Wagah Border (Lahore - Amritsar) PAK - IND

[Francesco]

I just want to tell my experience but from Attari to Lahore by bicycle, pretty smooth experience, took 1 hour. Got literally only one bag checked at the indian border, no control at the pakistani one

[tribe_ink]

I crossed today with german passport from India to Pakistan. I got my pakistani visa on arrival after showing my ETA, which I received immediatly after applying online for a tourist visa "in your inbox" few weeks ago. The crossing took 1 hour in total.

Indian inmigration asked me for the polio vaccine (which I had). Pakistani inmigration asked for an hotel booking.

What type of Indian visa you have? E visa or paper visa in passport?

[Roadtophnompenh]

I crossed in october by car, and applied for my indian visa in islamabad by Vistronix, good service. You cant go yourself to the indian embassy.Costed 22500 ruppes if i remeber good, about 100 dollar. Took a week and you gte a full-page-sticker in your pasport. At the border everything went smooth both sides and they know how to handle and stamp the carnet !!

[Tepezcu]

I crossed today with german passport from India to Pakistan. I got my pakistani visa on arrival after showing my ETA, which I received immediatly after applying online for a tourist visa "in your inbox" few weeks ago. The crossing took 1 hour in total.

Indian inmigration asked me for the polio vaccine (which I had). Pakistani inmigration asked for an hotel booking.

What type of Indian visa you have? E visa or paper visa in passport?

Once you fly to India with an e-visa, the visa will be stamped in your passport, like it was a standard paper visa. Therefore, in order to cross to Pakistan, it is irrelevant which visa you got to enter India before.

[Viatger360]

I am doing same route. I also recieved the ETA, just a minutes after payment. The application remain "in process", I understand that it will change into "granted" once I arrive to the border and they give me the visa. Correct?

[Tepezcu]

I am doing same route. I also recieved the ETA, just a minutes after payment. The application remain "in process", I understand that it will change into "granted" once I arrive to the border and they give me the visa. Correct?

I didn't check the status of the application after receiving the ETA, but I received an e-mail after crossing the border, saying that my visa was granted, so I guess it is so.

[TautTruffle]

I crossed in october by car, and applied for my indian visa in islamabad by Vistronix, good service. You cant go yourself to the indian embassy.Costed 22500 ruppes if i remeber good, about 100 dollar. Took a week and you gte a full-page-sticker in your pasport. At the border everything went smooth both sides and they know how to handle and stamp the carnet !!

Thanks RTPP, that's interesting. Because I'm finding the Indian visa situation is an unexpected PITA. It turns out the e-visa is not valid for a first entry by land - it needs to be validated at an airport! And - theoretically - the paper visa is only available from the home-country embassy. Grrrr!

BUT: in the official conditions it says that one can apply for an Indian visa from anywhere "if you first consult the consulate in your country of residence" or words to that effect. Which must be what Vistronix is exploiting, right?

TLDR: India no longer offers Visa On Arrival and the e-visa is not valid at Wagah for a first entry.

Anyone else had success with the paper Indian visa on the road?

[Roadtophnompenh]

They need in Islamabad a lot of paparwork for your Indian visa. Also bankstatements that you have enough to survive your stay in India and also best to write a letter to explain why you didnt apply in your homecountry. I just explain them i am overlander and didnt want to arrange everything before leaving my country and not nowing i get a Pakistani visa, before applying an Indian-one. On I-overlander somebody eplained before i crossed what Visatronix all needs. The service is nice, pay in cash and only rupees. A copycenter is 4 doors away. Takes a week they said, but i had it already before. All the paperxwork is the useafull stuff except maybe the bank and the letter to explain. I also wrote in it I love India an Indians. Maybe it helps !! Nobody spoke about my embassy or the indian embassy in my country !!

[TautTruffle]

Haha classic stuff, there's rules and then there's the reality, right? Very useful info, thanks.

Obvious follow-up question - how did you arrange the Pakistan visa? Because if I understand this right, a Pakistan transit visa is quite simple in Tehran BUT (a) it takes a few days waiting and (b) a transit visa normally requires a visa to the country of destination, and (c) it would not allow time for 1 week's wait in Islamabad. So did you prepare the Pakistan visa far in advance?

[Roadtophnompenh]

I tried to do everything online but failed several times, maybe I am just to old or stupid for those haggles. After al i did it with IVISA, costed about 100 dollars, and i arranged a LOI with Losthorizontours in Gilgit, also 100 dollars. After you get your visa confirmation in your mail, print it out and can go straight to Taftan border, no need to go to embassy at all. It was the most expensive visa on all my tour (China was still closed that time) çç