard recommend against obtaining eVisas for India. Although India has recently introduced electronic visas, the sea ports the ship is visiting have limited capability and infrastructure to support the processing of large numbers of guests with this type of visa and very long clearance delays would be inevitable. This is due to the additional process requirements such as scanning of fingerprints and passports. In order for you to proceed ashore quickly it is important that you obtain a standard tourist visa. The visa is normally in the form of a sticker in your passport and must be obtained prior to boarding the ship.

From the Cunard website the message also says "If you do not hold a visa or E-Visa, you must remain on board the ship when in port in India."

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If remaining on board REALLY is an option, that is the one we'll take. I didn't like India at all last time we visited, and my husband begrudges the extortionate visa fee.

Be careful Gill and triple check. It wasn’t an option on Aurora as you are still in Indian waters. Cochin is nothing like Mumbai, more like Sri Lanka.

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>>>>cruiseluvva, # 15 Our sentiments EXACTLY. Our upcoming cruise, 3/31, Hong Kong >> May 10 Southampton is very exciting to look forward to, E X C E P T for the one day of India where the HASSEL is very bothersome, the required cost is insane, and the port is most disappointing.... ( was there 18 mo ago..... Hot Hot Hot ~~ crowded, Y U CK )

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>>>>cruiseluvva, # 15 Our sentiments EXACTLY. Our upcoming cruise, 3/31, Hong Kong >> May 10 Southampton is very exciting to look forward to, E X C E P T for the one day of India where the HASSEL is very bothersome, the required cost is insane, and the port is most disappointing.... ( was there 18 mo ago..... Hot Hot Hot ~~ crowded, Y U CK )

We board QE in HKG and then QM2 in SIN after a night there, so see you on board.

 

All this is fingers crossed a recently diagnosed health issue doesn’t scupper our plans :loudcry:

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>>>>cruiseluvva, # 15 Our sentiments EXACTLY. Our upcoming cruise, 3/31, Hong Kong >> May 10 Southampton is very exciting to look forward to, E X C E P T for the one day of India where the HASSEL is very bothersome, the required cost is insane, and the port is most disappointing.... ( was there 18 mo ago..... Hot Hot Hot ~~ crowded, Y U CK )

 

That's exactly what I was thinking and I really wouldn't mind staying on board providing the Cunard statement is true but I will be checking and re-checking and may just go for the cheaper e-visa just in case.

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Thank you for replies, some of you will be with us in Cochin. And it looks as though it will be 120 quid each for a visa. Outrageous but probably will be the norm all over the place soon.

 

 

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Hi Everybody, I too am on this cruise and am losing sleep over this India visa issue. I did a cruise that visited 4 ports in India several years ago and getting the tourist visa challenged my mental health, so I was thrilled to read on the Cunard website that the E-visa would be sufficient (easier & less costly)

 

I too, would happily remain on the ship that day. As I am on the ship for the entire World Cruise, to be denied boarding would be unthinkable. GASP!!! (It is day 97 of the world voyage!

 

When we did the cruise with multiple ports in India (on RCL) we were also told that we would be denied boarding if we did not obtain the visa but there were over 100 passengers that did not have the visa, and they were even allowed to go ashore in Cochin thru some special arrangement.

 

To HiHilo, I was reading on my passport renewal that the reason they return you previous passport is so that you can make use of any visas that have not expired. This was from the Gov't website. Hope that helps. Sadly my tourist visa was only issued for one year... sob...

 

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you onboard.

 

Martie

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momzcruzing.....WOW, thanks! That's great news. I've been checking with various sources, on this issue, and get a variety of answers. ( Which is N O T reassuring ). I'll be on QM2 in 2 weeks for 14 days, NY > Southampton > NY and plan to get their

'answers' for the situation.

The BEST thing SANTA could bring me, this year..... is the news from CUNARD that India is being skipped.

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