What’s it like to travel to India from the UK in 2022? With our upcoming 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training in Goa starting April 10th, I received a bunch of questions about UK to India travel rules and restrictions, so hopefully this blog will put your mind at ease.
Storytime! I caught up with a friend to share their travel experience with us: London > Goa, February 2022. In summary, here’s what you need to know…
Firstly, India tourist visa update. To travel to India you need a 30 day e-visa. If you’re from the UK, you apply online, make a visa appointment at the Indian embassy in London or Birmingham, and they post it back to you. It costs around £30.
Secondly, UK to India travel restrictions. The latest travel rules for India are a negative PCR test before travelling, and you don’t need to quarantine upon arrival (yay!). All travellers will self-monitor their health for the first 14 days of arrival. And vaccinated and unvaccinated are welcome.
Now, story time…
Thanks for sharing your travel story!
No problem! I was a bit confused by the whole travel thing before I did it, so happy to help! It’s actually so much easier than you think and I’m really glad I did it. It’s so good to be here.
It’s nice to have you! So, you travelled to India from the UK this month, how was it?
It was so normal. The government just changed rules for international arrivals, so I didn’t have to quarantine I just have to self-monitor for 14 days and fill out my passenger declaration form which says where I’m going to be staying. And I did a PCR test before I travelled.
And what about your Indian visa appointment?
My e-visa [India from UK] was super easy, it used to be completely online but for now you have to collect it in person. I filled in a form online, which took 2 minutes, and went to the embassy in London for my appointment. And then you go in there to say Hi, with your passport, and then they post it back to you. It cost me like £30 in total.
What was your airport experience like?
Airport experience was so normal. Just had to wear a mask on the plane which is no big deal. Everywhere still has sanitation stations if you’re worried about hygiene. At the airport I saw some passengers getting thermal screening (where they point a thermometer at your head) but I didn’t get that.
And what about when you landed in Goa?
So my airline had a contact tracking app “Air Suvidha” which I downloaded, and then I went through customs like normal with my visa, my declaration form, and my vaccine certificate (or negative PCR test if you’re unvaccinated). I grabbed my bags and headed for my pre-booked taxi. When I got out of Goa airport there was a man (Sanjay!) waiting with my name and then that was that. I arrived at Palm Trees 90 minutes later!
