Today I got my passport back from the Indian consulate, complete with a six-month tourist visa. And now that it’s in my hands, I want to warn something to anybody applying for an Indian visa: don’t ever say you’re a writer.
The whole process took a week longer than it should have because Travisa, the company that processes the visa, put a hold on my application. I had made the mistake of listing “writer” as my occupation.
Stupid. It turns out India is freaked out about people potentially doing journalism without proper permission. They made me sign something saying that I couldn’t do any journalism, delaying the whole process by several days.
The whole process took a week longer than it should have because Travisa, the company that processes the visa, put a hold on my application. I had made the mistake of listing “writer” as my occupation.
Stupid. It turns out India is freaked out about people potentially doing journalism without proper permission. They made me sign something saying that I couldn’t do any journalism, delaying the whole process by several days.
March 7: Travisa receives my passport and visa application. On the same day they e-mail me, saying, “Due to your profession as a writer, you must complete the attached form and send it back to us. The form is stating that you will be traveling to India as a tourist, and do not wish to work.” My application is on hold in the meantime.
March 9: I e-mail back a PDF of the signed form. They e-mail me the same day saying they’ll forward my application to the consulate tomorrow.
March 11: I e-mail, pointing out my passport tracking page still says there’s a hold on my application.
March 14: I e-mail again, pointing out the same. They e-mail later that day saying my application/passport is being resubmitted to the consulate.
March 16: My documents go to the consulate.
March 21: Travisa gets my passport back and says it was mailed out at 12:01 pm.
March 22: FedEx sticks the envelope containing my passport in the grills of the outer door. Thanks, FedEx.
The missing passport wasn’t a big deal, except I was planning to go to Tijuana last Monday before remembering, oh yeah, I can’t leave the freaking country. If I’d put down something as innocuous as accountant, my passport could’ve been back to me probably the next week.
I should have done some basic research. According to India Mike's Tourist Visa FAQs, when it comes to your profession, “Just don't put anything that suggests you might be even vaguely related to journalism.”
Well, at least one thing is easier for those applying for Indian visas: As of March 10, U.S. nationals no longer need to send in a copy of their birth certificates. Seriously, that was a pain in the ass.
3 comments:
Wow, I'm also surprised they asked for your birth certificate! I applied for a 10-year tourist visa in the San Francisco-based Indian Embassy and didn't have any trouble at all! Though, I didn't list my occupation as a writer. Well, you live and you learn! =)
I wish I would have known you in 2011! I did the same thing when applying for a Visa for India. I wrote I was a journalist and the consulate kept my passport past the date I was scheduled to fly out. I had to pay to postpone my flight and they granted me a 3-month, single entry Visa. What a coincidence stumbling across your blog... I went to the women's prison in Quito today! Good luck with your writing.
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