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Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
December 5th - India's eVisa opens again for UK travellers
Since the end of the Covid crisis, UK passport holders have been barred from the eVisa scheme due to a political dispute on access to Britain for Indian travellers.
The option was restored for nationals of 156 countries, including all 27 European Union members. But the UK was in a small minority of nations whose citizens must apply in person for a visa.
The process is far more expensive and time-consuming than the online eVisa, and there is a long waiting list for appointments at Indian visa centres in the UK.
But the High Commissioner for India in London, Vikram Doraiswami, has now issued a video message saying: “This service will be made available for you forthwith.
“That should enable friends from the UK to travel far more easily to India."
The video was accompanied by a tweet saying: “eVisa facility will again be available for UK nationals travelling to India. System upgrade is underway and the visa website will soon be ready to receive applications from friends in the UK”.
But it is not clear exactly when operations will resume. The UK does not appear on the list of nationalities for which the eVisa is an option.
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