E-Visa Row: Indians Hit Back After American Calls Portal ‘Comically Broken’

India’s e-visa site: An American investor’s unusual experience with India’s e-visa portal has triggered a lively debate online, after he claimed the website is “comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken.” Raymond Russell, who was applying for a business visa, said the portal suddenly displayed a list of the tallest mountains in each Indian state midway through his form prompting him to share the bizarre glitch on social media.

‘Feels Like A 2003 Website’: User Lists Common Issues

In an X post that went viral, Russell stated India’s e-visa portal regularly throws up errors familiar to many applicants. He alleged that the website:

• resembles an early-2000s interface,
• frequently logs users out without saving their progress,
• offers payment gateways like SBI e-Pay that don’t work for foreigners, and
• often requires multiple attempts before a credit card is successfully charged.

Calling the mountain-list glitch a first, Russell posted a screenshot showing the portal displaying the “highest peaks” of Indian states right in the middle of his business visa application.

He also pointed out a design flaw that restricts applicants from listing more than 20 countries visited in the past decade, even though the form demands a complete list. His post amassed 1 million views in just 24 hours.

Indians Hit Back: ‘Now You Know Our Visa Struggles’

The viral post sparked an outpouring of reactions from Indian users, many countering that Americans often underestimate how difficult it is for Indians to secure visas for Western countries.

Several users cited their own experiences with US visa applications, highlighting long documentation demands such as:

• salary proof,
• income tax returns,
• bank statements,
• property papers, and
• lengthy DS-160 forms.

One user wrote, “This shouldn’t be fixed. Let others see how frustrating visa processes are for Indians. This isn’t even a fraction of what we face for US or UK visas.” Another commented, “Try applying for a US visa to understand real pain.”

Some even compared the e-visa portal favorably to American systems. “My experience with India’s e-visa was smoother than renewing my passport in the US,” a user noted, pointing to issues at USPS offices.

Others Agree With Criticism of Indian Government Websites

While many defended India’s system, others echoed Russell’s concerns. One user wrote, “I have never come across a quality Indian website.” Another added, “It takes a foreigner to highlight how bad government websites here really are.”

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