Visas 2

The Bangladeshi visa was there ready and waiting - only a short queue.  Unlike many visas nowdays, it wasn't a flash coloured printed stick-in one but a 'traditional' inked stamped one with the bits that the ink had messed being filled in with ball point pen.

So, on to acquiring the Indian visa which has now been sub-contracted to a private firm.  Their on-line process was quite painless but it didn't seem to recognise the temporary ID number it issued, so if you tried to save your information, it didn't recognise your ID and you had to start again.  You could pay on line and either print off your application form and post or take it to one of their offices around the country.

In Birmingham we are lucky enough to have one of these offices buried in the depths of the Jewellry Quarter (it's better to park across the Inner Ring Road where the parking is free & unrestricted and only a short walk from the office).  See 'Location' below for map of the office's location.

The security man just inside the door has a look at your application form and gives you a queue ticket.  He picked up that I'd stuck a normal passport photo on my application and was told that it wasn't big enough and had to use their photo-booth to get some 2cm x 2cm photos at a cost of £4 (the guys behind the counter were happy to provide change).  The queue moved quite quickly and I was out of the door in about 60 minutes.

There is an on-line facility to check the progress of your application - my passport should be ready in three working days.

Visas

The trip is now getting closer as today I pay the balance of the monies owed to Explore and start the visa application process.

After downloading the forms from the Bangladesh High Commission's website, I trotted off the the Assistant High Commissioner's Office in Birmingham with my letter of invitation, three passport photos and £40 in cash.  The office was on the second floor but I met the back of the queue before the door.  The small room was crowded with Bangladshis with both UK and home passports many with wives and families.  Many were reaching the front of the line - a small 2' square hole in the wall - and being sent off to get a copy of one document or another.  The Staples store just around the corner must have been doing a roaring trade.

When I reached the front my passport etc were taken off me and I was told to sit down and wait - wasn't sure what this was all about as nobody else had been asked to do this !  Twenty minutes later somebody emerged from a back room, smiled, gave me a receipt and told me to come back on Friday.  In all it must have took 90 minutes - not so bad but we shall see when I go back to pick up my passport.