In Kandy Sri Lanka at present, been here a month to have a break from Goa and to hopefully get a decent visa for India. Going to apply in Kandy end of August. We went to Nepal and only got 3 months so trying this route. any suggestions or info about this welcome. we will let you know how we get on.
Hi to anula

Back in the UK at the moment for a few weeks, just renewed my visa on line applied for and got a one year one, multiple entry and with the 180 day clause. Sent off last friday (24th) and received back today (30th).

thanks for info. never know what your going to get from them but you did ok! we go to embassy before end August and as said will let all know how we get on.

Good Luck Tuvala,
a lot of people now seem to be securing yeal long visas albeit with the 180 day max stay restriction so this is certainly encouraging.

A year with 180 day proviso would be very welcome right now! As we said we have been to Nepal and there we asked for 5 years and the visa bloke in charge went ballistic and we were lucky to get 3 months and our lives! He told us to go back to our own country. When we told him that we help some local families with food and clothing etc (which we did but no longer do) he said that there are no poor people in India and that they did not need our charity! There was no answer to that one so we left. So the obvious question is: as there is no proviso on the form to ask for more than 6 months, how do we avoid a repeat of the Nepal episode.

I just would'nt apply through Nepal any longer......also like someone else said don't be polite, drop the pleases and thankyous and be more demanding. This seems to work better than the meek approach.

Actually one of the bar staff in Arpora recently asked me why i said please and thankyou all the time. He said this was his job and not to say please and thankyou......so i don't anymore and it seems to work better.

It was me who said drop the nicety.
I went to the UK, in person, told them i wanted a knew
5 year x, with no restrictions and got it.
After a big arguement.
I wasnt going to back down.
If they hadnt given me what i wanted, i would of changed
countries.

Yeah Steve,
That seems to be the way to go, firm and abrupt!
We all thought 5 year Xs where extinct....its great to here of someone getting one.

I am not sure if this will help or not but i know that it works for people with British passports
If you go Australia you can get a five year visa no problems
In fact they ask you if you would like a five year with know leaving India after 180 days
The thing that you need to is that you do have the reg at the FRO within 14 days of your arrival back in Goa and then you get a pink book (residents book)
If you do not reg with the FRO you will be fine of Rs 2,000/- and then you have to do a lot of running around to pay the fine trips to the home office ect

we were in australia 6 years ago and applied to canberra indian embassy and were told to go back to england! as we said they can't make their minds up.

The visa were granted in march this year with no problems and our friends went a month after our return and got the same visa

You tell them in the UK, dont let them fob you off.
If it is refused, as they told me it would be, you risk loseing
your application money.
I got the visa.
Be firm, dont leave the office, until they submit, what you want.
They are only gatekeepers.

To be honest Steve what you are stating is rubbish.The office where you had your interview(probably Birmingham) only receive your documents,from there they go forward to whoever makes the decision,so unless you personally are packaged along with those documents you have no influence on anybody's decision making.You can tell the girl/guy xyz at the interview, after that it means nothing ,start banging on the counter demanding this that and the other, like some thickmick will get you the boot out of the office.
Your 5 year visa had everything to do with one currently then held by you, I have found they will keep the status quo ie whatever you had previously you will kept to,probably a healthy bank account there,and a Monday morning visit,so upping your chances of getting one in percentage terms.You will never be "upped" from a one or two year one to a five year one.
Likewise I received mine (new 5 year ex) a few months before you,new pink book,but now other circumstances have materialised,another adopted country beckons.The look of astonishment at the Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai airport when asked about another foreign long term visa attached to my passport ,informing them I want to cancel the the indian one is just about the worst insult that can be bestowed on them from a foreigner.

I don't know who is right, but 99.9% of people who had 5 year x visa's have not been able to get them renewed for the last two years. We had 5 year x,(pink book etc) then 2 year x - god knows what this time.

What im stateing is true, (sorry about that), it worked for me.
Counter banging etc, was only to get them to submit, for my 5 year x,
they were telling me, the most i would get, was a 1 year, with restrictions.
Not what i wanted, not what i got.
Be very firm, they are only the gatekeepers.