CRUISE CONTROLS

I disembarked a cruise ship in Mumbai in April last year, so my wife flew out from the UK to meet me there for a week’s holiday in Rajasthan. I had applied for our Indian tourist visas online. It was a quick and easy process, but the visa application form was particular about through which ports travellers planned to enter and leave the country.

When we presented ourselves at Delhi airport for our flight home, my wife sailed through, but the immigration officer asked me to wait while he went to the immigration office. I waited and 40 minutes later went to the office to enquire what the problem was.

A senior official told me that as I had entered India by sea, I could not exit by way of Delhi airport. However, I showed the supervisor the visa that had been emailed to me, which stated that I had been permitted to enter India through one of the 26 (sea, air and land) ports listed, but that “he/she can depart from any of the authorised immigration check posts in India”.

The officer said that the form was incorrect and that I would need to pay a fine, so I pointed out that the email I had received was a Government of India one and that the Electronic Travel Authorisation I held was printed on its headed paper with a barcode and official registration number. My passport was thus stamped and I was told I could leave.

Earlier in January, I entered Marmagao in Goa by ship and when I presented myself at the airport to depart the following day, the immigration officer summoned two supervisors to inspect my visa and passport. I dug out my ETA and pointed to the sentence that said I may leave by any authorised check post in India. They were happy with that, my passport was stamped and I was free to go.

It is clear that there is some confusion about what to do when visitors enter by sea and leave by air, so readers taking a cruise culminating in India should be sure to keep a second hard copy of their Indian ETA on their person in order to prevent delays and the possibility of a fine when departing the country by air.

Iain Hay, Helensburgh