[Aviator_guy]

These are are list of authorized agents in Bangalore. Which of these is recommended?

My observations/experience below as of now.

Akbar Travels - - Called Akbar travels twice in last couple of days. Every time they asked me to share email id which I did promptly. But no response, no email from them.

Thomas Cook - - From @mpksuhas blog, looks like they process the visa very close to the travel dates and I'm not comfortable with the anxiety.

Riya Travels - - Called but lady receptionist was very rude and not interested to listen to my query. Couldn't hear what she was saying and she cut the call after murmuring some phone number which I could not understand.

United Visa Service- - Yet to contact them.

If any pointers on the above agents or if any leads for another reliable agent in Bangalore, please share.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Aviator_guy

Thomas Cook - - From @mpksuhas blog, looks like they process the visa very close to the travel dates and I'm not comfortable with the anxiety.

Yes, that's is the issue with them. However, apart from those on the list, even if you manage to get any other agents, they will be processing through one of the registered agents, so cost will be higher.

For me, I had submitted the documents with Thomas Cook approximately a month in advance, they shared the visa PDF some 2 weeks after that / ~2 weeks before the trip.

My understanding is that before 1 month no one is willing to collect / process the visa. Also, for Singapore visa, they don't need to send the passport to consulate is my understanding, only if any clarification / on request from consulate, the agent has to deliver the passport at consulate in a days time., hence they collect the passport from us.

Else, its very much an online process, visa is shared as a pdf to you.

So the best option may be if there is someone who processes the visa as soon as the one month deadline starts. For me, it was okay with a delayed processing since I didn't have any other travel plans in that 1 month and was not in need of my passport for that duration.

[Aviator_guy]

Here's an update on my SG visa. After enquiring with the 4 authorized agents in Bangalore and based on feedback from various sources, I decided to go with Akbar travels. I contacted them 6 weeks ahead of my travel as I had all documents ready and flight+hotel bookings done. They asked me to contact them within 30 days of my travel date. So I again reached out to them with 28 days left to travel. This time they mentioned about huge backlog and said that they won't be accepting new application as they were already receiving more applications then they can handle. I was surprised and shocked at their response. Spoke to the concerned person I was in touch the first time and he agreed to take my application but told me that it would be processed closer to my travel date.

I submitted the application along with supporting documents for me and my family at their Bangalore office. Passports were checked and returned to me. After 15 days, I received visa (pdf) which was 10 days before my travel. All's well that ends well! Overall happy with the Akbar travels service except the surprise they sprung on me due to backlog of applications.

Looks like there is huge rush for SG visa so plan accordingly as there are only 4 authorized agents in Bangalore and my understanding is that they can only process limited applications as per thier allotted quota.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Yes, that's is the issue with them.

Originally Posted by Aviator_guy

Here's an update on my SG visa.

Hi,

I am also planning to apply for Singapore Tourist Visa in Mumbai. Akbar travels is quoting Rs 3,500 per applicant. How much did you pay for your visa application?

Did you submit your bank statements with official signature from a bank official? I was hoping to submit the pdf's (last 6 months) which are easily generated via online banking. If a signature is required, I might have to make a visit to the bank.

Akbar has told me that I can courier all these documents to them but I am a little apprehensive of sending them original passports via courier. This means I might have to manually go their office.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Hi,

I am also planning to apply for Singapore Tourist Visa in Mumbai. Akbar travels is quoting Rs 3,500 per applicant. How much did you pay for your visa application?

Did you submit your bank statements with official signature from a bank official? I was hoping to submit the pdf's (last 6 months) which are easily generated via online banking. If a signature is required, I might have to make a visit to the bank.

Akbar has told me that I can courier all these documents to them but I am a little apprehensive of sending them original passports via courier. This means I might have to manually go their office.

I paid 2700 per applicant here in blr.

I carried bank statement print (not official signed) but they didn't ask for it. They checked and returned original passports, only took passport copies along with flight and hotel bookings printouts and cover letter. Both me and my wife had traveled to SG earlier (on old passport with same name) so may be that's why they didn't insist on other documents, not sure. They did mention that if there was name change from old passport (on which we traveled to SG earlier), we would have had to submit affidavit as well.

I personally visited their branch on a Saturday morning because I didn't want to hand over passports to courier boys. Although they had a courier service but advised me to visit personally in case any correction was needed in the application form etc.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Hi,

I am also planning to apply for Singapore Tourist Visa in Mumbai. Akbar travels is quoting Rs 3,500 per applicant. How much did you pay for your visa application?

Did you submit your bank statements with official signature from a bank official? I was hoping to submit the pdf's (last 6 months) which are easily generated via online banking. If a signature is required, I might have to make a visit to the bank.

Akbar has told me that I can courier all these documents to them but I am a little apprehensive of sending them original passports via courier. This means I might have to manually go their office.

1. I paid Rs2054 / visa. Cheaper since Thomas cook is one of the direct / official agent of the consulate. The others, route through any of the official vendors, hence rate will be higher.
2. Usually for visa procedure they want the bank seal. So will have to visit the bank. However, I had not submitted bank statement, instead gave salary slip.

3. Yes, I was also unsure on sending it, Thomas cook was okay with collecting through Dunzo. I too visited the branch.

Details of my submission here (Singapore Tourist Visa - Queries).

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by Aviator_guy

I paid 2700 per applicant here in blr.

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

1. I paid Rs2054 / visa.
Details of my submission here (Singapore Tourist Visa - Queries).

I had applied for Singapore Tourist Visa via Akbar Travels in Mumbai. I paid them a total of Rs 9,900 for three people i.e. per person cost of Rs 3,300.

I submitted my documents to them on 24th April and received the pdf's of the visa via email on 3 May. Akbar also sent me the passports via courier on 4 May. Nice to see that I received multiple entry visas for with validity of 2 years!

I had a couple of questions and would appreciate your views:

1) The pdf of the visa which was emailed to us does not have any photograph of the traveller. Is this okay?

2) I was thinking of using my credit card as much as possible for all transactions in Singapore. Do we need to enter our PIN for card transactions at a physical POS machine in Singapore? I hope there is no need for OTP's when you are swiping your credit card physically at a POS machine.

3) Many people have advised buying tickets on Klook for the major attractions. If I use my Citibank credit card, online transactions
on Klook website / app would require an OTP right? For that, I will have to activate international roaming and ensure that my current mobile number remains active in Singapore? Is this correct? I was thinking of buying a local sim there on reaching the airport but if an OTP is required for online transactions on Klook, then buying a local SIM does not make sense? So how did you manage your spending with respect to cash / card?

4) I will carry some cash in Singapore dollars but intend to use it only for cabs / MRT trains etc. I want to minimize cash usage as much as possible.

5) If I make all the local spends in Singapore via an Indian credit card, a mark up will be charged for all transactions (3.5% for Citibank in my case). Just to understand this correctly - if I spend 1,000 Singapore dollars and the SGD - INR rate is 60, the equivalent rupee amount would be INR60,000 but Citibank will charge me 62,100 right? Effectively, I am paying convenience charge of Rs 2,100 for Rs 60,000 of expenditure right?

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by Saanil

1) The pdf of the visa which was emailed to us does not have any photograph of the traveller. Is this okay?

That is alright. Just carry a printout with you.

Originally Posted by Saanil

2) I was thinking of using my credit card as much as possible for all transactions in Singapore. Do we need to enter our PIN for card transactions at a physical POS machine in Singapore? I hope there is no need for OTP's when you are swiping your credit card physically at a POS machine.

You can also enable tap feature. Otherwise PIN is required as far as I recall. No OTP needed for physical transactions.

Originally Posted by Saanil

3) Many people have advised buying tickets on Klook for the major attractions. If I use my Citibank credit card, online transactions
on Klook website / app would require an OTP right? For that, I will have to activate international roaming and ensure that my current mobile number remains active in Singapore? Is this correct? I was thinking of buying a local sim there on reaching the airport but if an OTP is required for online transactions on Klook, then buying a local SIM does not make sense? So how did you manage your spending with respect to cash / card?

You can add credit card to Klook payment setting and you dont need OTP.

I am assuming that your mobile is duel sim. If so then you can still activate international roaming for free (without opting for any roaming pack) on Indian SIM. You will get incoming SMS for free. Incoming calls would also be activated but as long as you don't pick, there are no charges. Outgoing calls and SMS would also be activated but as long as you don't use the facility, there are no charges.

When you insert local SG sim, you can disable call/data on Indian sim and just keep it on for SMS. Use SG sim for call+data. This is how I managed whenever I needed OTP (which was only couple of times when I had to purchase something online using my credit card).

Originally Posted by Saanil

4) I will carry some cash in Singapore dollars but intend to use it only for cabs / MRT trains etc. I want to minimize cash usage as much as possible.

It is advisable to carry some SG currency (and some lower denominations also) as you may need at some small restaurants/shops (and vending machines) which only accepts cash. For example, food/drinks cart in Universal and shops in Bugis street only accept cash.

For MRT and buses, please use EZLink/NETS prepaid cards rather than cash. Remember that there is no facility in the bus to get back change if you use cash. These are available at airport as well as local departmental/grocery stores. The shop at airport where you plan to pick sim card via Klook also sells the prepaid cards but only accepts cash payment. I purchased NETS card for SGD 12.5 from airport shop. For taxi, you can use Grab or Klook and pay via credit card. For most of your travel needs, you will be fine with MRT and buses.

Originally Posted by Saanil

5) If I make all the local spends in Singapore via an Indian credit card, a mark up will be charged for all transactions (3.5% for Citibank in my case). Just to understand this correctly - if I spend 1,000 Singapore dollars and the SGD - INR rate is 60, the equivalent rupee amount would be INR60,000 but Citibank will charge me 62,100 right? Effectively, I am paying convenience charge of Rs 2,100 for Rs 60,000 of expenditure right?

I just went with the credit card for my expenses for shopping/food/taxi. Forex card might have been better in terms of charges but I went with the convenience of just not worrying about loading/returning forex and keep checking balance. I already paid for major expenses in advance while in India like Flights/Hotel/Major attractions ticket, so did not mind spending on credit card for other expenses in SG. Just carried SGD 500 as cash for sundry expenses and emergency usage.


One last thing. If you dont know already, there is GST return facility in SG (and also in other countries like UAE) where you can get GST refund at the airport for your purchases when you leave. This does not apply to services (hotel, taxi, attraction tickets etc.) and products (food items) which are consumed within SG. So if you plan to do any shopping other than perishable/food items and the shop has a GST refund counter then you can go there with your bill and passport (no xerox) and they will issue you a GST refund receipt and make the entry in the system. This applies to minimum billing of SGD 100 (up to 3 bills can be clubbed to meet this criteria at a given shop on the same day).
Once you enter airport and before you check-in, you can visit the GST kiosk and claim the refund (cash or refund to card). So you can get ~5% refund on your purchases. Worth a shot if your shopping value is high.

Hope this helps.

[mpksuhas]

An update, someone I know went to apply for Singapore Visa at Thomas Cook Bangalore. The same branch from where I had got visa for Rs2054 last year.

Currently they are charging Rs 3000 it seems. So, one can expect a ~1000 rs increase in all the agents since Thomas cook is one of the only 4 agencies Link (Singapore Tourist Visa - Queries)

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

An update, someone I know went to apply for Singapore Visa at Thomas Cook Bangalore. The same branch from where I had got visa for Rs2054 last year.

Currently they are charging Rs 3000 it seems. So, one can expect a ~1000 rs increase in all the agents since Thomas cook is one of the only 4 agencies Link (Singapore Tourist Visa - Queries)

Official rate as per SG website is still lower but agents have increased the rates. May be due to increased demand and not many official agents in Bangalore. When I applied for visa last month, all the four official agents quoted different rates.

Also, note that if any add-on service is availed like documents pick up /drop or dummy hotel /flight bookings to support the application, then agents may charge more.

[grshnehete]

Can anyone help me out to get the list of Visa agents in Mumbai?
I am not able to find the link for the same on their website.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by grshnehete

Can anyone help me out to get the list of Visa agents in Mumbai

I have obtained my Singapore visa a few times from Akbar Travels. I believe Thomas Cook also does them.

Cheers

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by grshnehete

Can anyone help me out to get the list of Visa agents in Mumbai?
I am not able to find the link for the same on their website.

You can find the list on the website of Singapore consulate in Mumbai. I am attaching the pdf which I have dowloaded. Here is the link as well: https://www.mfa.gov.sg/-/media/Image...20230426).ashx

The first one on the list is Akbar Travels. I did call a few others but their phone lines were not operational. I recently used Akbar Travels for getting Singapore visa - I was satisfied with their service but it costed my Rs 3,300 per person (i.e. total of Rs 9,900 for 3 people). This includes one way courier i.e. once you get the visa, Akbar will courier the passports to you.

[ashwinsid]

Requesting an update from anyone who has applied for Singapore tourist visa from Bangalore.

Please advise which documents are mandatory? Asking because I am a freelance consultant and I do not have salary slips, appointment letter etc.

1. Bank statements - if statements are required, is bank seal mandatory on the printouts?

2. Does the income declared in IT returns make a difference? (my taxable income in IT returns is lower compared to the payments received in account statement)

Thank you!

[Caffeinated]

Originally Posted by ashwinsid

Requesting an update from anyone who has applied for Singapore tourist visa from Bangalore.

Please advise which documents are mandatory? Asking because I am a freelance consultant and I do not have salary slips, appointment letter etc.

1. Bank statements - if statements are required, is bank seal mandatory on the printouts?

2. Does the income declared in IT returns make a difference? (my taxable income in IT returns is lower compared to the payments received in account statement)

Thank you!

I had recently applied for Singapore tourist visa. Below are the documents needed. You can also call up Akbar travels and they can assist for any queries.

· Original valid Karnataka issued passport with copy of front and back page, along with all original old Passport required. Other state passport holders are required to submit with any residential proof in Karnataka. Expl: Hr Letter, Aadhar, DL, Rental Agreement, Property Deed).

· Duly filled Form14A for each applicant (Handwritten / Typed) with Cross Signature on the 1st page pasted photo & 4th page signature required. (Whitener, Overwritten, in complete applications are not acceptable).

· Annex C (Only for Travel Agents, not for Direct applicants).

· Recently camera clicked (60% HEADBOLD) color photographs 2nos WITH GLOSSY OR MATT FINISH, Previous visa photos not acceptable (Photo Specification attached below).

· Personal Covering letter (If Salaried Employed can give on white paper / If Business person can give on Company Letterhead (Format attached below).

· Hotel full address with email id required. (Original hotel booking not mandatory).

· Ticket itinerary required (Original ticket not mandatory).