If you’re Romanian, living in Germany for more than 1 year, and plan to travel to India for tourism, the following information regarding visa might be helpful. I hope to make it as simple and as detailed and concrete as possible.

Here we go:

1. You’re living in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz or Saarland, then apply for the visa in Frankfurt am Main or in Köln. For other regions find information on the website of the Indo German Consultancy Service http://www.igcsvisa.de/. Since I applied in Frankfurt, most of the folowing information applies to the office in Frankfurt only.
2. If everything goes well, the visa process takes around 3-4 weeks. If problems occur more time will be needed. Therefore send your visa application at the latest 2 month before the start of your journey.
3. Read the information regarding the application on one of the websites of the Indian Consulate or the Indo German Consultancy Service. Be careful, ’cause there are several websites which contain different information. You either make sure you find them all, or you trust me and read this one: http://www.igcsvisa.de/IGCSVISAFH/deu_igcs_visa.htm
4. In addition to the information on this website, you might need to know, that even if you’re an EU citizen, you should follow the instructions strictly for Romanian citizens, which are explained under “Ausländische Angehörige” nr. 12. The only difference to the EU citizens is that you will pay 10€ more than EU citizens for the visa fee (75,50€ instead 65,50€).
5. Online registration form: Fill in the online registration form on http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/.  Some instructions in German (which I didn’t find soon enough for my applocation) are hided under: http://www.igcsvisa.de/IGCSVISAFH/applicationforms/hilfe.pdf (if direct link doesn’t work, try to copy it in your browser)
6. The trick with the Temporary application ID doesn’t work all the time, so once you started filling in, you better do it ’till the end. Still, keep the ID for later, you might not be able to access the online registration form, but the pdf application form which results from the registration form.
7. Visa application form: After you’re done filling in the registration form, you will have to print a pdf form which is the application form you will need to print out, sign and send per post with all the other documents for the visa application. An example of such a form is available here: http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/pdf/DEUF04169311FI850101.pdf
8. The “Auftragserteilung“ is a quite easy form, just check “Visum für Indien”, fill in your name, passport number, contact details, date and place, print out, sign and keep it to the end:  http://www.igcsvisa.de/IGCSVISAFH/applicationforms/auftragserteilung_schalter.pdf
9. Photo: Tell your photographer what you need the photo for and give her the following details: colored, biometric, format 5 x5 cm, light background.  On some websites you will find that you should send 2 photos, I did so (thought: better more than not enough) and they sent me one back.
10. Passport: If you need a new passport, you should apply for one 4-5 months before the start of your trip. I suggest you should do that in Bonn (also because of the last sentence of this point), they are so nice and really efficient: old passport, your ID, 100€, a photo taken in their own “studio”, your fingerprints and some signatures and in 30 min you’re done… with the application, the passport comes per post in about 4 weeks. After that, you must take a walk on the beautiful Rhein waterside, which is directly next to the Romanian consulate.
11. back to the visa…
12. The “Meldebescheinigung, durch die nachgewiesen wird, dass seit mehr als 12 Monaten (Tourist Visa) andere Visaarten 24 Monate ein Wohnsitz in Deutschland besteht” is NOT the regular Anmeldebescheinigung from the Einwohnermeldeamt, but a special paper, which states the above metioned and is signed by the service staff in the registration office of the city. Remind the service staff to mention in the paper the duration of your stay in Germany (it should be at least 1 year).
13. Since I got the paper about my current place of residence I did not need that “Zusatzformular”… so can’t say much about it.
14. and unless you don’t have an additional russian citizenship, ignore the last bullet point.

Congratulations! You are done with the visa application!

14. Now transfer the visa fee of 75,50€ to:

Deutsche Bank AG Köln
Kto: 1093327
BLZ: 370 700 60
Verwendungszweck: Tourist visa Name
Noch Verwendungszweck: Visa application form file number (in the example under nr.6: DEUF04169311)

15. Print out the confirmation of the money tranfer.

16. Put everything (Application form, Auftragserteilung, photo, passport, evidence of your place of residence in Germany, confirmation of the money tranfer) in a large (A4) envelop, add an empty spamped envelop (A5) with your address on it (for them to send you the passport back) and send them to:

Indo German Consultancy Services Ltd
Friederich Ebert Anlage 3
60327 Frankfurt am Main

GOOD LUCK!

If you’re lucky, and you are, your passport will return soon with a bindi on its cover

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