The Indian missions in the UAE would start online visa application for tourist and visit visas from tomorrow (October 18, 2011) and will stop accepting physical application forms from January 1, 2012, said a senior official.
With effect from January 1, 2012, the Indian Embassy in the UAE and Indian Consulate in Dubai will accept only online visa applications, said MK Lokesh, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE. Speaking to the media, he said a decision has been taken by the Government of India to make it mandatory for all applicants to apply for Indian tourist visa online.
“This system of online application is being rolled out in a phased manner in all Indian embassies and consulates around the world. It will be introduced on a voluntary basis in the UAE with effect from October 18, 2011. It will be mandatory from January 1, 2012. During the transition period, the applicants can continue to the use the current visa forms if they choose to do so,” the ambassador said.
He said applicants will have an option to either submit the application online or approach BLS International, an outsourced company, to submit visa application for a nominal fee. He said even though online application for visa processing is outsourced, the processing of a visa application will take minimum three days. The Indian Ambassador to the UAE, M K Lokesh, Indian Consul General in Dubai, Sanjay Verma and other officials addressed the media.
Between 80,000 to 100,000 visas were issued to tourists and business visitors from the UAE to India last year and the number of visitors are increasing, the ambassador said.
Visa applicants from the UAE can log on to https//indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa which will direct them to the Government’s visa online application webpage. Each applicant must apply individually. The applicants have to clearly note down a 15 character Temporary Application ID number consisting of numbers and alphabets, which will be displayed immediately on the GoI Visa Online Application Form. This can be saved to retrieve the application and continue in case the applicant chose to complete the application later. On completing the application online, the applicant will get an alphaneumerical File Number of twelve characters and a command to either print or save the file. The officials said there will not be any changes in the visa application fees, which is Dh150 for tourist visas and Dh1,400 for business visas.
The applicant can either print the completed visa form or note the file number and approach the nearest BLS International Office to submit supporting documents. Visa seekers can also approach any of the BLS International branches to get assistance in submitting visa applications online. Even though the application process has become online, the applicants will still be subjected to the regular security check-ups and may have to wait for three days to get a visa.
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