Also, in the forms at the Indian consulate here it was clearly indicated that references in the home country and India are not required for tourists visas. So the only problem this far has been the letter required from the Finnish embassy. First on the phone the person at the Indian consulate said it should state something like Finland has no objections on me traveling to India. Some countries issue such no-objection certificates but Finland doesn’t, explaining that it belongs to the scope of civil laws in Finland and the embassy cannot give such letters. However, on my visit to the consulate I got quite clear indication that a letter proving me as the holder of my passport should be satisfactory. I’ll see.

I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll apply for a single or a multiple-entry visa. Probably I only need one entry, but I might try to get the multiple entry just in case. It apparently doesn’t cost extra and might come in handy if I want to take a peek in Sri Lanka or another neighboring country and return to India.