The best place EVER to get an Indian visa
If you’ve ever tried to get a visa for India, you may have encountered crowded, noisy waiting rooms, long queues, incomprehensible rules, and delays. If that is the case, you MUST get your next Indian visa in Thimphu.
The whole experience was quite delightful. There was no chaotic waiting room and no interminable wait. Indeed, there was no waiting at all. After giving my name to the receptionist at India House, I was ushered through a serene, well-appointed lobby into the visa office, where a very friendly and patient visa officer explained that I needed two passport photos and a copy of my Terms of Reference for my work in Bhutan to complete my application. Because my work with the Ministry is on a volunteer basis, the paper-trail amounts to only a few emails which I didn’t have with me. Such an error would be a process-ending obstacle in other locations where I’ve applied for visas, but this kindly gentleman accepted my lack of official documentation aside from my Bhutan visa letter with aplomb.
When I returned with my passport photos in the afternoon, I was again shown directly into the visa office, where the officer reviewer my paperwork, and asked if I could be without my passport for a week. Figuring that these things can take some time to allow for contacting the Indian embassy in my home country, I agreed. The two visa staffers had a short discussion, and told me the visa would be ready on Monday, only four days, or one holiday weekend (for His Majesty’s birthday), after I applied. This morning I received a pleasant call informing me that the visa was ready. The kind, efficient, and helpful people at India House are my heroes of the week!
The whole experience was quite delightful. There was no chaotic waiting room and no interminable wait. Indeed, there was no waiting at all. After giving my name to the receptionist at India House, I was ushered through a serene, well-appointed lobby into the visa office, where a very friendly and patient visa officer explained that I needed two passport photos and a copy of my Terms of Reference for my work in Bhutan to complete my application. Because my work with the Ministry is on a volunteer basis, the paper-trail amounts to only a few emails which I didn’t have with me. Such an error would be a process-ending obstacle in other locations where I’ve applied for visas, but this kindly gentleman accepted my lack of official documentation aside from my Bhutan visa letter with aplomb.
When I returned with my passport photos in the afternoon, I was again shown directly into the visa office, where the officer reviewer my paperwork, and asked if I could be without my passport for a week. Figuring that these things can take some time to allow for contacting the Indian embassy in my home country, I agreed. The two visa staffers had a short discussion, and told me the visa would be ready on Monday, only four days, or one holiday weekend (for His Majesty’s birthday), after I applied. This morning I received a pleasant call informing me that the visa was ready. The kind, efficient, and helpful people at India House are my heroes of the week!
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