India Reinstates e-Visas for Travelers from UK

In light of the significant surge in demand for Indian visas in recent months, the Indian High Commission in London stated on Monday that the electronic visa (e-visa) would once again be available to travelers from UK.

Officials confirmed that travelers can begin applying for e-visas to India this week and added that the Indian visa website would soon be receiving applications for e-visas following a system upgrade.

“Today’s main announcement is that we’re resuming the rollout of e-visas. Friends from the UK should be able to visit India much more simply as a result.” Doraiswami announced in a video posted on Twitter.

In response to the Indian High Commissioner's Twitter announcement, the news was warmly received and described as “fantastic” and “amazing”. E-Visas were among the topics that Prime Minister Modi and his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, discussed when they met last month on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia, it had been revealed in the UK Parliament.

The long-awaited move comes after several initiatives to improve Indian visa processing facilities were made, including the opening of a news Indian Visa center in central London and the launch of the Visa at your Doorstep (VAYD) service to meet the high demand for travel to India from the UK following the pandemic.

VFS Global, the outsourcing and technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions, runs the new Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) at Marylebone. This has facilitated a more streamlined procedure for group tourism or those traveling in a group, typically via a travel agency to the same destination using the same flights.