Indian e-tourist visa uploading PDF copy of passport – prepare before applying

It took over 3 & 1/2 hours to complete the appliction.  Uploading photo and copy of passport in pdf format – which had to be under 300kb – was time consuming. I’m in my 50’s so thought perhaps it was just me not being very tech savvy but have asked around and it’s not just me. In hindsight I could have completed in stages – and had the photo and passport pdf ready before i started filling in the form.  Hopefully the info below in this blog will help you.

 

Laptop or phone best ?

I filled in the form using my laptop – on my phone the text is tiny and large form which needed to be  moved around the screen to view) and used apps on my iphone to take passport photo in required square format and also take photo of passport and convert to required pdf size. See snapshots of the apps below.  I then sent both to myself via facebook messenger from my phone and opened messenger on laptop and downloaded the photos. There is very probably an easier way but i was mid form and had to work this out as i went along.

 

PDF photo

Obtaining a PDF copy of the my passport was not easy. Eventually I used the Free APP in the photo below.

It took several attempts – each time sending the photo to myself from my phone to my laptop  via facebook messenger and then saving in documents where i could then see how big the document was – the first was 876 kb , far too big and was rejected by the e-visa website . Several attempts later I managed to get it to the correct size by moving the camera further and further away from the passport ( the app will flash up a message to move the camera closer – ignore it , you will need to move it further away) and then crop the photo of any background stuff. Eventually you will get a pdf copy of the photo under 300kb which will be accepted by the e-visa website.

Passport storage advice

 

 

I was constantly showing my passport at the airports and it’s a lot easier to have it easily to hand rather than in a bag. I chose a RFID blocking passport holder for extra security and I strongly advise you do too.  The Radio Frequency Shielding Material  will block any attempts to steal passport data stored in the microchip in your passport and for extra security you can also store debit/credit cards in there for the same reason. Contactless credit and debit cards have RFID chips embedded in the card which can be read by fraudsters standing next to you with RFID readers. The last thing you want to have happen to you at any time but particularly when you are off on your travels.

 

For more visa application advise read my other blog   Filling in the Indian e-tourist visa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take your photo (and pdf passport copy) before applying for the Indian Visa to save time and make life easier for yourself .

It took over 3 & 1/2 hours to complete the online Indian Visa application.  Taking and uploading the photo for the Indian Visa and copy of passport in pdf format was the most time consuming. In hindsight I could have completed in stages – and had both the photo and passport pdf ready before i started filling in the form. This was not advice given by the online visa website.  Follow the the info below in this blog to help you to take the passport photo in the required format prior to filling in the application form. For the PDF copy of your passport follow the link at the bottom of this blog post.

 

Taking and uploading the passport photo for Indian visa

Taking the square passport photo required for the Indian Visa application is easy and straight forward using the free app – pictured below – which will give you the option of taking a photo with dimensions specificaly for India. Do this with your phone and then send to your laptop – I did this by sending it to myself via Facebook messenger and then downloading it to my laptop.

It’s much easier to fill the form in on your laptop as it is really hard to see and navigate the huge form on your phone as it is a large form and not particularly phone friendly.

To use the APP  – you simply chose the country for which the passport photo is required for – in this case India – and then take a photograph of yourself . The App makes sure it is the correct size. Save the photo. And thats it.

 

Passport storage tip

I purchased an neck pouch passport holder – the one in the link above – as I was constantly showing my passport at the airports and it’s a lot easier to have it easily to hand rather than in a bag. I chose a RFID blocking passport holder for extra security and I strongly advise you do too.  The Radio Frequency Shielding Material  will block any attempts to steal passport data stored in the microchip in your passport and for extra security you can also store debit/credit cards in there for the same reason. Contactless credit and debit cards have RFID chips embedded in the card which can be read by fraudsters standing next to you with RFID readers. The last thing you want to have happen to you at any time but particularly when you are off on your travels.

Click here for advice for uploading the PDF copy of your passport

For great advice on choosing the very best backpack for your Indian travels click here