Once you’ve planned your foreign trip, booking your tickets and getting your hotels booked is the easy bit. It’s generally the visa that becomes a headache for most of the Indian tourists. The authorities won’t be rejecting a visa just for the heck of it if you’ve done your part correctly. This article was originally written by Divia Thani Daswani at CN Traveller
Here are the 8 common mistakes that you must avoid while applying for a visa:
1. Not matching the date of your tickets to the date of travel on your forms
This is a common mistake that puts your visa application under the radar. The authorities will never pass a visa that has any sort of confusion in the form.
2. Adding a PO Box number in the address column of the form
This is a very common mistake that will surely get your form rejected. Post Office box numbers aren’t a part of your address. The authorities need the address column to be precise and accurate. Adding a box number will only ruin your chances to get the visa.
3. Not attaching pictures that meet all specifications
Some embassies are very peculiar when it comes to pictures attached on their visa forms. The picture should have been taken within 90 days and should have never been used on any other visa application before. You picture is the only valid photo ID they have of you. It’s only obvious that if there’s a problem with your picture, they’ll reject the form.
4. Discrepancies with bank statements
A lot of people forget getting the seal of the bank on their bank statements. That makes their bank statements look no different than an ordinary print out. If there’s no seal of the bank on the statement, the authorities will believe that it isn’t an authentic document.
5. Getting the visa category wrong
We understand that your trip might be a mix of business and pleasure, but you need to mention a very specific purpose on your visa application. The authorities are not your followers on Instagram who need to know everything you do on your foreign trip. Give them a specific purpose for the travel if you want your visa application to be approved.
6. Leaving a question unanswered
A lot of applicants leave a segment unanswered in their forms. This makes it an incomplete form and there is no way that it will get the approval of the authorities.
7. Having different signatures on the passport and the visa form
Signatures are your basic human ID that need to stay constant everywhere. If your signature on the visa application doesn’t exactly match the one on your passport, authorities can never be sure that it was you who filled the form. As a result, your application might get rejected.
8. Overlooking the validity of your passport
If your passport isn’t valid for the next six months, chances are that the authorities will not issue you a visa. Ignoring the validity clause might be the biggest thing that stands between you and the illusive visa.
Do have any other reason why a visa application can get rejected? Do let us know in the comment section.
You can read the entire article on CN Travellers here.