Urgent: need help with flying abroad to India (first time outside the UK)

[DesireLight]

Hi all,
I've never flown outside of Europe. I have a german passport with indefinite leave to remain in the UK (have been in the UK for nearly 20 years now, having moved as a child from germany but just haven't applied for a UK passport due to costs despite being eligible.

I have to go for a friend's wedding in a week or so so it's very last minute planning.

The accomodation, and travel from airport, etc. are all fine but I really need help with the visa aspect (I heard I could get an e-visa as it's for tourism and those can be granted quite quickly via indianvisasaonline.org.in/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8svsBRDqARIsAHKVyqGfvGhMpiHCct7KwM4V5_A7yXpQgbATan7LXXH4a3scg0yEYkvHMQQaAloFEALw_wcB)

Has anyone applied for an e-visa? Is it that I just need that, a boarding pass (after I've booked the flight) and my passport. That's it?

Also, what's the cheapest way to get internet (3G or 4G) and/or text/call people? I have a rather old iPhone on the giffgaff network.

I have had an e-visa in the past. The caveat here is that I have a U.K. passport, and don’t know if the process is the same for German citizens, though I imagine it will be. You need to double check that you are using the correct website, first of all, as there are some unofficial ones out there too, which are either scams or will charge you over the odds. The best thing is to look on the Tripadvisor forums for India, where there is a thread on the visa application process which will take you through it step by step. And, yes, once you have the E-visa, you just need to print it out and bring it with you, along with your passport and boarding pass.

Re. phone. The best thing to do is to get hold of a dual sim phone or a spare unlocked phone before you go (or get your current phone unlocked) and buy a SIM card at the airport when you arrive. It’s dirt cheap to make calls and use data on an Indian network and there is good 4G in most places. Otherwise you’ll be paying around £1.80 a minute if you use roaming via your UK provider.

Have a great time. India is an amazing country!

Oh, one other thing. I seem to remember that there can be problems with paying for the visa. What seems to solve it is switching to another browser. I had to save and log out of my application on the laptop and use my phone to complete the process. I would get started on it ASAP, in case you have any problems. You’ll also have to upload a photo in exactly the right format. It all takes a while.

I don’t think you have the right link there. Using the one from this page takes you to the official website for e visas www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements

Check which airport you are flying into as you can only use e visas at some of them.