Now, Passport pass-back in India: UK visas without the passport (mostly)
So here's a scenario...you need to travel to two (or maybe more) different countries at around the same time. Your plans have also come up within a few days of each other, and you don't really have time to apply for each of the visas that you need, separately. Basically, you're $crewed ! I was in such a position last September, and had to make a conscious decision to decline one of those trips, which was rather sad.
Thankfully, if one of the visas you need is from the UK, you'll be able to keep your passport with you (and use it to get other visas that you require) for a majority of the period of the visa application process. Here's what a UK government website says:
Passport pass-back is a user-paid service that enables customers to retain their passport for the majority of the application processing period. We anticipate take up by frequent travellers, particularly business visitors, holiday-makers planning tours around multiple countries and settlement applicants.
Effective 31 March 2014, and for an additional Rs 5,250 or GBP 50 (though newspaper reports say it is Rs 4,200), this facility is available at all 12 UK visa application centres in India. However, I believe there's a limit (at least initially) of only 75 such pass-back cases in a day. Hopefully, this will be expanded to a larger number, but that will depend on demand.
In effect, you can retain your passport with you for some time, and only submit it within a specified period of time after the application is submitted. For visit, employment or student visas, this period is 10 days, and it is 4 weeks where you're looking to settle in the UK. However, the Super Priority Visa, Fast Track Business Visa and Business Express Program Visa services are not eligible for the passport pass-back service.
I find this initiative quite useful, and I'm hoping other countries start offering such a service as well. At least, it beats the problem of having to have two passports for parallel visa processing, since Indian regulations don't allow for two live passports, contrary to at least what I've read of the UK and the US.
However, I find the cost of this service to be pretty high. Think about it - you're effectively paying to keep your passport with you (well, not really, but that is one way to look at it!). I imagine that if there is more demand and the limit of 75 a day increases, they just might have a re-look at the cost.
While on the subject of UK visas, be warned that the cost of visas have also increased to Rs 5,250 for base visas, Rs 10,500 for priority visas, and a whopping Rs 63,000 for super-priority visas that are processed on the same day. Heck, that's about the price of a round trip in economy class from India to the UK!
Thankfully, if one of the visas you need is from the UK, you'll be able to keep your passport with you (and use it to get other visas that you require) for a majority of the period of the visa application process. Here's what a UK government website says:
Passport pass-back is a user-paid service that enables customers to retain their passport for the majority of the application processing period. We anticipate take up by frequent travellers, particularly business visitors, holiday-makers planning tours around multiple countries and settlement applicants.
Effective 31 March 2014, and for an additional Rs 5,250 or GBP 50 (though newspaper reports say it is Rs 4,200), this facility is available at all 12 UK visa application centres in India. However, I believe there's a limit (at least initially) of only 75 such pass-back cases in a day. Hopefully, this will be expanded to a larger number, but that will depend on demand.
In effect, you can retain your passport with you for some time, and only submit it within a specified period of time after the application is submitted. For visit, employment or student visas, this period is 10 days, and it is 4 weeks where you're looking to settle in the UK. However, the Super Priority Visa, Fast Track Business Visa and Business Express Program Visa services are not eligible for the passport pass-back service.
I find this initiative quite useful, and I'm hoping other countries start offering such a service as well. At least, it beats the problem of having to have two passports for parallel visa processing, since Indian regulations don't allow for two live passports, contrary to at least what I've read of the UK and the US.
However, I find the cost of this service to be pretty high. Think about it - you're effectively paying to keep your passport with you (well, not really, but that is one way to look at it!). I imagine that if there is more demand and the limit of 75 a day increases, they just might have a re-look at the cost.
While on the subject of UK visas, be warned that the cost of visas have also increased to Rs 5,250 for base visas, Rs 10,500 for priority visas, and a whopping Rs 63,000 for super-priority visas that are processed on the same day. Heck, that's about the price of a round trip in economy class from India to the UK!
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