India offers numerous visa categories, but the tourist visa is the most common. Here, you will find all the information and steps to get your tourist visa for India.
First, the main website to apply for your Indian tourist visa is: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
The link above is the official Indian Government website, where you can see all recent updates. On the site, you will also find three options for getting your India Tourist Visa:
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Tourist eVisa from the Bureau of Immigration
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Regular/Paper visa from an Indian mission/post
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Visa on arrival for citizens of Japan and South Korea
Tourist E-Visa by the Bureau of Immigration of India
This is the most common and easiest way to get a tourist visa to India. So what is an eVisa? An E-visa allows international travellers to visit India for recreation, sightseeing, visiting friends or relatives, or attending a short-term yoga program. You can also use it for medical treatment, business purposes, or attending a conference that a Government of India department has organized. However, you cannot use an E-visa for any other purpose or activity.
You can apply for your E-visa by following this official link from the Indian Bureau of Immigration. There, you will also find a list of countries eligible to apply for the E-Visa for India. If your country is not on the list, please check out this section below. Also, please note that you cannot extend or convert the E-visa, nor can you use it to visit Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas of India.
There are five types of E-visa categories available:
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E-Tourist visa
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E-Business visa
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E-Conference visa
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E-Medical visa
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E-Medical attendant visa
For the purpose of this blog, the main focus will be the E-Tourist visa.
Some important points to note about the E-tourist visa include:
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Validity: The government grants an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), making the visa valid for one year. The ETA is your proof of approval; consequently, you will receive the actual visa once in-country.
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Entry: The visa permits multiple entries.
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Stay: For most countries, a continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 90 days. In contrast, citizens from the USA, UK, Canada, and Japan can stay continuously for up to 180 days during each visit.
Conditions and Requirements for e-Visa for Tourists in India
You must check the following conditions before applying for an E-Tourist Visa:
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Your passport should have at least six months of validity from your date of arrival in India.
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The passport must have two blank pages for the immigration officer to stamp.
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Travelers should have a return or onward journey ticket.
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You should apply a minimum of 4 days in advance of your arrival in India.
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Make sure you are ready with a scanned copy of your passport to upload. The photo and details in the passport should be clear.
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This link gives you an exact idea of the application form, which can make the process easier.
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Finally, please note that you cannot extend a regular tourist visa
How to Apply for an e-Visa for Tourists in India
Once you have all your documents ready, it’s time to start filling out the application form.
Step 1 – Apply Online for Your Tourist Visa for India
Follow the link below to start filing your application: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/Registration
Have a scanned copy of your passport-size photograph and your passport ready for submission. Specifically, you must format your photograph and passport in the following ways:
Photograph:
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Format: JPEG
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Size: 10KB – 1MB
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Height and width of the photo should be equal.
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Your photo must show your full face, front view, with eyes open and without glasses.
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Center your head within the frame and present your full head from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin.
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Use a plain light-colored or white background.
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Ensure there are no shadows on your face or in the background.
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Make sure the photo is without borders.
Passport:
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Format: PDF
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Size: 10KB – 300KB
Make sure all your details are accurate. You can find more detailed information on India Visa Photo Requirements here.
Step 2 – Pay India Tourist Visa Fee Online
The E-visa fee varies by country/territory. Therefore, to find out the charges for your country, please click on this link. Banks will charge an additional 2.5% on your visa fee.
You must pay the fee at least 4 days before your expected travel date; otherwise, the system will not process your application. Once you submit it, the e-Visa fee is non-refundable. This fee covers application processing and is not dependent on whether your Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is granted or rejected.
Due to technical reasons or network delays, it will take a minimum of two hours for your payment status to update. As a result, please wait for 2 hours for the payment status to update after your final submission before re-applying. In cases where the system deducts the e-Visa fee but has not updated the status, you can verify your payment status by clicking on the ‘Verify Payment/Pay Visa Fee’ tab on the home page or by clicking this link.
Step 3 – Receive ETA Online
The authorities will send your ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) to your e-mail. After that, you should carry a copy of your ETA when traveling to India. Before you start your journey, it is important to confirm that your ETA status shows as ‘GRANTED’ on this website. To track the status of your application online, you can click VisaStatus.
Step 4 – Fly to India
When you are set and ready to book tickets, make sure you enter through an authorized immigration checkpoint. For instance, if you hold an eVisa, you can enter India only through the 28 designated international airports:
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Delhi
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Mumbai
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Chennai
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Kolkata
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Thiruvananthapuram
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Bengaluru
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Hyderabad
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Cochin
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Goa
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Ahmedabad
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Amritsar
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Gaya
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Jaipur
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Lucknow
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Trichy
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Calicut
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Mangalore
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Nagpur
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Coimbatore
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Bagdogra
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Guwahati
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Chandigarh
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Visakhapatnam
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Madurai
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Bhubaneswar
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Port Blair
Also, make sure you have your onward or return ticket ready to present at the immigration office. Once you submit all these documents (passport, ETA, onward/return ticket), an officer will stamp the E-visa on your passport.
Regular/Paper Visa from Indian Mission or Post
Citizens of countries not eligible for the eVisa or those who want a tourist visa with more than one year of validity should use this option. For these individuals, it’s a three-step process that is a bit more time-consuming. This method allows you to get a tourist visa with a maximum validity of one year. However, it requires that you apply a minimum of 14 days before you plan to visit the country.
Step 1 – Fill Out the Online Application
Access the Visa Application system online through this link: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html
While filling the fields, please be careful to give the right information, as there is no redo after you submit. Next, you should select the Indian Mission where you can apply for the visa. Once you enter and submit this data, the system generates an application ID. Importantly, you should note this ID for further communication.
The system will then automatically ask you for the following confirmation:
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Select ‘Yes’ if you want to seek an appointment and make a payment online.
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Select ‘No’ if you just want to print the submitted application form and approach the concerned Indian Mission for submission.
The price for the visa varies depending on the type, country, and validity of the visa.
Step 2 – Submit the Application at an Indian Visa Application Center or Embassy
If you have fixed an appointment, visit at the exact time to verify and submit the application form along with the supporting documents. In addition, each applicant should create a separate appointment with the Indian visa processing center or Mission.
Step 3 – Collect Your Passport and Visa
You can either collect it directly from the Indian visa application center or Indian mission. Alternatively, they can send it by post to your residential address.
Visa on Arrival India
Only citizens of Japan and South Korea are eligible for a visa on arrival. However, authorities will not extend or convert a visa on arrival. Japanese and South Korean nationals will need to fill out an application form (Annexure I). We advise you to download it, print it, fill it out, and then present it to the ‘Visa Officer’ at the visa counter on arrival.
Requirements
You must not stay for more than 60 days, and your trip’s sole purpose must be for business, tourism, a conference, or medical reasons. Additionally, you must produce a return or onward ticket. The passport should have a minimum validity of one month.
Only six airports issue a visa on arrival:
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Delhi
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Mumbai
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Kolkata
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Chennai
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Bengaluru
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Hyderabad
Visa for Sri Lanka
If you are looking to get your visa for Sri Lanka, please check out our other blog here.
Question about your Visa for India
If you have any questions or doubts about your visa for India, feel free to comment under this post and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
