Do I need a visa for Goa? Visa on Goa: how much it costs, documents and terms

The Indian state of Goa is quite special, and does not look like the rest of the country. The reason for this difference is the long colonization of these places by Portugal. In addition to Christianity, which is now professed by a large percentage of the local population, the metropolis has left behind beautiful Mudejar buildings and high standards of service. Quite a tangible touch of Europeanism is felt in our time. As a resort, Goa created a hippie. In the 70s of the last century, "flowers children" from the US and Western Europe came here to rest from a corrupting civilization and consumer society. As a result, they remained in a tropical paradise forever. Somewhat later, a term appeared for such a life-setting - "downshifting." It implies a rejection of a profitable career and a cloudless existence for less money, but without office stresses. The authorities of India faced a dilemma: to develop a resort or prevent illegal migration. The output was a document officially called the Temporary Landing Facility / Permit. It is issued to those tourists who fly directly to the state. Do I need a visa for Goa? How to arrange it and how much does it cost? Read all about this in this article.

How to get there?

The so-called "visa on arrival" is issued only to those tourists who come from abroad to Dabolim airport. The Temporary Landing Facility document can not be opened on the state or the water cordons of the state. You can get off the board in Dabolim and with India's current visa. How do I get to this state? Only a few airlines send their planes there from Moscow. Aeroflot and Transaero three times a week, Orenair twice, and VIM-Avia one time in seven days. The travel time for all planes is approximately the same - about six and a half hours. As you can see, the choice of air tickets is quite wide, but all the same, in the season (and it lasts almost year-round except for June-July), you need to book seats on board in advance. A visa for Goa for Russians can be opened with the mediation of travel companies that allow charter flights to Dabolim.

What is Temporary Landing Permit?

Thanks to those tourists from the CIS who rested on the beaches of Majorda, Cavelossim and Dona Paula in the south of the state or in Morjim, Mandrem and Aguada in the north, there is a myth that you can fly to Goa without first contacting the Embassy of India. Say, there - like in Turkey or Egypt: you arrive, you come to the window of the border guards, you get a stamp in your passport or stamp, and that's it. Let's not argue heatedly whether a visa is required for Goa for Russians, because it is, firstly, the state, not the country. Therefore, the maximum that can be allowed for a tourist from the CIS countries here is the Temporary Permission for Entry, which, in fact, is Temporary Landing Permit. Unfortunately, Russia is on the list of eight countries whose citizens are issued a visa to India upon arrival. And consequently, such permission to enter does not give full freedom of action. Therefore, you need to consider all the pros and cons.

What opportunities does the Temporary Residence Permit give?

If you enter the territory of the state as part of a large group, having bought a ticket from a travel agency, the question "Do you need a visa for Goa" for you is not worth it. All legal formalities will be performed by the intermediary firm. But you should know in advance that you can not leave the state. Thus, about excursions to the mausoleum of the Taj Mahal or the sacred city of Varanasi can be forgotten. Only the beaches, the sun, the sea - that in itself is not so little. In addition, the Residence Permit is given only for up to 14 days, without the right to continue it. The tourist group - as the law indicates, at least four people - must enter one day and leave the country at the same time. In this case, the senior must indicate the exact route of the tourists. This circumstance should be taken into account by those who wish to travel to Goa on their own.

Procedure for obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit

What documents for the "visa on Goa" need to apply and to whom? It is necessary to contact the Indian tour operator to submit a list of members of the group (names and numbers of foreign passports) to the State Immigration Service. This should be done no later than a day before departure. Thus, upon arrival, the migration official should already have permission in the computer. You must confirm that the "receiving party" meets you. An immigration officer takes your passports and gives you a Temporary Residence Permit form that is exchanged back to your documents upon departure. With the TLF / TLP card, you have the right to stay in the state without leaving its limits for up to 14 days.

How much does a visa for Goa cost?

Under the law, the Temporary Residence Permit will cost $ 40. This fee to the immigration service and the Indian mediator. However, in practice, so that the "random" error with writing your name or passport number does not appear in the list, you need to pay the host party about $ 100 per person. If you can not go to the Indian mediator, it makes sense to turn to the services of Russian travel agencies. They also send fictitious "groups" to Goa, even two people. Then the connection with the Indian operators will be their concern. But then the amount of the contribution will increase. The usual rate for Russian travel agencies for the opening of the TLF / TLP is 125-180 US dollars. Thus, the question arises whether a "visa on Goa" is needed, if it is possible to open a full-fledged permission to enter the country at the Indian Embassy or consular departments?

India (Goa): Do I need a visa?

A more democratic way to get to the sunny beaches of the state is to fly to Mumbai, and from there, a super-comfortable bus to the resorts of Goa. For this trip, you need a full-fledged Indian visa. It can be obtained in three ways. The first is a personal appeal to the Embassy of India in Moscow or to the Consulate General of the country in St. Petersburg or Vladivostok. The second way is visa centers. They are accredited mediators who themselves conduct interviews and collect documents for the opening of an entry permit. In addition to the consular fee of 1600 rubles per person, they charge a fee for their services - 135 rubles (including for children inscribed in a passport.) The third way is to buy a ticket to a travel agency. Depend on its category.Russians need to wait for a tourist visa about 4 working days.The Ukrainians and Belarusians - a week and even a little more.The validity of such a document can be different: from 30 days to 6 months, with a one-time or multiple entry.

Documentation

Like many "countries of rest", India does not torment its potential guests with excessively harsh demands. To open an ordinary tourist visa you need a foreign passport, which is valid for 6 more months. It is necessary to go to the embassy's website, fill out the questionnaire in English and print it in two copies, putting out the signatures. It is necessary to attach to the package of documents 2 photographs 3,5x4,5 cm, photocopies of air tickets in both directions, all pages of internal and foreign passports. You must also confirm the hotel reservation. It must be said that an urgent visa (up to two days) can be opened only through travel agencies. It costs about $ 120.

Price of issue

So, do you need a visa for Goa? As you can see, it's easier to open a normal, full-fledged permission to enter India, than to embark on dubious adventures with the design of TLF / TLP for the same 130, or even 180 dollars through Russian travel agencies. The fight against downshifting took too severe forms in the country. To want to grow old on a paradise tropical shore did not burn his passport, the document is simply selected, and then they search for the offender who violated the migratory rules. The opening of a quasi-visa in Goa is beneficial only for those who previously contacted a trusted Indian mediator (for example, having vacationed with him in previous years), plans not to travel outside the state and think to stay in India for up to two weeks.