Indian Visas

Hi

My wife and I are currently in Greece having cycled here from the UK. Our plan is to Cycle to Istanbul and apply for an Indian Visa then fly there in Mid Oct. Around March time we hoped to find a cheap flight to the Far East to continue the trip. Having now read the Lonely Planet Guide to India apparently you need either a return air ticket or an onward ticket to get into the country. Is this right? Surely people have cycled out of India in the past and therefore have not required a return ticket or onward ticket when they arrived. Has anybody been refused entry because of this or had problems obtaining a visa? Also does anyone know how long it takes to get a visa for a UK citizen from the Indian Consulate in Istanbul? Any advice on these matters will be most welcome.

Steve & Joy

By the way our blogg is www.mytb.org/UK2KL-by-bike

Last time I went to India was July 2005. I arrived at Delhi airport with a return ticket - but they didn't check it. In 1998 I entered by land from Nepal and by air to Delhi with no onward ticket and there was no problem. Both times I was on bike trips.

I flew into Delhi in November 2007 with only a single ticket. Not a bother.

Biking in to Istanbul is not a problem. The embassy for India is near Taksim, about a 10 minute walk up the main road towards Osmanbey, right after the 7-11. (It isn't well sign-posted). A visa takes a week to get: you apply and pick it up in the morning a week later.

Scheduled-airline flights to India are very expensive. Air Arabia is a better bet: you'll be stuck with a one-day layover in Sharjah (near Dubai) but Sharjah is a 5-pound taxi ride from Dubai, so there's plenty to see and do for one day. Air Arabia is a little disorganized but they do their best. I have been slightly over the limit on luggage more than once while flying with them, and they've been cool with that. They're used to Indians who work in Dubai heading back to India with masses of luggage, so one more bike probably won't faze them.

Jazeera airways is also an option... however, the one time I flew with them, they were INCREDIBLY anal about excess luggage. DOn't use them unless you can get it in writing that bikes will be carried for a certain charge.

Both airlines have flights to lots of places in India - you might be better off flying in to a smaller-than-Delhi city.

I normally fly Emirates from UK via Dubai - I imagine they fly from Instanbul. They fly to Bangalore, Kochi, Trivandrum, Chennai, etc in the south if you want somewhere different from Delhi. Also you may have more choice of airlines going to Mumbai.

I have never shown a return ticket when entering (7 times) India, however you may have problems at check-in as they now often do 'first line' immigration.

An return ticket is normally requested by the airline flying you out - this is because if you are refused entry to the country they fly you to, it is their responsibility to fly you home again - for free if you haven't got a return!

Thanks everyone for replying to this thread. We are currently in Istanbul and have sorted out the visas and flights. Thanks maenad for the directions to the Indian Consulate they were spot on. Other travellers should be aware that if you are not Turkish or do not have Turkish residency the Indian consulate require a formal letter form your own consulate giving permission for you to travel in India. This cost us about 65 euros!!!. Thankfully the Indian consulate accepted one letter with both our names on it or it would have cost double that. Also you have to pay for the Indian visa in US Dollars (50 per person for a British national).
maenad - we have booked our flights with Air Arabia. They have instructed us not to box the bikes but just bring them to the airport where they will wrap them in plastic. Is this what they did with you? Also did they weigh the bikes as part of your overall luggage allowance or did they class the bikes as sports equipment? I couldn't get a straight answer from them. By the way I'm not sure that cycling in Istanbul is straight forward but it is certainly interesting. Thanks again - Steve

Afraid I can't help you there. I've never actually flown with my bike on Air Arabia. But as I said, they aren't too well organised, so I would recommend you arrive at the airport with duct tape and some bubble wrap. If they emailed you about bikes, print out the email and take it with you.

When you get to Sharjah, your luggage will be checked straight through so you should have no trouble at the airport. Head out and get a taxi in to Dubai. Buses are super-easy if you are a man-woman couple: the woman goes into the ladies' queue (ie the front of the line, even if there are no other women) and the man accompanies her. If you're two men, be aware that on a Friday or Saturday you will have a VERY long wait for most buses. Other days are ok, except at rush hour.

I recommend you get the bus/taxi to the Creek and scout out the old town on either side, and then go to a glitzy shopping centre for an hour just to say that you've seen "the real Dubai." :)