Advice on visas and vaccinations for India

[GeorgeEliot]

We are travelling with the dc in April.

Would you trust the postal service for visas, or is it better to go in person to the High Commission in London (would require a special trip as live some way away)?

Typhoid and Hep A seem to be main recommended vaccines - do most people bother? we will be there for 2 weeks on holiday.

Yes, do go for the vaccines. How old are the dc? We were adviced to do bcg for our kids.

Kids are 10 and 13. Wouldn't they have had bcg as babies?

No, it is not a standard vaccine as babies. It is against tb. Where in India are you going? Do you need malaria profylactics?

Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu - think anti-malarials not considered necessary.

Would you trust the postal service for visas, or is it better to go in person to the High Commission in London (would require a special trip as live some way away)?

I went to B/ham to get mine and they posted it to me - it was a sign for service and they text me to let me know they where coming - they had already been by the time they text and my dd1 signed for its return

Typhoid and Hep A seem to be main recommended vaccines - do most people bother? we will be there for 2 weeks on holiday.

No idea what most people do but I got all the jabs I needed - all where free apart from the Hep which was 70 quid and well worth it. I got bumped on the leg and was filthy - so peace of mind. I also went into hospital one month after returning and when they asked me what jabs I had had was glad I was able to reply all that I could - though they did test me for malaria and a lot of other disease that there are no jabs for.

Hope you have a wonderful trip

Are you sure? I needed anti malarials for Goa last year. The visa was a PITA and expensive. Make sure you get the right size photos, I had to send mine twice as I got standard passport pics the first time.

Have a great time.

OH found getting a visa an absolute pain in the backside. He thinks it is an excuse for the Indian high commission to extort money out of us.

This is the website you need. Be careful because the information is all over the place and if you get one small thing wrong you go back to square one. OH travelled to Birmingham (our nearest visa centre) to get his and I ended up getting frantic phone calls because of missing information on his application. He also found the staff there incredibly unhelpful.

If typhoid and Hep A vaccines are recommended then I definitely would have them. MIL contracted hep A several years ago and was really unwell - she ended up in hospital.

Yes, the photos. You must get them done by people who understand the visa requirements. Passport photos won't do.

Kiss if you look at the map for some reason Goa is recommended but not the areas around it.

We needed anti malaria drugs for Karnataka and Kerala.
But to be honest, we were there for 4 months, so stopped taking them. Used locally produced repellents, covered up, and had locally produced repellents in the electricity sockets in our rooms, in addition to incense.

You could literally see the moscitoes fly into our rooms, and drop dead. Chemical warfare....

I used an agency for my visa- admittedly it was a business visa and my employers paid for it, but unless you need a 24 hour service its not too expensive. They go to the High Commission and lodge your application in person. Its processed the same day.

The agency I used was CIBT and they were excellent- they also replaced a stolen passport in days. I used them to get DP a tourist visa for India and it was so much less hassle doing it ourselves.

With regard to vaccines, typhoid and hep A definitely recommended. You are recommended to have those to travel to most places outside Europe (except US/Australia etc) so its definitely worth it. Make sure you have had your BCG as well for TB immunity.

I travel out there a fair bit (to Delhi and Kerala) and in those areas you don't need to take anti malarials. I think the only areas you need them for are Bengal and Goa as they had an isolated case there a couple of years ago- check the latest info as it does change. Definitely take loads of tropical strength insect repellant- make sure its 50% DEET. Whilst the insects don't carry malaria, they carry all sorts of other nasties so makes sure you are well covered before venturing outside.

Whereabouts in Kerala are you going? I love it- its the most beautiful place. Going back there myself in a month or so :-)

Oh yes definitely Bunbaker about the photos... I had a visa application returned as the photos were standard passport size and not the larger ones they require. I think you can get the right size done through most photobooths- there was a menu option for photos for Indian/Pakistani visa as I recall....

Perdita we are going to Kannur, Cochin, Munnar, and doing a backwater boat trip.

Thanks everyone, some really excellent advice here!

I loved the backwater trip! We went from Kollom/Quillon and had a day out on the water. Most impressive bit was the way they cooked a full Keralan banquet in a tiny galley at the back of the boat! Make sure you take the mozzie spray that day! :-)

I normally stay in Trivandrum or preferably Kovalam, which is lovely.

Have a wonderful trip!

We have recently been to Cochin and Alleppey in Kerala and had a wonderful time. Hardly saw any mosquitoes :)

Cochin was a bit dirty tbh - lots of rubbish and the colonial building were quite shabby - but we had some fab meals (try Oceanos Restaurant for seafood).

The backwater boat trip in Alleppey was amaaaaazing! We did a four-hour 'shikara' boat trip and went down the smaller canals that the houseboats can't go down. Also check out the RKK Museum in Alleppey if you get chance.

One other tip: there are two visa offices in London. We went to the Old St one and the queue wasn't too bad at 8.30am.

Bon voyage!