HELP with India eVisa to GOA port on Celebrity constellation PLEASE!!!

Hi,

I’m am booked to sail on Celebrity constellation January 2,2018. According to Indian Consulate in Australia, I am able to Enter India on e-Visa from GOA port. Hence I have obtained an eVisa. I am now getting information that eVisa is not accepted in Celebrity constellation. Is this correct? I do NOT have time for a passport stamp visa as I leave Australia for UK next week?

Will I be denied boarding at Abu Dhabi with an E-Visa to India?

What are my options now?

What is the possibility of getting off at Muscat Oman, flying to Mumbai (where e-visa is accepted) and rejoining the ship again in Mumbai.

I’m in a state of panic about being denied boarding and my 2 kids have been looking forward to this vacation!!!

Thanks in advance.

Have you contacted Celebrity? They should be able to give you the contact information for the Constellation's Documentation Officer, who might possibly be able to help you.

Good luck.

I have phoned and emailed Celebrity and I have conflicting information.

I was told by Celebrity call centre (Dec 15, 2018) to ask Indian embassy, and Indian embassy in Australia states that eVisa is accepted in Goa seaport.

But there was also information that my family will be denied boarding if I do not have stamped passport visa. I just found out about this possibility this morning and I have NO time to get traditional Indian visa as I leave the country in a couple of days. Our ports of call are Goa and Mumbai.

Has anyone ever been denied boarding on a celebrity cruise ship just because they have an eVisa for India rather than a traditional visa?

I have copied information from the India e-visa site below - https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

• Double entry is permitted on e-Tourist Visa and e-Business Visa.
  
• e-Visa is valid for entry through 24 designated Airports (i.e. Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Calicut, Chennai, Chandigarh,Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum & Varanasi) and 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore). However, the foreigner can take exit from any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.
  

The entry at the 3 Ports is very new (Mumbai Port is not yet included), and the officers on the Constellation may not be familiar with this yet.

You need to make sure that the Documentation Officer on board the Constellation will allow you to board with the e-visa. That is the person that you need to contact.

We did a similar cruise last Christmas and Indian officials boarded the ship prior to arriving in Cochin to issue entry cards. They will not probably be able to recognise your evisa. From other posts you may be allowed to disembark in Goa and enter, but not Mumbai.

Our visas were not checked when we first boarded, and again from other posts you will probably be allowed to board anyway.

The replies already made to your post are good advice.

With regard to flying to Mumbai from Muscat, that sounds an expensive option. I can't remember if cards were issued when disembarking in Muscat, but you may not have the right documentation for leaving via Muscat airport. You would have to discuss this when you are on the ship.

I've just checked my passport and in Muscat it was stamped "valid for 48 hours", so you may have the (expensive) option of flying to Mumbai. A better option may be to fly from Goa to Mumbai, if they will allow you to disembark there.

Last December Abu Dhabi round trip to India some guests were not allowed off the ship as they did not have the correct visa. Sorry but I would not chance the evisa.

Liz

There is a big discussion on Page 4 original post by Tayavaree warning the evisa is nit sufficient

Last December Abu Dhabi round trip to India some guests were not allowed off the ship as they did not have the correct visa. Sorry but I would not chance the evisa.

Liz

The evisa was not valid for port arrivals last December, so there may be still a chance they would let them off in Goa now. As they do not have time to get a full visa it's all they can try.

From your comments I assume people had been allowed to board in Abu Dhabi without the correct visa, and I think that is their main concern. Still best to get Celebrity to confirm - although from other posts that may be easier said than done.

The OP lives in Australia and each country has different views and rules. On our cruise they kept the Guest Relations staff waiting for ages until they (Indian Immigration) were ready to start the process. Have you read the thread on page 4.

I believe the call centre for Australia is Guatemala, friends have difficulty when they call them from Sydney,

There is a big discussion on Page 4 original post by Tayavaree warning the evisa is nit sufficient

This is page 4 of the Celebrity threads, and is worth reading.

The last post reads:

Alternatively as you are flying first to the UK contact an Indian Visa expert like Visa genie as soon as you arrive. They know every legal way to get the correct visas even for non uk residents

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Thanks for the responses. At this stage, I am NOT worried at all if I don’t get OFF in India!!! I just want to get ON the ship.

I just DON’T want to be denied boarding. My kids are soooo looking forward to this cruise.

According to Indiavisa.org.in,

Dear Sir/Madam,

Evisa can use for Goa sea port and you will get visa stamp there when you reach India.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Rita

.......

..... but according to Celebrity, they might deny boarding without the traditional India visa. And I just don’t have time for traditional visa as we leave for UK in 4 days (2 days of which is this weekend!!!)

But, according to the Celebrity terms and conditions:

https://www.celebritycruises.com.au/footer/australia-terms-conditions/

14. Visas and passports

For all international sailings a valid passport and appropriate visa will be required. You are responsible to ensure that you have all necessary visas and that your passport is up to date and will remain valid for at least 6 months from the date of the termination of your cruise. Please check the applicable passport and visa requirements (including multi-entry visa requirements and for additional visa photos) with the embassies of the countries you will be visiting during your cruise, or check the up-to-date position with your travel agent in good time before departure.

Guests who do not possess the proper documentation may be prevented from boarding their flight or ship or from entering a country and may be subject to fines. No refunds will be given to individuals who fail to bring proper documentation. We do not accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any flight or into any country or otherwise suffer any difficulties or incur any costs as a result of not having an acceptable passport or any required visa(s).

So, I have checked with Indian embassy and they clearly say that eVisa is good for Goa seaport. It seems to be the Celebrity cruise line itself that is asking for traditional visa.

I just want to go ONBOARD, even if we DON’T get off in India.

Has anyone been denied boarding on Celebrity with India eVisa?

Hi emmas gran and RichKath... how do I read that page 4 discussion that you are referring to.

I’m having my toes and fingers crossed that we won’t be denied boarding even if we only have eVisa. As I said, I don’t even care if I don’t get off the ship at all in India.

Simple answer is you need multi entry visa you may be denied boarding without this, we are on the 19dec cruise on connie and this has been made very clear to us in a reminder email recd yesterday from celebrity.

Hi emmas gran and RichKath... how do I read that page 4 discussion that you are referring to.

 

I’m having my toes and fingers crossed that we won’t be denied boarding even if we only have eVisa. As I said, I don’t even care if I don’t get off the ship at all in India.

This item is on Page 1 at the bottom of page you just go back to Page 4. Hope it helps But no-one on cruise critic is authorised to say whether or not you will be denied boarding.

Liz

no-one on cruise critic is authorised to say whether or not you will be denied boarding.

 

Liz

Too true -the only sure way is to have the correct visa. Try uktogs suggestion to get a visa in the UK, but it might be difficult with Christmas holidays. You could contact them now to get the ball rolling.

Next best would be to get written confirmation from Celebrity that you will be allowed to board. Also may be difficult.

Simple answer is you need multi entry visa you may be denied boarding without this, we are on the 19dec cruise on connie and this has been made very clear to us in a reminder email recd yesterday from celebrity.

Yes... I just received the same email this morning and I have been panicking since. I wished they had emailed last week!!!!

I thought I had done my due diligence by checking with Indian embassy regarding visa requirements (for Australian traveller), reading that eVISA is accepted in GOA seaport, getting my eVisa and looking forward to the trip.... then the email this morning about the full visa requirement!!! It really put a huge damper on things!!! And my girls were in tears when I told then we might be denied boarding!!!!

I just received my multi-entry visa back via Visa Genie in the UK. My friend travelling with me is German and they were happy to help with his visa too. I do trust them and they are specialists so perhaps call them?

My German friend was told he wouldn't be allowed to board without the multi-entry visa - he doesn't want to get off in India but was advised that if he became ill etc, he may have to be landed so needs the visa anyway.

Visa Genie Limited

30 Morland GardensSouthall

UB1 3DY

t: 0208 571 0883

w: www.visagenie.co.uk

This is information from Celebrity UK - advises that e-visa is NOT acceptable :

· Guests from the UnitedKingdom and Ireland, amongst other countries, MUST obtain a MultipleEntry Tourist Visa for India before beginning their travel. You can find further information about how to apply onthe Indian Embassy website: https://www.hcilondon.in/pHYPERLINK"https://www.hcilondon.in/pages.php?id=7911"aHYPERLINK"https://www.hcilondon.in/pages.php?id=7911"geHYPERLINK"https://www.hcilondon.in/pages.php?id=7911"sHYPERLINK"https://www.hcilondon.in/pages.php?id=7911".php?id=7911 or go straight to the Regular Visa application form throughthe following link: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/Registration

· Alternatively you can contact your choice ofvisa specialist or our recommended visa agent, Visa Central on: https://visacentral.co.uk/?login=celebritycruises

· Please note that the Indian E-Visa is notaccepted for this cruise as the local immigration authorities are not ableto process E-Visas on board our ships.

The poster is from Australia so the above doesn't really apply.

The poster is from Australia so the above doesn't really apply.

It says "local immigration authorities are not able to process E-Visas on board our ships." - so i would take that as any evisa for all guests on board - not just for peeps from UK

We are on the same sailing, and got the full multiple entry tourist visa.

The problem seems to be the seaport in Mumbai, since technically when leaving Goa, you exit India and you need to re-enter the next day at Mumbai, where entry with the e-visa is not possible. Hence the requirement for a full visa.

For us, the Indian Visa Process was relatively painless, despite all the horror stories you read online. Yes, it requires careful reading of the requirements (picture format and how to fill out the online form), but once that was completed it couldn't have been easier.

Dropped the passports at the consulate, paid the fee and two days later went back to pick them up with visa inside. There was really no problem, no wait times, nothing, and we were kept informed of the status of the visa application via emails and text messages. We are German citizens, but live in Austria, so I was expecting some extra hassle because of that, but it was all smooth.

So, OP, I don't know how many days you have in the UK before leaving to Abu Dhabi, but according to our experience it would be very possible to obtain the full visa within a week, even in a country different from your own, once you have the forms and pictures sorted and if you are within driving distance of the Indian consulate. Better this than worrying up until day of boarding whether you will be allowed on.

or try to get a multiple entry visa in Abu Dhabi, if you have enough time.