Government of India has launched electronic travel authorisation or e-Visa for India which allows citizens of 171 countries to travel to India without requiring a physical stamping on the passport. This new type of authorisation is eVisa India (or electronic India Visa).
It is an electronic India Visa that allows foreign visitors to visit India for 5 major purposes, tourism / recreation / short term courses, business, medical visit or conferences. There are further number of sub-categories under each visa type.
All foreign travellers are required to hold an India eVisa or a regular visa prior to entry into the country as per Indian Government Immigration Authorities.
Note that travellers to India are not required to visit Indian Embassy or Indian High Commission. They can apply online and simply carry the printed or electronic copy of the eVisa India (electronic India Visa) on their mobile device. Immigration Officer will check that the eVisa India is valid in the system for the concerned passport.
eVisa India is the preferred, secure and trusted method of entry to India. Paper or conventional India Visa is not as trusted method by the Government of India, as a benefit to the travellers, they do not need to visit local Indian Embassy/Consulate or High Commission to secure India Visa.
No, eVisa is only issued to those who are outside the border of India. You may wish to go to Nepal or Sri Lanka for few days to apply for eVisa because eVisa is only issued if you are not inside the territory of India.
To apply for an eVisa India, applicants are required to have a passport valid for at least 6 months (starting at the date of entry), an email, and have a valid credit/debit card.
Indian e-Visa can be availed for maximum of 3 times in a calendar year i.e. between January to December.
Indian e-Visa is non-extendable, non-convertible & not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas.
Applicants of the eligible countries/territories must apply online minimum 7 days in advance of the date of arrival.
International Travellers are not required to have proof of flight ticket or hotel booking for Indian Visa.
You can apply for an eVisa India by clicking on eVisa Application on this website.
Applicants of the eligible countries/territories must apply online minimum 7 days in advance of the date of arrival.
Citizens of the countries listed below are eligible for the Online Visa India.
Note: If your country is not on this list, this does not mean you will not be able to travel to India. You will need to apply for a traditional Indian Visa at the nearest Embassy or Consulate.
The e-Tourist 30 day Visa is a double entry visa where as e-Tourist for 1 year and 5 years are multiple entry visas. Similarly e-Business Visa is a multiple entry visa.
However e-Medical Visa is triple entry visa. All eVisas are non-convertible and a non-extendable.
In case the information provided during the eVisa India application process is incorrect, applicants will be required to reapply and submit a new application for an online visa for India. The old eVisa India application will be cancelled automatically.
Applicants will receive their approved eVisa India via email. This is the official confirmation of the approved eVisa India.
Applicants are required to print at least 1 copy of their eVisa India and carry it with them at all times during their entire stay in India.
Upon arrival at one of the authorised airports or designated seaports (see full list below), applicants will be required to show their printed eVisa India .
Once an immigration officer has verified all of the documents, applicants will have their fingerprints and photo (also known as biometric information) taken, and an immigration officer will place a sticker in the passport, also known as, Visa on Arrival.
Note that the Visa on Arrival is only available for those who have previously applied and obtained an eVisa India. Foreign nationals will not be eligible to submit an eVisa India application after arriving in India.
Yes. All those holding an approved eVisa India may only ENTER India through any of the following authorised Airports and authorised seaports in India:
Or these designated seaports:
All those entering India with an eVisa India are required to arrive at 1 of the ports mentioned above. Applicants attempting to enter India with an eVisa India through any other port of entry will be denied entry into the country.
You are allowed to enter India on electronic India Visa (eVisa India) by only 2 means of transport, Air and Sea. However, you can leave/exit India on an electronic India Visa (eVisa India) by4 means of transport, Air (Plane), Sea, Rail and Bus. The following designated Immigration Check Points (ICPs) are allowed for exit from India. (34 Airports, Land Immigration Check Points,31 Seaports, 6 Rail Check Points).
Applying for an online eVisa (e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical, e-MedicalAttendand) for India has many advantages. Applicants may complete their application from the comfort of their own home, without having to go to the Indian Embassy and having to wait in line. Applicants can have their approved online visa for India in hand within 24 hours of making their application.
The application and consequently the process of obtaining an eVisa India is both faster and simpler than a traditional Indian Visa. When applying for a traditional Indian Visa, applicants are required to submit their original passport along with their visa application, financial and residence statements, for the visa to be approved. The standard visa application process is much harder and much more complicated, and also has a higher rate of visa denials. The eVisa India is issued electronically and applicants are only required to have a valid passport, email, and credit card.
Visa on Arrival is part of the eVisa India program. All those who arrive in India with an eVisa India will receive a Visa on Arrival in the form of a sticker, that will be placed in the passport, at the airport passport control. To receive the Visa on Arrival, eVisa India holders are required to present a copy of their eVisa (e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical, e-MedicalAttendand or e-Conference) India confirmation together with their passport.
Important note: Foreign citizens will not be able to apply for a Visa on Arrival at the airport of arrival without previously having applied and received a valid eVisa India.
Yes, from April 2017 the e-Tourist visa for India is valid for cruise ships docking at the following designated seaports: Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai, Port Blair.
If you are taking a cruise which docks in another seaport, you must have a traditional visa stamped inside the passport.
You can make payment in any of the 132 currencies and payment methods using a Debit card or Credit card. Note that the receipt is sent to the email id provided at the time of making payment. Payment is charged in USD and converted into local currency for your electronic India Visa application (eVisa India).
If you are not able to make payment for Indian eVisa (electronic Visa India) then the most likely reason is the issue is, that this international transaction is being blocked by your bank/credit/debit card company. Kindly call the phone number at the back of your card, and try to make another attempt at making payment, this resolves the issue in vast majority of cases.
While visitors are not explicitly required to get vaccinated before traveling to India, it is highly recommended that they do.
Following are the most common and widely spread diseases for which it is recommended to get vaccinated:
Only citizens from the following Yellow Fever affected countries listed below are required to carry a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card on them when entering India:
Africa
South America
Important Note: Travellers who have been to above countries mentioned above will be required to present a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card upon arrival. Those who fail to do so, will be quarantined for 6 days, after arrival.
All travelers including children must have the valid visa to travel to India.
The Government of India supplies Indian eVisa for travelers whose sole objectives such as tourism, short duration medical treatment or a casual business trip.
No, you are not permitted to apply in that case.
The 30 day e-Tourist Visa is valid for 30 days from the date of entry. You can also get a 1 year e-Tourist Visa and 5 years e-Tourist Visa. e-Business Visa is valid for 365 days.
Yes, you can. However, Indian eVisa can only be used by passengers coming into through 6 designated seaports such as Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai and Port Blair.