British Visa Payment Needs To Be Done Online Effective 16th Dec, 2013

06 Dec 2013

With the discontinuation of payments like Demand Drafts and Cash, all Indians applying for British visa need to pay the visa fees online via Credit or Debit Cards from 16^th December, 2013.

Thomas Greig, Immigration Regional Director of UK for South and Central Asia said, as part of the endeavor to integrate the visa application process and to make it equable with the wider universal trend, the new initiative has been put into action.

Visa applicants from India must pay the fee online using MasterCard or Visa Credit or Debit Cards or via e-wallet (Skrill).

The British Government Official said that effective 16^th December, 2013, other modes of payment, including paying at the VAC (Visa Application Centre), will be discontinued.

Greig said that this is part of their continuing commitment to offer outstanding service to Indian customers. He added that this is also part of the program of modernization from the Home Office.

He said the new initiative will help reduce costs in the visa operations management which in turn will help to keep the visa fees at a low.

In case the applicants need to set up an e-wallet account, they need to do it a few days prior to applying for the visa to make sure that the funds are available for the online payment.

An email confirmation from WorldPay will be received by the applicants immediately after the payment is done online. British officials said that this confirmation email should be printed, and the applicants need to take it with them to the VAC while submitting the rest of their visa application.

Applicants who intend to travel on settlement, work or study visas can request their UK sponsor to make the online payment. For Visit Visas, travel agents can be asked to pay for an applicant’s visa application fee as part of a package when booking accommodation and flights.

Applicants who applied and paid online for their visa need to attend the VAC to submit their documents and submit their biometric data, including digital photograph and fingerprints.

The officials said that applicants who completed their online application form before 16^th December will be able to use other modes of payment that are presently available till 14^th January.