India reinstates e-visas for travellers from United Kingdom
By Vipin Vijayan | First Published Dec 6, 2022, 9:08 AM ISTTravellers can start applying for e-visas to India from this week, Indian High Commission officials in London confirmed, adding that the Indian visa website will soon start receiving applications for e-visas after a system upgrade.
In a move widely welcomed, the Indian High Commission in London has announced the reinstating of the electronic visa (e-visa) for travellers from the United Kingdom. Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said the service would be available forthwith. The decision comes amid a massive rush in recent months for visas to India.
Travellers can start applying for e-visas to India from this week, Indian High Commission officials in London confirmed, adding that the Indian visa website will soon start receiving applications for e-visas after a system upgrade.
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The announcement was made by Doraiswami in a video posted on Twitter. 'The big news today is that we are rolling out e-Visas once again. This should enable friends from the UK to travel far more easily to India,' Doraiswami said.
Team is delighted to confirm that e-Visa facility will again be available for UK nationals travelling to India. System upgrade is underway & the visa website will soon be ready to receive applications from friends in the UK. Here's a video on the subject. pic.twitter.com/E0UdgMOayG
— India in the UK (@HCI_London)The Indian High Commissioner's Twitter announcement received an overwhelming response with many terming the decision as excellent and wonderful. According to sources, the e-visa issue had figured in the conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia last month. The deliberations between the two leaders on the issue found mention in the British Parliament.
The long-awaited reinstating of the electronic visa comes after several steps were initiated to boost Indian visa processing facilities. This includes setting up of a new Visa at Your Doorstep (VAYD) service and Indian Visa Centre in central London to address the high post-pandemic UK to India travel demand.
VFS Global, the outsourcing and technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions, operates the new India Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Marylebone. The firm has also provided a more streamlined process for groups of tourists travelling to the same destination using the same flights via a travel agency.
The new IVAC is the third of its kind in London. VFS Global operates a network of 10 IVACs across the United Kingdom. These include IVACs in Birmingham, Glasgow, central London, Bradford, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Hounslow, Manchester and Leicester.
Aditya Arora, COO of VFS Global, said his firm has been able to release more appointments as Birmingham and London started receiving applications on Saturdays and weekday afternoons. Since March this year, VFS Global has also partnered with the High Commission of India in London and its Consulates around the UK to set up weekend consular camps across the UK.
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