9 Reasons Why Your Visa Get Rejected | Useful Tips

What makes an Embassy decline granting you with a Visa?

There are many important aspects to consider when we are planning to file our visa application. To visit any place outside your resident nation you require a visa to that specific place and applying for it can be a tiresome task. When you are applying for a visa you apparently update yourself from websites, travel agent and reference traveller also verify what documents are needed, what is the processing time, fees, how to submit etc. still though sometimes we get a refusal of our visa even though we were eligible. What might be cause for our refusal? There are a number of reasons which we ignored while we were filing our application. We just go through document list but never think about our eligibility or criteria to apply for a visa.

Providing all documents does not even guarantee to grant your visa. There are some migration laws through which consular take decision on our application. We never study about this law nor we need to understand it too deeply. Below are some internal or visible factors to consider before we present our visa application to attain a visa. 
Here are some tips & tricks that you must know -

Reliable Explanation For The Purpose:-

Your intended purpose must be genuine and true. You must show the documents related to your purpose. If you have family/friend in invitee country then you should mention why you are willing to meet them. If you are doing only sightseeing then your day wise plan called Itinerary should be specifically refined. A number of stay in one city and country should be matched as per the number of sightseeing spots or area of that destination. i.e staying in Paris for 15-20 days for sheer tourism might not be the genuine purpose. If you are travelling for business purpose then the importance of business meeting or opportunity must be mention. You can mention your detail intention of travelling on covering letter and submit documents to justify your purpose. 

Financial Records:-

You must show that you have sufficient means of funds to cover your trip. You need to calculate and show how much expense will be there for Air ticket, accommodation, food, local transport, sightseeing, entry fees, transfer, Insurance, shopping. Consular prefer that you must show your adequate CASH/ liquid balance in your bank account. Investments like FD, PPF, Policies, and shares, mutual funds cannot be used directly on tour. So they act like as holding investments, not liquid cash. Bank balance should be maintained regularly. If you have deposited certain higher amount in the bank then you should give a declaration of that source of the transaction too. You should consider the expenses of your dependent traveller too.

Source of Income:-

Consulates always see how you are surviving in your home country. You must show your source of income according to your profession. The income source can be from your business, salary, interest on investments, rent, pension, consultancy fee, commission, family income etc. 

Invalid Letter of Reference:-

Family ties in home and destination country are the important factor to apply for a visa. If you are travelling for tourist or family visit purpose then you have to file your visa applications along with your family. Travelling with immediate relatives like parents, children, spouse, siblings impacts positively on visa decision. Also, some countries have denied a visa for a single traveller. Invitation from Immediate relatives in foreign countries is enormously effective than an invitation from friends.

Ties to Home Country:-

You have to leave the destination country before your visa is expired. You need to prove that you have lots of reason to return back to India. You can show that you have immediate dependent family in India or have enough investments and assets in India. Your permanent profession likes business, self-employment or higher position employment also acts strong base to return back to India.

Criminal Actions:-

We strongly recommended you that do not apply for a visa if you have a criminal record. Consulate can verify your criminal report if you are trying to hide such information while filling a visa application. There are specific questions in the visa form concerning your criminal record, deportation and visa refusal for which you should give valid answers. False information might lead to getting a ban on applying for a visa. You can submit your court hiring papers or no objection from the court regarding your criminal case.

False Or Lack Of Documents:- 

Using false documents is an absolute visa denial and other going with horrible results. If you don’t have documents as per consulate’s checklist then you would be required to give declaration for not having these documents. Consulate will take a decision after consideration of your declaration. This will not be applicable for mandatory documents. 

Travel History:-

A passport containing visa stamps and Immigration stamps make your travel history more powerful. Several countries offer you on arrival Visa or Visa free travel if you have USA, UK, Europe, Canada and Australia Visas. Some countries may ask to submit previous passports while applying for a visa. Consular always check your immigration history, deportation, refusal, entry clearance and overstays.

Documents in Regional Language:-

Most of the consulate cannot verify your documents which are in a regional language similar Hindi/Marathi/Kannada. You need to interpret these documents in English/Spanish/French as per consular requirement so that they can authenticate your documents.

Disclaimer: The data given here is intended to help and may be usable NOT only for Indian residents however for any natives over the world.

Related Post: Everything You Need To Know About Visas

BY SARANG ALANDKAR

Tips For Visa Applicants: General Visa Terms & Related Information

If you are in the procedure of getting a visa, you need to become familiar with the specification             

Words utilized as a part of visa process are specialized. As an applicant, we are generally unaware of the definitions and terminologies that Embassy/Consulate uses while instructing us about the visa processing or the visa updates.

We have regularly observed the chaos in travelers while identifying with such terms. Regardless of how much voyaged we are, sometimes this procedure leads us to frenzy circumstances. Here we will attempt to help you with the significance of some terminologies that are frequently used. 

Why Are These Terminologies Important? 

Terminology allows people in a specific field to communicate clearly, thus this is how the Embassy/Consulate will communicate the important information to us or to our visa consultants. 

E.g: If we have to fill up any Schengen visa application, there is a question which states as "Member State of Destination" or "Member State of the first entry". We as a traveler are aware that the Schengen area includes 26 countries, but very few are aware that these 26 countries have officially signed an agreement/treaty. i.e. all these countries are members of this treaty hence the term Member state.

The following terms and their definitions explain how they are used in the visa process. Here are some of the most frequently used terms a visa applicant should be aware of - 

Visa Validity & Stay Validity - This is the validity which indicates how long the visa is valid. Important is that this does not mean the number of days you are allowed to stay. The visa validity indicates from which date to which date is the traveler permitted to go to a specific nation and what is the last date for the exit. The stay validity as the word implies is the validity which indicates how many days the traveler can remain in the country. Generally, the stay validity is less than the visa validity. So let us consider I have a Schengen visa issued on 05th Feb 2017 to 05th Mar 2017 and the duration of stay is 10 days. So here the one month period from 05th Feb to 05th Mar is the visa validity and the 10 days within this period is the stay validity.

Entry Controlled Visa - At the point when the visa is required to be valid only for your entry to a particular country then it is an entry controlled visa. This can be better comprehended with an illustration - The normal tourist UAE visa is issued for 58 days. The visa allows the traveler to stay for 29 days on this visa from the date of entry. That implies if you enter on the 57th day from the date of issuance you can still stay in UAE for 29 days from that day. Also, you need not have to valid visa while exiting the country.

Exit Controlled Visa - As the name hints, this visa is inverse to that of entry controlled visa. The traveler needs to exit the country before the visa terminates. This means if your visa is valid to say from 05th Feb 2017 to 05th Mar 2017 and the duration of stay is 10 days, and you travel on 01st March, you won't be permitted to stay for 10 days even if your visa pursues the duration of stay as 10 days. You should leave the country most extreme on 05th March 2017.

Embassy & Consulate - Embassy and Consulate refer to government representations in an another nation. A country will have only single Embassy in the foreign country while it will have a number of consulates in many cities like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune etc. An embassy is the higher representation, but a consulate is just a smaller version of the embassy. The working of Embassy or Consulate does not have any distinction. 

Business days - A business day is counted each official working day of the week. When we apply for a visa or visit any visa consultant and ask about the visa processing days they will dependably give a time saying business days. Typically, this means the processing excludes Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and any special holidays that the Embassy/Consulate will take after. So in case, your application is under process and there is some holiday proclaimed that would mean the process will get delayed by those many days.

Stamp Visa - Your visa stamp resembles your entrance ticket to the nation. In most cases, your visa is appended or rubber-stamped on the passport.

Paper Visa - When we apply for the visa by submitting hard copy documents and the visa issued is an electronic visa, it is known as a paper visa. E.g: Australian Visa

E-Visa - This visa is another option to visas, when we apply for the visa electronically and the approval is also in the electronic format, it is called an E-Visa. E.g: UAE Visa

Counter at the Embassy/Consulate - The Embassy or Consulate is the authority liable for accepting or rejecting your application and checking if you meet the requirement for visa.

Acceptance of application request does not depend on any visa consultant or agency. This section is called as the Submission/Collection counter.

Biometrics - Biometrics is the process to verify someone's identity collecting fingerprints & Iris scans, this does not involve any interview. An applicant has to go personally for biometrics for some of the countries like UK, Schengen, etc. 

Related Post: Reasons Why Your Visa Get Rejected

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI|

How Visa Consultant Helps You In Obtaining A Visa

Visa requirements do not put a stop from visiting any country. The constraints just make the procedure tiring, which turns up upsetting the vast majority from applying.

As a traveler, we all know that the most crucial part of all our travel formalities is the visa processing. A traveler will always be in a dilemma once he has submitted visa application until he find out the status of the application from the Embassy/Consulate. This circumstance is precisely similar to the way one feels while giving an exam. Why exam? Because you don't know for sure what will happen as embassy staff are the one who is going to decide whether to grant a visa after reviewing the application. And there might be a chance your visa doesn't get approval due to something unsatisfactory as regards of that application. Thus, one can take the help of visa consultants as they have the right expertise and can identify problems, this assures us that the process is going to be smooth and hassle-free.

Here we will help you to describe the role a visa consultant plays in your visa processing. How can visa consultant be remarkably helpful to you further, what are the limitations to a visa consultant/agency?

The main role of a visa consultant is to help a client to travel from one country to another country with advice on legal and documentation to complete the process smoothly and also to increase the chances of visa approval whether travel, study, work or business purpose with professional advice.

Reasons To Hire Visa Consultant:-

Convenience – 
The most important role that a consultant plays in our visa procedure is that they deal with all of the tedious manual work which generally an applicant has to do himself/herself. Right from filling the application forms, preparing the letters, booking appointment dates wherever necessary, paying the fees in the bank / getting the DD done, presenting an application, collection passports, etc. We just need to gather our important documents as per list provided by them, sign some documents and we are good to go.

Expertise – 
We can't deny that a visa expert without a doubt has more data on the visa procedure than a voyager. Before starting the visa process one needs to take a proper information of what will be the process and what documentation is required. We put in a lot of efforts and money while planning our itinerary and all of that is at stake once we apply for the visa. Here it is very important to have an advice from an expert, who is well ahead of time if any increments or cancellations are required in the application or not. Likewise, they remain up to date with any changes to legislation. So we spare all the time that we generally would need to spend on the interconnection investigating.

Time Saving – 

Time in our most valuable asset and yet so many people are ready to misuse it. Days can be spent properly researching about visa procedure and documentation. With the amount of differing data available online, it’s easy to quickly get puzzled and a single mistake can cost your visa denial. There is no doubt you will save a lot of time by hiring visa consultant.

The Professional Support – 
"Yes, you read it right." This is one of the most important roles the visa consultants play for us. Be it a first-time traveler or not, we as a whole need that comfort from somebody on whom we can depend and complete the procedure. The expertise they have can give us the certainty we need and all the essential points are taken care by them. They not only just process our visas but also consult as on how the application must be showcased which will improve the chances for us to get the visas approved. If any last-minute changes come up, guidance in critical situations is something that we look for while hiring the visa consultant as we might have to provide extra documents, go for an interview anytime. 

Limitations Of Visa Consultants:- 

Presently we realized that what vital part does our visa specialist play, let’s look at what limitations do a consultant have to face while assisting us.  before beginning the visa procedure, Other than anything else a traveler needs to know the below points 

Inter mediator – 

The important point we travelers need to get right. Our visa consultant is only an inter mediator between us and the competent visa issuing authority. The expert can set up our application, counsel us for the procedure and documentation, yet the visa choice, all things considered, will be of the Embassy/Consulate. As a visa specialist one can't influence the visa choice, neither decidedly nor contrarily. They can assure you the visa but cannot guarantee.

Conditional – 

They have a dependency throughout the process. Dependency on the courier services, the dependency of the submission centres, dependency of public holidays, visiting on natural calamities! Yes, they do have dependencies on natural calamities as well, the documents are shipped to the Metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, etc. where the embassy/consulate is located which is via air. So, any natural disturbances will affect the shipping. 

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI

Most Common Misconception Related To Visas

Getting visa effortlessly is a dream of every traveler. Recently, we have been looking at some interesting questions posted by visa seekers. This post attempts to clear several misconceptions concerning you. 

People often rely too heavily on gossip from their companions and relatives that are based on rumors. Being in the travel industry for so long, we have seen people developing misconceptions when it comes to visa procedures. We have gathered many mistaken beliefs regarding visas, to help you and reduce the chance of making a mistake.

If you don't mind go through the guide carefully to avoid making such common mistakes.

USA Visa: A Key to All Visas -

A traveler with USA visa stamped can get a visa to any country effortlessly is what most of us think which is not really genuine, travel history does play a positive part for your visa processing but this does not mean that one who has a valid USA visa will be able to obtain visas to other countries easily. The process, documentation remains just same as for any other traveler. There are a couple of countries which will allow you to take an On-Arrival Visa if you have USA visa, but to grant or not will be particularly concluded based on the applicant’s documentation and personal conditions.

Visas Can Be Processed Without Documents -

No Embassy/Consulate will grant a visa without verifying the documents of the traveler as per the requirements. Work with whatever little requirements Embassy/Consulate ask for so as to get your visa prepared. Travelers have the misconception that the requirements can be waived off by paying some extra amount. This is the least secure method for preparing your visa. There are more odds of your visa getting denied.

Schengen Visa Process: A Maze -

The term Schengen visa is often misunderstood by the travelers. It is important to understand how this visa process work and what Schengen visa is? The Schengen Area comprises of 26 countries and grants one visa which is valid for all. Travelers have the misconception that the visa can be processed from any country, or it should be processed through the country where the primary entrance is, and more. The genuine rule says that the visa should be processed from the country where you will stay maximum and if equal stay in all countries then through the country of first entry. Sometimes it differs depending on where is the applicant’s main purpose.
E.g.: Applicant "X" is making a trip to Germany and France. He will go to conferences in Germany and will continue to France for tourism reason. Here the application will be held up through German Consulate just, regardless of the possibility that his stay is maximum in France. The reason being the candidate's primary purpose is conferences and not tourism.

Money Can Get Visa -

Travelers consider that having funds is enough to get a visa. Financial stability is an essential point for visa process but not the only important point. Additional aspects like professional and family ties to home country, how genuine is the purpose of travel, etc. will also be examined before making a decision. Further, not only the current available balance is necessary but also the previous transactions and how genuine the transactions are is effortlessly for the visa process.

Rejection As Unavailability of Documents - 

We understand that visas cannot be processed without the necessary documents. However, that does not imply that one doesn't have an option at all for any archives. It is possible that there may be a considerable wait in some cases; travelers do have alternative options if one does not have one of the required records. E.g.: A person is applying for Schengen visa and does not have Income Tax Returns (ITR) for last 3 years (Which is one of the mandatory documents). He/she has ITR available only for one year, as before that the pay was not assessable. Presently here practically it is not possible for one to provide ITR if the income was not taxable, this does not mean that he/she will not be able to apply for a visa. The applicant only needs to provide a self-declaration duly signed mentioning the reason of why the ITR is not available.

Additional Misconceptions Are: 

• There is a limit on the number of visas given out every year.

• Visa process is both quick and easy.

• If you were refused of any visa in the past, it is unlikely to get the visa.

• Embassy can issue a visa on the same day.

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI

How Indian Citizens Can Get Visa In High Peak Season

Are you travelling abroad during the Summer? If yes then these are some tips you need to note before planning your trip. We all know that visa is a very crucial part of our entire trip and everything that we have paid for further bookings is at stake until we get the visa.

We cannot do anything about the visa conclusion that the Embassy/Consulate will take on our application, but we can surely take other precautions to reduce the risk of not getting a visa on time. Every year during the high peak season we have seen travelers postponing or cancelling their trips just because of not having enough processing time.

Below are some problems that we as traveler generally do not know arising at the consulates/ VFS / agents, etc. Let us take a look at this -

Heavy Rush At Consulate – This is obvious as summer is the time when maximum Indians travel abroad for vacation, the reason being holidays and weather in different countries during that period. Indians majorly travel to the South East Asian countries, UK, Schengen and the US. For e.g. If the Embassy / Consulate normally takes time of 2 working days to process a visa, they will need more than 5 working days during the peak season. This is because for all countries’ visas there are maximum 4 consulates/embassies all over India.

If we consider Singapore destination as an example on an average, there are only 50 agents in Mumbai who has authorized logins, and a numerable number of travel agents accepting applications from travelers. This creates a huge load on the Consulate due to which they might put a restriction on the number of applications to be logged in on daily basis. So, if the Consulate is not accepting the applications then how can they issue a visa? Such situations are common. As a traveler, we expect our agents/consultants to help us in such situations but do not get what we expect. This is because of such situations out of any agent/consultants control. So, starting the application well advance saves you from all the last-minute hassle.

Heavy Rush at agents/consultants – You might think how can this in any way delay our visa process? 95% travelers process the visas through agents/consultants, resulting in a heavy rush just like embassy/consulate. Agents/consultants might not be able to help you on an urgent basis for your visa processing due to commitments to the prior applications that they have accepted for processing. This can result in forcing an applicant to do the entire process on their own including travelling to the Embassy / Consulate, preparation and submission of documents, getting the DD done, etc. So, avoid yourself of all this and start the process well ahead of time.

Non-availability of appointment date – Countries like Schengen, UK, USA require the applicant to visit personally for biometrics or interview to get the visa. The visa processing time starts after the appointment with the VFS / Consulate. Due to the large number of travelers the appointment get booked faster. When one starts the process well in advance we give the Consulate enough time to process our visa even after the appointment date. The unavailability of appointment dates might result in a delay of visas, hampering our other travel arrangements and causing heavy losses.

Non-coordination from Embassy / Consulate – The Embassy / Consulate if requested generally consider the applications with earlier travel date and process it faster but naturally due to heavy rush, we face this major problem of non–coordination from the Embassy / Consulate. It is not easy to get in touch with them and request to process the application faster. Even after submission, the application is not taken for verification

immediately by the competent authority. This creates a major risk of delay in visa application process.

Mistake in visa – There can be mistakes in the visa after issuance like the passport number can be wrong, there can spelling mistakes in the name, sometimes single entry visa is

issued instead of multiple entries whereas you are entering the destination country more than 2 times. Such issues are normal during the season time, so one needs to be careful to have a minimum of 3 – 4 working days after the visa processing before our travel date. In such situations, we need to resubmit the passport and get the correction made.

Below is the earliest time you can start the visa process for some major countries to help you plan your travel and visa process –

South East Asia – 30 days prior to the travel date

UK – 90 days prior to the travel date

Schengen - 90 days prior to the travel date

USA - 90 days prior to the travel date

China - 90 days prior to the travel date

Japan - 90 days prior to the travel date

So next time you plan a trip make sure you start your application exactly as per above timelines just to save yourself from all the hassle.

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI

Australia Visa Guide For Indian Citizens

Australia is one of the tourism destinations which has started getting a growing attention from Indian travelers. Be it for leisure tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism, family/friend visits, etc. We if consider and compare from 2016 to 2017 here has been a considerate growth in the travelers to Australia. The visa which used get processed in 12-15 working days last year is taking more than 25-30 working days this year. The Australian High commission has also issued a notice that this is due to the heavy rush at the High Commission.

While the visa process is not very critical, there is one thing that all travelers travelling to Australia that can help them save time and money and plan their travel well. Australian visa a requirement for an individual to undergo medical test depending on the duration of stay and age of the applicant. The basic main two criteria are as follows –

1. Duration of Stay in Australia is more than 3 months

2. Age of the applicant is more than 70 years

Let us understand the above criteria in detail –

1. Duration of stay is more than 3 months – When the traveler has a plan to stay more than 3 months in Australia irrespective of the purpose of travel and age of the applicant, one needs to undergo medical tests for the visa application.

2. Age of applicant is more than 70 years – Here the applicant whose age is above 70 years must undergo the medical tests irrespective of the duration of stay.

Below are few cases to understand better –

Case 1: Applicant X aged 30 years and applicant Y aged 72 years are travelling to Australia for a period of 5 months. Both will have to undergo medical test irrespective of their ages.

Case 2: Applicant X aged 30 years and applicant aged 72 years are travelling to Australia for a period of 1 month. Applicant X is not required to undergo medical test whereas applicant Y will have to go.

At the point when and which medical tests to be finished?

The Traveler must first prepare the set of documents and submit it to the High Commission through visa agent or personally. Once this is done after a period of a week or so the applicant shall receive an email from the high commission on the registered email ID providing the details of which medical test are to be done. Most of the applicants have to undergo either or both of the following tests –

1. Medical Examination (501) – covers the entire body examination

2. Chest X-ray (502) – cover only chest x-ray

After receiving this request, the applicant will have to get the medical tests done at one of the registered panel physicians. After it is done the medical reports are sent to the High Commission directly by the physician, and after receiving the same the visa decision is expected in a time frame of 10-15 working days.

Important Notes:

1. An applicant who has to undergo a medical test as per the criteria should start the visa process well in advance as the visa processing takes more time than that of without medical test.

2. The waiting period for the appointment at the local panel physician can be longer which might delay the process.

3. The applicant does not get any confirmation from the panel physician of the reports been sent to the high commission.

4. If there is any medical condition detected in the reports the visa process can get even more extended.

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI

A Guide To Saudi Arabia Business Visa

Though spiritual tourism still rules the industry, lately there has been a substantial increase in the number of travelers to Saudi Arabia for business purpose. This is one country where the applicant has to face a lot of issues in the visa processing due to lack of correct knowledge.

Let us understand the visa process for Saudi Arabia in brief along with the important points one needs to carry in mind while processing the visa.

The visa for Saudi Arabia can be applied through only registered agents. Saudi Arabian Embassy has authorized some agents and only they can apply for a visa directly at the Embassy. While you start the visa process you need to first know your category of visa from the enticing organization. The business visa mainly has 2 subcategories – Commercial Visit Visa & Working Visit Visa.

The designation of the traveler plays a vital role in deciding the category. Applicants with a higher designation in the Indian company have to apply for commercial visit visa and applicants

with other designations might have to apply for a working visit visa. The embassy relates the designation with the purpose the applicant can serve while in Saudi. Let us understand this with examples –

“XYZ” company’s Managing Director is traveling; his application will be done under the Commercial visit visa category. An engineer working with “XYZ” company is travelling, his application will be done under the working visit visa category.

Once you understand your category ask your inviting company to send you the invitation letter bearing the MOFA stamp along with the company’s registration copy. This is one of the most important documents and is also one of the reasons why all the confusion in the application might happen. The letter is in Arabic language and most of the visa details depend on this only like duration of the visa, category of the visa, the visa will be single entry or multiple entries, etc. This letter is an approval from the MOFA (in Saudi Arabia) and we only need to apply for the stamping from here in India.

Once you receive the letter, you will then have to prepare other documents from your side like a cover letter on Indian company’s letterhead, passport and photographs. The commercial visit visa also has an extra requirement of Chamber of commerce letter for the visa. While preparing the documents you need to mark the below points and keep a check on the same –

1. The Designation on the cover letter and invite letter should match exactly.

2. The Indian company’s name in the invite letter (Arabic letter) should be mentioned correctly.

3. The issue date of both the letters should match.

4. The Chamber letter and cover letter should have company’s round seal on it.

5. The letters should be addressed to the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, New Delhi only. This is because the business visa does not get approved for any other center.

The Embassy might ask for extra documents sometimes like a degree certificate for an engineer, or if the above points are not taken care while preparing the documentation. Once the visa process is done the Embassy from its side will get the Travel insurance for the applicant processed for the duration of his / her stay.

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI

Confirmed Ticket – Mandatory For Visa Or Not?

Whenever we plan a trip to any destination the first thing we decide to do is book air ticket. Among all the travelers there are very few who research and find out if it is required before processing the visa or not.

We all know that even if we have everything in place visa is not guaranteed. The visa decision completely depends on an officer of the third country who will be decided depending on the documentation, personal interview. Then is it really necessary to book air tickets prior and invest so much financially?

It is very important for one to completely know and understand the visa process and documentation before going ahead with any of the bookings. Once you have decided the destination gather information of the visa processing. Research online, visit the Embassy/consulate’s sites, contact right visa consultants and then start preparing the documents.

If the country’s consulate does demand confirmed tickets or hotels for the visa processing then only book it or else wait for the visa to be granted and then book the tickets, hotels, etc. Most of the travelers have a misconception that air tickets work as a proof of returning to the home country in the visa process which is NOT true at all. Air ticket in no way considered as a proof of returning to the home country as one can anytime after travel cancel it if required. Most of the country’s visas can be processed without a ticket or only with the help of a blocked air ticket.

Blocked air ticket is a savior in most visas process where the applicant is in a dilemma as to book the tickets or not? Blocked air ticket is something that one can get from a travel consultant. The consultant through GDS (Global Distribution System) has access to hold a seat on any airline which is generally valid for 24-48 hours.

One of the reasons which cause loss to travelers is consultation and discussion with family and friends. This does not mean one should not consult any friends or relatives but should not blindly follow it. Let us understand this with an example.

“Mr X has planned a trip to Australia in June 2017. He consulted his friend Mr Y, who has traveled to Australia in 2016. As per Mr Y’s experience, he got the visa within 5-6 working days. Depending on this experience Mr X booked his air ticket after 10 working days. Mr X approached a visa consultant a got to know that due to heavy rush, the visa processing is taking more than 20-25 working days.” This example helps us to understand that Mr Y was correct as per his experience but one does not know what might be the current scenarios so taking the information from right source before booking travel arrangements is very necessary.

Hence consult the right sources, know the visa process and documentation. Understand the processing time and start the process well in advance for a hassle free travel arrangements and hassle free trip.

Let us see some of the famous travel destinations and if they require air tickets confirmed for visa processing or not –

1. Singapore – Confirmed return air ticket required

2. Malaysia – Confirmed return air ticket required

3. Thailand – Confirmed return air ticket required

4. Dubai – Air ticket not required

5. China – Blocked air ticket required

6. Japan – Blocked air ticket required

7. Schengen – Blocked air ticket required

8. UK – Air ticket not required

9. USA – Air ticket not required

10. Australia – Blocked air ticket required

11. New Zealand – Blocked air ticket required

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI

Special Requirements For Visa Processing

If you are a regular traveler then you know that the basic documentation for all the countries is more or less the same. But being a visa consultant what we always keep in mind is the special requirement for all countries.

Having the basic list of documents will not be enough to make sure that the visa process is smooth and hassle-free. Most of the countries have some different requirement, which if

missed might create a great problem especially for urgent travels.

Let us today have a look at the special requirements for some of the famous destinations, and let us know in the comments which were the ones that you already knew –

South East Asia 

Let’s start with the sector most visited by Indians. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia are countries which attract a large number of travelers every year. Even though the visa process to these countries is not very difficult but still each of these countries has a special requirement.

Singapore –

• When the traveler is going to visit someone in Singapore the invitation letter is required is a specific format provided by the Consulate / Embassy – It is called the V39 letter

Malaysia –

• Bank statements attested by the bank on all pages with a closing balance of INR 30,000/-

Thailand –

• The hotel bookings should compulsory mention name of all applicants

Each applicant needs to show a balance equivalent to 700 USD which can be in the form of savings bank account, international credit card or forex receipt

Europe 

This is the next sector which attracts major travelers from India be it for tourism purpose, business or family visit. Here are some of the most visited countries and their special requirements.

Germany –

• When a traveler is visiting someone, an original Formal Obligation issued from the Town Hall is required from the host

Spain –

• When a traveler is visiting someone, an original Carta Invitation before “Policia Nacional” issued is required from the host

• The overseas travel insurance should be valid for 15 days extra from the date of return to India.

• Applications can be accepted only if there is a gap of minimum 10 working days from the date of submission and the travel date

• Photocopy of all pages of the passport is required

Greece –

• If the applicant is travelling first time to the Schengen area then he/she is required to go for a personal interview to the consulate/embassy

Denmark –

• Color photocopy of all pages of the current passport and used pages of the previous passport is required

Netherlands –

• When a traveler is visiting someone, an original Formal Obligation issued from the Town Hall is required from the host.

France –

• When a traveler is visiting someone, an original Attestation D’accueil issued from the Town Hall is required from the host.

Australia & New Zealand 

These again are some favorite destinations for Indians. Travelers generally club an itinerary for both the countries together. Below are some special requirements for each of these countries.

Australia –

• Photocopy of all pages of the current passport with the notary and true copy stamp on all pages

• The original passport must be only carried at the time of submission for verification and is returned to the applicant on the same day

New Zealand –

• All the financial documents must be notarized.

Let us know look at some rare countries and their rare requirements –

Morocco –

• Male applicants should submit photographs with a TIE.

Venezuela –

• Photograph in soft copy has to be submitted, it can be in a pen drive or CD. It has to be in 70KB size maximum.

Peru –

• Fingerprint of the index fingers on a plain white paper

BY SHRUSHTI KADAGANCHI