Echoing warnings from other missions, the Consulate-General of India in Chicago re-published on 14 September a notice clarifying that the only authorised site for e-Tourist visas is *www.indianvisaonline.gov.in*. The post comes after multiple reports of third-party sites charging ‘processing fees’ as high as US $80. The consulate advises travellers to ignore sponsored-search links and to verify that the payment gateway shows the Government of India’s SBIePay logo. Mobility managers sending executives from the US Midwest should bookmark the official portal and consider VPN whitelisting, as some corporate firewalls block *.gov.in* domains, leading employees to unwittingly use scam intermediaries.
