India is often thought of as an exotic travel destination, but it is truly a place filled with a rich and diverse culture that is sure to bring back different and exciting memories. If you are an international traveller who has decided to visit India as a tourist, then you are very lucky because you don't have to put too much effort into making this long-awaited trip a reality. Government of India provides e-Visa or specially designed e-Visa for tourists and you can apply for e-Visa online instead of at Indian Embassy in your country like traditional paper visa. This Indian Tourist Visa is not only designed for tourists visiting the country for sightseeing or holiday purposes, but also aims to make life easier for those who wish to visit India to visit family, relatives or friends.

Overview

All foreign nationals entering India must have valid international travel documents in the form of a national passport with a valid visa issued by the Indian Mission or Overseas Mission.

  • All Individual Visa Applicants are required to apply for Indian Visa.
  • A properly signed, complete in all respects and successfully submitted physical copy of the application form, together with the required supporting documents must be submitted.
  • For instructions on filling out forms and booking appointments, please follow the given instructions.
  • You can find out the status of a visa application via the Visa application link. Applicants are also required to visit the website of the respective Indian Embassy for detailed Indian Visa information.

Online Visas for India

A visa is a type of official document or confirmation certificate in your passport that states that you have the right to enter, exit and reside in a certain country for a certain period of time or permanently. It can be a separate certificate with a stamp recorded in your passport. A visa is issued by the immigration authority of a foreign country after careful inspection and verification of all your credentials. Once you get a visa, you are allowed to enter a country and stay there for a certain period of time. However, authorization obtained through a visa is temporary and must be approved by the immigration officer at the point of entry.

A visa, also known as Visitor International Stay Admission, is a document that is given to you to enter a country. The meaning of VISA is charter visa which means the document that is seen.

Airports

Ahmedabad Amritsar Bengaluru Bhubaneswar Bagdogra Cochin
Chennai Coimbatore Calicut Chandigarh Delhi Goa
Gaya Guwahati Hyderabad Jaipur Kannur Kolkata
Lucknow Mangalore Mumbai Madurai Nagpur Pune
Port Blair Thiruvananthapuram Trichy Varanasi Visakhapatnam

Seaports

Alang Bedi Bunder Bhavnagar Calicut Chennai Cochin
Cuddalore Kakinada Kandla Kolkata Mandvi Mormagoa Harbour
Mumbai Seaport Nagapattinum Nhava Sheva Paradeep Porbandar Port Blair
Tuticorin Vishakapatnam New Mangalore Vizhinjam Kattupalli Vallarpadam
Mundra Krishnapatnam Dhubri Pandu Nagaon Karimganj
Agati and MinicoyIsland Lakshdwip UT

How many types of Indian Visas are there?

  • A single-entry visa remains valid for only one visit to a certain country. It allows only one-time entry into the country. After you leave the territory, you must apply for a new visa to return. This is sufficient for most trips and holidays, and if a country offers multiple versions of the visa, single-entry visas are usually cheaper and quicker to obtain.
  • A multiple entry visa allows a certain number of visits to a certain country within the validity period. It allows you to enter and exit your destination multiple times during its validity period without applying for a visa or travel registration. Note that each visit is usually limited to a certain number of days, which you cannot skip. In addition, some countries may still limit the number of entries. Always check the details before signing up.
  • Business visas are issued to applicants for short-term stay to conduct business negotiations abroad. Indian Business Visa is valid for 1 year and multiple entries are allowed. The period of continuous stay per visit must not exceed 180 days. However, on the basis of an explicit request for a shorter period of time, the applicant may be granted a visa with a short period of validity.
  • Tourist visas are primarily used to travel from one country to another. It is issued to foreigners who have no residence or work in India and whose sole purpose of visiting India is for leisure, sightseeing, occasional visits to meet friends and relatives or to participate in short-term yoga programs. No other activities/purposes are allowed for a tourist visa.
  • A work visa allows you to live and work in a certain country for a certain period of time. This type of visa is also known as a work permit visa. Indian work visas are usually valid for one year but can be valid for up to five years and can be extended. The visa can be extended by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) of the employee's country of residence in India.
  • Medical Electronic Visa - If you are visiting India as a patient for medical treatment at a hospital in India (valid for 60 days), you must apply for this e-Visa. The India e-Medical visa is also a triple entry visa, meaning you can enter the country three times within its validity period.

eVisa Eligible Countries

Albania Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia
Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia
Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada
Cape Verde Cayman Island Chile China Hong Kong Macau Colombia Comoros Cook Islands
Costa Rica Cote d'lvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica
Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Fiji Finland
France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala
Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland Indonesia Iran Ireland
Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea kenya Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar
Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova
Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Macedonia Montserrat Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru
Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Republic Niue Island Norway Oman Palau Palestine
Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania
Russia Rwanda St Christopher and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent & Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal
Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain
Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand
Tonga Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos Island Tuvalu United Arab Emirates Uganda Ukraine United kingdom Uruguay
United States Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Zambia Zimbabwe

Requirements for Indian Visa Application Form

  • All foreigners entering India are required to have passports or other internationally recognized travel documents and visas.
  • You must have a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival in India. Passport must contain at least 2 blank pages.
  • Visa applicants usually have to be located in the jurisdiction of the mission/post, otherwise the Indian mission/post in the applicant's country has to be indicated. Additional fees will be charged for placement of relevant missions/positions.
  • Free visas are given to diplomats and UN officials and officials who travel on business or visit India as guests at the invitation of the Government of India. Scholarship holders within the framework of the cultural exchange program also get a free visa.
  • Purpose of tourism must be business, medical or education
  • Nationals of Nepal or Bhutan arriving by land must have photo identification as proof of their citizenship. However, if entering by air directly from Nepal/Bhutan or from a country other than China, you must have a passport. No visa required. However, they do need a visa if entering from China.

Indian Visa Online Document Requirements

  • Scanned colour copy of the first page of the latest passport
  • Recent colour passport photo
  • Business card copy (for business visa)
  • Digital Photograph that should be in PDF, JPG or PNG format, and the size should not exceed 5 MB.
  • Copy of letter from the affected hospital in India on letterhead (in case of medical Visa)

Personal Information Requirements

  • Full name as it appears on the passport
  • Date and Place of Birth
  • Address/contact details
  • Passport details and nationality
  • Marital status
  • Job/profession
  • Educational qualifications

How to apply for Indian Visa?

The visa process may sound complicated, but don't worry, it's actually quite simple! Here it is broken down into 4 short steps:

  1. Apply online. You must submit an application with an ID photo and a passport page.
  2. Pay the visa fees. Credit or debit cards (or Paypal) are accepted for online payments.
  3. Obtaining an electronic visa. The visa will be sent to you via email.
  4. Visit India. You must print out the India e-Visa and take it with you for the trip.

How long is Indian e-Visa valid?

Depending on the type of e-visa, the number of entries, validity and length of stay may vary. An e-Tourist visa can be issued for double or multiple entries and is valid for thirty days, one year or five years depending on the type. Electronic medical visa holders are entitled to three entries for a total of 60 days. E-business visas are usually issued as multiple entry visas and are valid for 1 year after issue.