I am travelling to India in December, and need to get a visa. Living in Cornwall, it’s time-consuming and expensive to get the visa in person from a High Commission in London or Birmingham – can I just get the visa by post? Shirley Deanston, Penzance

A Sunday Times travel expert responds: The Indian High Commission outsourced its visa service in the summer after years of complaints about having to queue for hours.

They have appointed a reputable company called VF Services, which has offices in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh - fill in the form online, submit and you'll be given a date to attend - make sure you take a print out of the application and reference number.

It normally takes two to three days before you can return to collect your passport in the afternoon - don't forget your receipt. It costs £30 plus £8.86 handling charge from VFS.

However, you can apply by post still. Go online, fill out, print and send in - but it will take at least 10 working days and cost you an extra £7.40 for registered post return. You can now pay online.

The new system appears to be working well, according to Neil Sealy, sales manager at Transindus. "Last winter, people were comoplaining they had to get to the High Commission early stand in a long queue. Some days they queued then were told they had to come back.

"There were a few teething problems with the new system in the summer but it's working fine now."

if you want to apply by post, you can also go through a visa agency. With 30 years of experience, obtaining visas for more than 180 countries, Travcour (020 7223 5295, www.travcour.com) has a client-base that includes adventure travel operators such as Exodus and Explore.

Charging a £30 service fee - plus £7 postage, £10 service fee for VFS and £30 the High Commission charges for a six-month tourist visa - the total bill will be £77.

Another company providing this service is the Visa Service (08708 900 185, www.visaservice.co.uk). Alternatively, if you are travelling with a tour operator, ask if they have a visa service too.

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