Travel To India From Canada {Helpful Tips}
Post Last Modified – May 07, 2023 ¦ gr8traveltips.com
Travel To India From Canada – What You Need To Know
Table of Contents
For those of you traveling to India for the first time from 🍁 Canada, there are a few things you need to get done and well before you board that ✈ plane.
Below, are a few of the most important things and what my son and I completed before our exciting journey to India a few seasons ago.
Passports and Tourist Visas are Priority One!
Traveling To India From Canada – Visas
Travel To India From Canada Tip #1
Every person traveling to India whether for just a few days or months, require a specific; 🛂 Entry Visa. In this post, I’m going to deal with – {Tourist Visas} only.
There are two types of tourist visas you can apply for;
The first and the easiest one to get, is a Visa that is good for; 📅 30 days only.
The second and a little more complicated, is one that is good for up to 📅 6 months. As my son and I were traveling for 7 weeks or more, we required the second.
30 Day India e-Tourist Visa
For those of you visiting for under 30 days, the process can be done entirely 🖥 online from your;
💻 computer and/or 📱 cellphone.
You can make an 📝 e-Tourist Visa Application directly on the – Official Government of India (Indian Visa Online) website.
I have listed the official 🔗 link to this website below for your convenience. It is safe and secure to access and use.
Eligibility
✔ International Travelers whose sole objective of visiting India is for; recreation, sight-seeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit.
✔ Passport should have at least six months validity from the date of arrival in India.
✔ Passport should have at least two blank pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer.
✔ International Travelers should have return ticket or onward journey ticket with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.
Instructions For e-Tourist India Visa
Travel To India From Canada Tip #2
Applicants may apply online and having met eligibility, a minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival, with a window of 30 days.
For example, if you are applying on the {1st of September}, then you can select an arrival date from the; 5th of September to the 4th of October.
Be sure to 📖 read the (Instructions for Applicant) page thoroughly before applying. It may seem confusing at first, but really the process is quite straightforward.
You can even ☎ call or 📧 email their customer service personnel at any time for assistance.
In a nutshell you;
✔ Complete Your Application Online – Upload A Photo & Passport Page;
✔ Pay For Your Visa Using A Credit Or Debit Card;
✔ Receive Your e-Tourist Visa By Email;
✔ Print Your Tourist Visa & Carry With Your Passport.
This is a very simple and quick process for those who will be in India for – 30 days maximum.
Important Note:
e-Tourist Visas are only eligible for visitors arriving in India by 🛬 Air only!
If you are arriving in the Country by 🛳 Cruise Ship for example, you must complete a; Regular India Visa application.
Instructions For Regular India Visa
Travel To India From Canada Tip #3
This is the tourist visa we applied for, as we were traveling in the country for more than 30 days. A little more involved, but if you follow the instructions, the process is quite simple as well. 🙂
Important Note:
It’s important to remember that this Visa is valid from the time it is processed, not the time you actually arrive in the India.
If you are planning on staying in India for several months, you do not want to apply too early, allowing it to expire while you are in the country!
🚥 India Visa and Passport Application Center
The ⛓ link above to the website, will also let you check on the {status of your application} at the consulate, once it is received from – BLS International.
You can also download {courier shipping labels} if you wish to do so.
If you ☎ call any one of the {BLS Call Centers} listed, they will take your 💳 payment and 📧 email you the required shipping labels.
What You Need To Complete A Tourist Visa
Travel To India From Canada Tip #4
✔ Online visa application form duly filled and signed by the applicant. (This can be done at the same website address as the e-tourist visa application)
✔ One recent passport size (51 mm x 51mm) photographs in color, showing full frontal view of face against a white background to be pasted on the application form. (I also downloaded a photo and added it onto the application page.)
✔ A current valid passport with minimum of 190 days validity and two blank visa pages
✔ All documentation mentioned in Tourist Visa Checklist (Note: duly filled and signed by applicant for each application).
If you are having your documents 🚌 couriered to the Center, you must provide a; 💸 Money Order or Bank Draft, for the applicable fee as indicated and paid to:
BLS International is a service center used by the {Indian Consulate}, for Visa and other applications. Check the website, or call the center for the appropriate fee for processing your – Tourist Visa.
You can complete and print out your application and either take it to an {Indian Visa Center}, or if you don’t live in the area, can pre-pay for their courier service, which we did.
It appears to be much faster to obtain your visa for those people traveling over 30 days, by attending to one of the {BLS Visa Centers} in person, if you can.
Apparently and what we were told, it can be processed in much less time than using the 📬 mail service.
We did ours by courier service and it took 12 full business days. This was after the courier delivered our documents to the center!
Then one day to courier the visa back to us.
If you are going to use the courier service, I highly recommend applying for this visa at least – 3 weeks prior to your departure.
That’s it for us 🍁 Canadians wanting to applying for a {Tourist Visa}, for Travel to India. Now let’s have a quick look at some other important travel precautions and steps you should take for a safe and memorable trip!
Passports
Be sure to check the {expiry date} on your 🛂 passport!
So many people overlook this and as a matter of fact, close friends of ours failed to do this one year. 🙁 When they arrived at the ✈ airport to head away on their vacation, they completely overlooked this and discovered their passports were expired!
What a way to ruin a long awaited vacation! L
Travel Vaccinations
Travel To India From Canada Tip #5
There are no special vaccination requirements for travel to India for Canadians. However, one would be very wise to have; Hepatitis A & B shots, well in advance for any type of foreign travel.
It is also advised to take extra special care where 🦟 mosquitoes may be present, to prevent contracting {Dengue Fever} and also the latest – Zika virus.
Try to wear long-sleeved clothes and/or use repellents that contain {DEET}, to help prevent mosquito bites.
In wrapping this up, it’s also wise to check on any {travel advisories}, that may be in place that are issued by the government. You can check the 🍁 Canadian Government advisory website below.
Things appear to be changing almost daily now, with the new variants circulating around the globe. I’ve listed a very helpful website for world destinations and travel restrictions.
They appear to be keeping their website up to date, with the latest entry requirements.
🌎 Sherpa – Travel Restrictions 🌎
😎 Safe and Healthy Travels!
All personal 📸 photographs on this post are the property of gr8traveltips.com and are copyright protected.
Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. 🚫
It has been a few seasons since our last visit, so if you have any updated information to pass on, please do send me an 📧 email {Contact Me} and I will be sure to add it to this post. 🧐
✨ Did You Know …
🛺 A Detailed Look At My India Travel Experience
🐫 India Travel Tips – First Time Travelers
🚂 Helpful India Train Travel Tips – Indian Railways
🙂 Don’t Forget It … Be Sure To Pin It! 🙂
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