Why do some get 10 year Indian visa and others only 1 year?

We applied for visa for India. Very very very picky in how to fill out and many questions. Has to be handled through a visa company -- embassy will not handle visas in any way except through one company. When passport was returned (2 weeks so not so bad), it had 4 visa company stickers on it! 3 people in our party applied on the same day for visa. Husband applied (and paid for) 10 year multiple entry visa Wife applied (and paid for) 10 year multiple entry visa Cousin applied and paid for 10year multiple entry visa which she got. We got only 1 year! Why? Not that I plan another trip there but I do feel put upon. Another couple on our roll call -- male got 1 year and female got 10 year. What was your experience with India and visa. UGGGGGGHJHHHH:mad:

Overblow burocracy with some clerks ticking boxes willy nilly and make decisions.

They can't read the application forms too thoroughly though. I answered a question about my travel movements for the past TEN years with USA, Canada, Germany, Fiji, France, Narnia, Italy, Hogwarts, Pluto, Utopia.... and got a 10 year multiple entry visa...

Overblow burocracy with some clerks ticking boxes willy nilly and make decisions.

They can't read the application forms too thoroughly though. I answered a question about my travel movements for the past TEN years with USA, Canada, Germany, Fiji, France, Narnia, Italy, Hogwarts, Pluto, Utopia.... and got a 10 year multiple entry visa...

Well I guess they figured you were well traveled. :) The man at the visa office (we hand delivered to Oceania visa office) made an unofficial guess that our one year might be because we were retired teachers. Ours also had a red bold stamp that says no NGO or missionary work. The third person in group mailed hers in and claimed "retired business person" and got 10 years with no red stamp. (funny she is the one who worked for government in some alphabet soup agency and also did mission work later in South America). Guess my picture made me look Saintly!:D:p:D:p

Bowie MeMe: We seem to be traveling to similar destinations.

It's too early for us to worry about the visa for our Dec. 19 Celebrity Constellation sailing out of Abu Dhabi. India is the bomb. Working in Moscow, I used to transit through New Delhi on multiple trips to Afghanistan during Soviet occupation. In those days my nationality did not require visas. Except that when Indira Gandhi was murdered, I was sent to India and flew out of Moscow without a visa, even though I knew that a visa was now required.

At the Delhi airport I singled out a turbaned Sikh immigration officer. He went through my passport couple of times, looked at me and said sternly, "Sir, are you trying to enter India illegally." I assured I had no such intention. The matter was handled in 15 minutes and I was in.

Later, when Gorbachev made a state visit to India, the Moscow embassy only gave me one week's visa, and trying to get it readjusted in Delhi is hopeless. That limitation boomeranged on their economy, because I wanted to fly to Goa for a couple of days. Instead I spent that break in Sri Lanka before returning to Moscow.

We just got our visas back a couple weeks ago. Both of us were issued 10 year visas. Not sure about the education part - I'm degreed and work at a University (clearly listed as my employer) although not an educator and still got a 10 year. I was concerned about being a married same sex couple that there would be questions, but again none. I think bureaucracy or the "hand of" the processor is probably the culprit.....

My husband and I applied for Indian visas last year. We were on a cruise calling in Goa and Mumbai. I was issued a 10-year visa. My husband was issued a one-year visa because he served 20 years in the U.S. Army and is currently a government contractor. We just happened to book another cruise for 2018 that calls on two Indian ports. I am good, but he has to go through the whole process again and pay the high fee.

Good of you to post your experiences. There seem to be pitfalls in the application no cruiser would think of.