For your information
1 With effect from May 29, 2008, collection of visa applications and their delivery has been outsourced to VF Services UK Ltd. (http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk) in a phased manner as per details below:-
(i) From May 29, 2008 onwards High Commission of India, London will accept visa applications only through VF Service UK Ltd. Only exception will be for diplomatic/official/UN passports;
(ii) For this purpose, VF Service UK Ltd. has opened two India Visa Application Centres (IVACs) whose addresses are as follows:-
(1) 60-62 Wilton Road, Victoria, London SW1V 1DE; and
(2) 142-148 Goswell Road, London EC1V 1DE.
(iii) Visa applications can be submitted to India Visa Appliction Centres, VF Services (UK) Ltd. in the following manner:-
(a) On-line applications (passports/documents can be sent later by post or submitted in person by taking on-line appointments;
(b) Postal applications, other than those falling under the jurisdiction of Consulates General of India, Birmingham and Edinburgh, may be addressed to India Visa Application Centre, VF Services (UK) Ltd., 142-148 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7DU); [For jurisdiction list, please see http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk]
(c) Walk-in applicants (may like to take prior on-line appointments) at any of the two centres mentioned above;
(d) Through Travel Agents.
(iv) A third IVAC will be opened in London at a location and from a date that will be intimated shortly.
2 Birmingham
The India Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Birmingham has become operational with effect from June 6, 2008. All visa applications under the jurisdiction of Consulate General of India Birmingham will be accepted through VF Services (UK) Ltd. The location of IVAC at Birmingham is :
India Visa Application Centre
VF Services (UK) Ltd.
No.20-21 Pemberton Street,
Jewellery Quarter, Hockley
Birmingham B18 6NY
For details on visa applications, jurisdiction etc. please visit
Edinburgh
The India Visa Application Centre at Edinburgh will become operational at a later date (tentatively end-June 2008). The Consulate General of India at Edinburgh will continue to accept visa applications, including postal applications, falling under their jurisdiction till India Visa Application Centre become operational there. The location of IVAC at Edinburgh will be :-
India Visa Application Centre
VF Services (UK) Ltd.
66 Hannover Buildings, Rose Street
Edinburgh EH2 2NN.
3 The Diplomatic/Official/UN passport holders may submit their applications for visas to the High Commission of India, London and its Consulates General in Birmingham and Edinburgh directly.
4 The VF Services (UK) Ltd. has been authorised to charge a service fee of GB Pounds 06.90 plus prevailing VAT charges @17.5% per application over and above the normal visa fee of the High Commission. Postal/Bank/agency charges, wherever applicable, will be additional, to be borne by the applicant.
5 Applicants should make travel arrangements only after obtaining appropriate visa. The processing time for visas in normal cases will be 2- 3 working days and in some cases it may take longer ( for details refer ‘processing time’ for visas on web-site http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk ).
6 Link to India Visa Application Centres, VF Services (UK) Ltd. – http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk
IVR No. 09068 44 45 44 (premium number) *
* calls charged at 60p per minute at all times
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
This company now charges 95p per minute to put you through to a call centre in India which can’t answer your questions. They say that someone will contact you in 48 hours (working hours!).
How can this be legal?
Babak this doesn’t sound good at all. Perhaps it’s worth sending a similar message to your local MP and see if they can help?
http://www.writetothem.com/
Please let me know how you get on if you email them.
Heena
it seems each and every year system for visa;s get more and more ludicrous the birmingham plac is a hovel located in a diamond market lol hahaha now the agents will make even more money and dish out unbearable aunguish and heartache
Yeah it’s a shame that it’s harder now. You can’t get them on the spot or wait. You HAVE to return after 2 days or so. So much time is needed to sort it out.
I guess it can last a long time if you want it to so one may not have to go through it all again quickly
I need to go to Calcutta for a few days. The thought of having to go through this nightmare process frightens me. This premium rate of .95p per minute is an utter extortion. It sounds like as if one is in an adult chat room!
Your Excellancy Mr High Commissioner, did you know that this agency would charge caller at an premium rate of £.95 a minute when you awarded them the contract? Or did you not care. You should do something about this. You have given them the licence to rip off people.
Yours Sincerely
Chandra Roy
Dear Chandra
If you wish to send your comments to the High Commissioner please visit
Thanks
Heena
please can you let me have the address for my visa application and documents for India have to be addressed
I am worried I may send them to the wrong address
Thank you
Shirley Hicks
Dear Shirley
I don’t have any info on personal applications.
The purpose of my post was to share info about changes in how visa applications are handled.
Good luck
Heena
Dear Heena
Thank you so much for your email .. my friends and I have now sent off our applications for visa’s and hope full they our passports are returned safely .. I have spoken to many people who have visited India or are going for the first time like me and we just don’t understand why this process should be so difficult .. why like other countries can’t you pay for your visa at the airport ..
I am looking forward to my visit and I am sure it will be worth the hassle re the visa ..
Yours sincerely
Shirley
No probs at all
Has the strike with Royal Mail affected them at all?
Fingers crossed re the passports being returned safely
It’s an interesting question you’ve raised. No idea why you can’t get the Visa at the airport.
I’ll try and find out!
Heena
Dear Heena
Our applications were returned not processed due to the post master making the postal orders out to The High Commission when I told him it should be VF Services so we have had to return all documents again to VF Services with new postal orders but costs were down to the post office where we bought them and he didn’t hesitate to amend the error he made .. thankfully ..
The postal strike is still on but I am not sure if this affected our applications ..
Yours sincerely
Shirley Hicks
What a faff!
Keep me posted hun
Hi,
Someone please help. I applied for a tourist indian visa on the 20th October 2009, 18 WORKING days have lapsed and I have still NOT recived my passport. I am sure their must be secruity checks happening because my mother holds a pakistani passport and my dad a Belgian passport, I hold a belgian passport too. I am traveling next week to india, everything is booked… What can I do, who can I contact, the visa application centre advise that they have no news, they have to wait for the high commission of india to contact them… I am deperate, can you help, anyone????
Ali
Ali
I am so sorry
I have merely put information on my site
I don’t know anything else as I don’t work for them of know anyone who does
I can only suggest that you keep calling them
Sorry & good luck
Ali
My passport inc visa came back within six days so I don’t know what has
happened to yours .. did you apply to VF Services (UK) Ltd
Shirley
how can we find that visa has came or not
So sorry I have no idea
Who did you use?
Where are you based?
I ask because I know people have gone to Hayes to get theirs done. Others have done it via ‘agents’ who charge a fee and deal with it all
Dear Heena,
I am getting conflicting messages when I read the official website.What I want to know is :
1. Living in Manchester, where do I send my POSTAL application to? (one site says Birmingham and the other says Hayes)
2. What is the current(August 2010) Tourist Fee for 6 months max stay? And is there an admin Fee too ? cant find this all on the website.
Thanks a lot
Rene
I’m so sorry I have no idea. Give them a call perhaps?