Indian tourism!?!?!
By baldrick2dogs •
I've just been told by the Indian embassy that I need a letter from my company and another from someone in India in order to visit the country. WTF is that all about?????
I was planning on hiring 10 more Indians, but on the strength of this, I think the Philippines is going to benefit!
All these are just bottlenecks...
anybody can copy an address from any Indian office website and then print it as letterhead and invite themselves...
not much of an hindrance for an trained terrorist....
If one is going to attend a wedding I guess they have to show the wedding card right?...
GT, Bohol in April :o)
FS, as above, no agent involved. Many applicants replied to my ad on QL!!!! I had EIGHT from Tamil Nadu alone hence going to Chennai for interviews tourism :o)
Although I love India, I won't visit as a tourist as long as the visas are $150 USD each. For $300 my husband and I can get a pretty nice hotel elesewhere!
Mandi
Read my tourist guide to India, should explain a lot
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1308960
you'll be more than welcome in the Philippines :P
if you are going for recruitment..you can ask the agency to send you an invitation...no big deal!!
The title is "Indian Tourism" - that is what I based my response on. Going as a tourist is completely different to a business trip. Sorry Baldrick, no idea then...but agree should've said you needed a tourist visa, because you probably would do a bit of sight seeing while you're there..so technically it's not a lie ;-)
If my memory serves me right, India is one of the few countries (if not the only) that requires every visitor coming in, to obtain a visa prior.
No VOA option to enter India :-(
when I worked in Doha before the Asian games. They had applied for business visas that had been issued but when they arrived in Delhi, there was a problem with their passports and Qatari RPs (they were set to expire a few days before the cut-ff date allowed) so they were sent back. After that, we always just went with the tourist visa. Sometimes, strict honesty only gets you a bigger headache.
The Indian visa is the most complicated. And although I visit annually as part of recruitment campaigns or factory visits, I had to apply each time and end up getting the minimum period stay!
Yet, this is nothing compared with all the hassle in the passport control at Delhi Airport. I've never been asked that much intimidating questions, not even at JFK
XXX, maybe that would have been easier in the long run than trying to be honest :o(
on a tourist visa and carry out business while there, since the tourist visa is usually easier to get. That's what I was referring to.
well it might b due to tightening of visa regulations world over and especially with CWG around the corner as other posters said.
but still I find this requirements way too easy to fulfill in comparison to the Turkish Visit Visa I applied for a friend here
here baldricks is going for recruitment as opposed to tourism. is that difficult to understand....
but never had to have an invitation letter, as we simply but "tourism" as our purpose.
Guys...if you don't know anyone in India, you can't provide that information - simple! I went last year and I don't know anyone there so they accepted that.
Hmm ok, so it is a recent development.
Anyway let me know if you need any referrals or invitations or anything..
it will be illegal if you dont do the way as advised by the embassy. you and your company will become liable for breaking the country's rules.
Baldrick...you don't need a letter from anyone in India if you're going as a tourist. As a UK passport holder (I'm assuming) you still need a visa to enter India (approx £40) but you don't need to provide the letter. Saying this, I went from the UK last year for a holiday but it could be different from here.
even for tourist visa you need TWO referees in India!!
http://www.indianembassyqatar.org/pdf_31_03_2010/visa1.php
I hope I get it too as I have 10 guys lined up for interviews and at least 3 of them look REALLY good! :o)
since he is going for recruitment, the comments by santro stands good. if he is going as a tourist its a different set of requirements.
What about the tourist visa - you surely do not need invitation letter for that. Your hotel booking and flights should suffice. I'm sure there is a way out of this - cause you are not going for employment.
With a profile pic and alias "baldrick2dogs" - they might have thought another dog at the CWG - no thankyou :-)
On a serious note, really not sure why the change in rule - maybe to ensure you have valid business reason in India or for your own protection. Might be a prerequisite with the strick visa issuance during the CWG. Maybe a letter on your company letterhead explaining your situation - where you are going on a direct recruitment drive with no agency involved might work. Hope you do get your visa. All the best
There is no rule about how long a person's been with the company. Are you sure about this foryousantro?
The rule is, if you have an RP here, you get Visa the same day. If you don't have RP in Qatar, it takes 5 working days. Nothing about how long a person's been in Qatar. Check the list yourself in Indian embassy, it's posted there.
yes, but Baldrick is British !
Any vacancy for me?
This must be some really new procedure as my friends from UK & USA got Visa based on hotel booking around Eid so unless something has changed in the past fortnight you don't need a letter if you have the hotel booking.
obviosly, after your recent comments on QL, you have been put on a "list" by the authorities.
Can't you get the hotel people to send you a letter ?
You need either hotel booking or invitation letter, not both.
If they still insist for both, let me know. I will give you an invitation letter.
Again, it's so annoying that a colleague returned from India only 1 week ago and related everything needed to complete the visa process and letters were not required.
I have already booked my flight and hotel, as this is a prerequisite to get the visa.
I recruited the candidates through web based ads, so no agency is involved.
I just find it annoying when rules change without warning.
baldrick, as we said above it must be coz of CWG..Kindly wait until 15th oct(if u can)and everything will turn into normalcy like before after the completion of CWG.....
So how do I get a letter from India when I don't know anyone in India????
Already submitted ticket, hotel booking names of antecedents from last 18 generations, etc.
I've been to India 4 times before and never been asked for any letters before :o(
It's to your choice buddy!!. People step in the doors which are wide open.
lol arien...
It's the same process if an Indian/Asian applied for visas to US/UK.
Some of the terrorists caught in India and elsewhere, happened to have British/Western passports. They need a contact number in India, so that incase an issue comes up, they know where to "start the investigation" from.
I had the same issues when I wantd to go to UK n Germany bladrick.. wtf!!! ;)
Yes,it could possibly coz of CWG that will be starting soon..Indian govt.seems to be extra cautious this time..
just for security reasons i think ?
Might be to take care of any Terrorist Attacks ? LOL
sorry baldrick, just kidding!
like an invitation letter?
baldricks, but this is not fair,
Go to Nepal/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh.
Oh, is it?? No clue, mate...