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US investor flags Indian e-visa portal glitches
Raymond Russell, who was applying for a business visa to India, posted on X that the e-visa website was “comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken.”
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 27, Nov 2025
- 12:33 EST
- 14
E-Visa portal / X/@raymondopolis
An American investor called out India’s e-visa portal, describing the application system as glitch-ridden and prone to crashing mid-process.
Raymond Russell, who was applying for a business visa to India, posted on X that the e-visa website was “comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken.” He said the portal looked like it was “written in 2003,” logged applicants out without saving progress, and often failed to process payments on the first attempt.
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During his application, he encountered an unusual glitch. “Halfway through the business visa application, it displays a list of the tallest peaks in each Indian state??” he wrote, sharing a screenshot of the page. “Come on folks, I’m just trying to invest in your country!”
(1) I love India
— Raymond Russell (@raymondopolis) November 25, 2025
(2) Anybody who applies for an e-visa to India knows the website is always comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken
It looks like it was written in 2003, kicks you out randomly without saving your work, won't charge your credit card until your nineteenth… pic.twitter.com/3nhl3v0sZi
Russell also noted that the form required applicants to list all countries visited in the last 10 years but allowed no more than 20 entries. His post drew nearly one million views within 24 hours.
Indians push back, cite U.S. visa hurdles
The comments section quickly filled with responses from Indian users who argued that Russell’s frustrations were minor compared to the challenges Indians routinely face when applying for U.S., U.K., or Schengen visas.
“Nah, this should not be fixed. It'll give people from other countries a taste of how frustrating it is to apply for a visa for Indians to visit their countries. This is not even a fraction of what Indians go through while applying for U.S./U.K./Schengen visas,” one user wrote.
Others referred to long appointment wait times, extensive paperwork, and repeated administrative checks in the U.S. system. “You might not know this, but the U.S. business visa application system is even more antiquated,” another commenter said.
A third added, “Try being an Indian and applying for a U.S. visa to understand real pain.”
Some users compared their experiences with the two countries’ digital processes. “My experience in applying for e-visa in India has been much more pleasant than applying for my passport renewal in the U.S. Ever tried dealing with the sassy workers at the USPS?” one person wrote.
Criticism of Indian websites also surfaces
Several Indian users, however, agreed with Russell’s observations and echoed long-standing complaints about the quality of government websites. “I have never come across a quality Indian website,” one user said.
Another wrote, “I’m glad some non-Indian is pointing out how terrible the Government of India’s websites are. Every single one is unbelievably bad.”
Travel forums and external visa-information platforms have documented recurring technical errors on the e-visa portal, including timeouts during file uploads and browser incompatibility.
The system, designed to streamline entry for business, tourism, medical, and conference travel, continues to face criticism for inconsistent performance.
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