Important Note on Visas

Apply for your visas early and avoid disappointment !
It is essential that you apply for your visas early. Given the security concerns and cautious approach adopted by embassies and consulates, Visa processing can take quite long. Hence it is of utmost importance that you submit the documents required to apply your visa well in advance of your date of travel.

At the time of booking your tour please make sure you have the appropriate passport valid for at least 6 months (For Malaysia - 9 months) after the date of your return to India, along with enough blank pages for all visas.

Personal Interview / Biometrics
You may be required to appear personally before the embassy / consulates for any Interview(s) / providing biometrics as and when required and advised by the concerned authorities.

Help us serve you better :
Kindly book your tour at least 4 months in advance. At the time of booking, ask our Sales officer to provide the document checklist required to apply for your visa. Submit the Documents required, along with the Interest free non refundable booking amount and Documentation amount within 10 days from the date of booking. (If your departure date is within 45 days from the date of booking, submit all the above immediately at the time of booking your tour).

Important Notes:

• Embassies / Consulates may give you the Interview dates after one and half months or more from your application date.
• Grant / Rejection of visas is the sole discretion of embassy /consulate.
• Embassies / Consulates do not grant visas on damaged passports.
• You are required to furnish only genuine documentation.

1. Why is personal attendance required for some visas?
Biometrics : Biometric data that will be collected are scans of your fingertips and a digital photograph of your face or eyes. There should be no cuts, wounds or Mehendi on your hands when going for biometric scanning. All UK, USA and FRANCE visa applicants are required to provide biometric data as part of the application process. Children under the age of 5 (UK), 6 (FRANCE) and 14 (USA)* do not have to visit a Visa Application Centre to have their photographs and finger scans taken, but their photographs will need to be provided with the application form. Each time you apply for a UK and FRANCE visa you will need to have your fingers scanned and photograph taken. If you are a regular traveler to the UK, we recommend that you consider applying for a longer term visa. The procedure is simple and quick and should take less than 5 minutes. Visa procedures change from time to time and from country to country.

* Children under the age of 14 applying for a visa to USA have to carry their Original Birth Certificate along with them, while applying for a visa at the US Consulate.

2. Does Cox & Kings guarantee visa?
There is no guarantee that Cox & Kings can get the Visa for you. Our role is only to assist you to submit a visa application which is correctly filled and signed by you. Embassies and Consulates have the sole jurisdiction and authority for granting Visas. Visas can take upto 2 to 3 months to be granted / returned.

3. Why is it necessary to confirm services before visas are obtained?
One of the mandatory requirements of the Consulates / High Commissions applying for tourist visas (in accordance to the visa rules of each country) is that the person / traveler applying for a tourist / visitor visa must have a valid confirmed return airline ticket reservation and confirmed hotel accommodation reservations. This is one of the many safeguards that the consulates take whilst issuing tourist / visitor visas so as to ensure that this is a genuine bonafide travel.

4. On what basis is the visa granted or rejected or declined?
It is the responsibility of the tourist to ensure that all information filled in the visa forms is correct and genuine. The visa is issued by the consulate after it does all its background checks, the financial stability of the tourist, and after assessing the risk as to whether the tourist is likely to return to his home country or would illegally overstay / seek employment in a foreign country. Cox & Kings have no role whatsoever to play in granting or denial of visas because each traveler / tourist has his or her own circumstances and situation whereby they have to convince the visa interview officer of their genuine intentions.

5. What are the normal reasons of visa rejections:
Fraud documents - No chance to reapply.

Insufficient fund's in account - Passenger gets a chance to reapply while submitting good bank statement, can break investment done in FDR and transfer the fund to Saving account and enclose a letter from the bank for the same.

Sudden deposits - Can reapply by giving explanation on letterhead and proof for fund transfer.

Not provided evidence of business - Can reapply with business registration.

Not provided original documents such as Income Tax Returns and bank statement - Can reapply with original documents.

Damaged passport
In case visas are rejected by the consulates / embassies, you may consider reapplication, provided we have sufficient time / working days prior to the departure of your selected tour date.

6. Why are cancellations charged if visas are rejected?

1. If the tourist cancels his / her travel there are certain cancellation fees that apply such as the airlines, hotels and cruises cancellation fees which then have to be passed on to the traveler. As explained earlier Consulates require confirmed tickets, hotels and insurance prior to accepting the visa application. Granting / rejection of visas is the sole discretion of embassy / consulate. We only act as a facilitator for providing visa guidance services.
2. Cox & Kings has to bear certain administrative, processing and other expenses that are required to be made for making these reservations for the traveler. These cancellation charges shall apply irrespective of the reason for cancellation. These charges are the genuine pre - estimate of the damages that we will suffer on account of cancellation and are payable without proof of actual damages.
   
   Hence, it is important before booking your holiday tour package to study the cancellation policy and the cancellation charges that would apply once you book tour package. Also please note that Consulates / Embassies have their own visa application processing fees and visa fees which too have to be paid in advance at the time of submitting your visa application. In most cases there is no refund of any part of the visa fees or the visa application processing fees returned, if the tourist's visa application is rejected by the consulate. In fact, many a time due to cancellation, Cox & Kings suffer losses because sometimes the cancellation is done at a time of holiday rush and the supplier such as the hoteliers, airlines and cruises have a 100% cancellation charge.
   
   You expressly agree to abide by the foregoing Terms & Conditions and Cancellation Policy.
3. In group tours the advantage of a group tour is the reduced tour price due to the numbers of a group which facilitates collective buying. When there are cancellations, the numbers of the group reduce and it is too late to fill the vacant seats and the cost per tourist member on the group increases as the number of travelling passengers are reduced. It is not possible to penalize the remaining travelling members of the group for your visa rejection.
   
   In view of the above explained reasons, cancellation fees are charged in case visas are rejected by the consulates / embassies.
   
   The Company cannot be held responsible / liable for such rejection of visas, unless there is a manifest error committed by the Company.