Mailing a Parcel to India

[bszoom42 0]

The package of documents that I wanted to send to my fiancee came to a whopping 13 pounds! The box that contained it was quite large as well.

After visiting USPS, UPS, Fedex, and DHL; showing them the package, and getting quotes, I found that USPS Global Express Mail was the best value. They wanted approximately $75 for 3-6 day delivery (not including customs clearance) whereas the others wanted $200 - $275 for the same time frame.

I dropped off my package at 5:00 PM at my local post office on Thursday, August 2nd; and it arrived in Delhi Customs by Monday, August 6th at 10:00 AM.

Delhi Customs cleared my package on Friday, August 10th, 9:07 AM, and the package made it to my fiancee who lives in Haryana by Saturday, August 11 at 12:00 PM.

So, not including the customs clearance time (no carrier can guarantee customs clearance time, and they don't include it in their estimates) it took USPS 4 days to deliver my package.

I highly recommend USPS!

[ELW 5]

Good info. We used USPS for most of our stuff too, and all arrived fast and safely. However I was paranoid about a few original documents so used FedEx for them, as I heard it is safer than USPS, even though it was soooo expensive.

[cjindia 0]

Courier services are the best. I paid 30 for over 5 lbs of documents. They are all over NY and NJ.

What kind of evidence did you send? I am reapplying and want to be prepared.

[ELW 5]

Things I mailed to India for the interview:

Statement of Intent, copies of my birth certificate, passport, visa extensions (for when I stayed in India), plane ticket & boarding pass stubs, money exchange certificates while in India and hotel receipts, I-134 Affidavit of Support with letter from my employer plus 6 months pay stubs, letter from bank with 6 months bank statements, tax returns, explanation letter on why 2006 was the first year I ever filed taxes (was in India not earning any money before then), photos of us together in India, copies of emails to each other (including inbox table of contents printouts), copies & origionals of our old snail mails, copies of phone card and phone statements.

What my honey gave to the VFS Office:

1. DS-156 (2 copies with 2 photos)

2. DS-156K

3. DS-230 Biographic info (Part 1 AND Part 2)

4. Medical Report

5. Passport copies (both mine & his)

6. Birth Certificate (his)

7. Police Certificates

8. I-134 Affidavit of Support (plus tax returns 2006/letter from employer/paystubs for 6 months/letter from bank/bank statements for 6 months)

9. Evidence of Relationship (emails, photos, phone chats, yahoo chats, old letters)

10. Statement of Intent

Many prayers to both of you cjindia, for the successful granting of visa this time!

[second stage 14]

Things I mailed to India for the interview:

Thanks for the exhaustive list....

I will be flying to India to see my fiancee next week...Does it make sense to gather all docs and hand it off to her even though the docs would be dated in August and yet her interview might likely be sometime in Oct or even Nov? or is it better to wait until the interview time to send the docs?

[bszoom42 0]

I would give what you have now, and plan on sending updates later on, closer to the interview time.

Edited August 13, 2007 by bszoom42

[ELW 5]

I would give what you have now, and plan on sending updates later on, closer to the interview time.

Agreed.