The Indian Government launched an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA or online eVisa) in 2014. It allows citizens from around 180 countries to travel to India without requiring a physical stamping on the passport. This new type of authorisation is e-Visa India (or Online India Visa).
It is an electronic India Visa that allows travelers or foreign visitors to visit India for purposes of tourism like recreation or yoga / short term courses, business or medical visit.
All foreign nationals are required to hold an e-Visa for India or a regular visa prior to entry into India as per Indian Government Immigration Authorities.
It is not required to meet with the Indian embassy or consulate at any time. You can simply apply online and carry the printed or electronic copy of the e-Visa India (electronic India Visa) on their phone. India e-Visa is issued against a specific passport and this what Immigration Officer will check.
India e-Visa is official document permitting entry into and travel within India.
No, it is not possible to issue you an electronic visa for India (eVisa India) if you already inside India. You must explore other options from Indian Immigration Department.
To apply for an e-Visa India, passport needs to have at least 6 months' validity from the date of arrival to India, an email, and have a valid credit/debit card. Your passport needs to have at least 2 blank pages required for stamping by the Immigration Officer.
Tourist e-Visa can be availed for maximum of 3 times in a calendar year i.e. between January to December.
Business e-Visa allows max stay of 180 days - multiple entries (valid for 1 year).
Medical e-Visa allows max stay of 60 days - 3 entries (valid for 1 year).
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 hotel booking or flight ticket. However proof of sufficient money to support your stay in India is helpful.
It is advisable to apply 7 days in advance of the date of arrival especially during the peak season (October - March). Remember to account for the standard Immigration process time which is 4 business days in duration.
Please keep in mind that Indian Immigration requires you to have applied within 120 days of arrival.
Note: If your country is not on this list, you will need to apply for a regular Indian Visa at the nearest Indian Embassy or Consulate.
Citizens of the countries listed below are eligible to apply for Indian Visa Online
Yes, British citizens require a visa to travel to India and are eligible for e-Visa. Indian eVisa has been extended to British citizens holding passport of Crown Dependency (CD) and British Overseas Territories (BOT).
Yes, US citizens require a visa to travel to India and are eligible for e-Visa.
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 non-extendable.
Applicants will receive their approved e-Visa India via email. The e-Visa is an official document required to enter and travel inside India.
Applicants should print at least 1 copy of their e-Visa India and carry it with them at all times during their entire stay in India.
You are not required to have proof of hotel booking or flight ticket. However proof of sufficient money to support your stay in India is helpful.
Upon arrival at 1 of the authorised airports or designated seaports, applicants will be required to show their printed e-Visa India .
Once an immigration officer has verified e-Visa, the officer will place a sticker in the passport, also known as, Visa on Arrival. Your passport needs to have at least 2 blank pages required for stamping by the Immigration Officer.
Note that the Visa on Arrival is only available for those who have previously applied and obtained an eVisa India.
Yes. However the cruise ship must dock at an e-Visa approved port. Authorised seaports are: Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai and Port Blair.
If you are taking a cruise which docks in another seaport, you must have regular visa stamped inside the passport.
e-Visa India allows entry into India through any of the following Airports and seaports in India:
List of the authorised landing Airports and seaports in India is as follows:
Or these authorised seaports:
All those entering India with an e-Visa are required to arrive at 1 of the airports or seaports mentioned above. If you try to enter India with an e-Visa India through any other airport or seaport, you will be denied entry into the country.
| Ahmedabad | Amritsar |
| Bagdogra | Bengaluru |
| Bhubaneshwar | Calicut |
| Chennai | Chandigarh |
| Cochin | Coimbatore |
| Delhi | Gaya |
| Goa | Guwahati |
| Hyderabad | Jaipur |
| Kannur | Kolkata |
| Lucknow | Madurai |
| Mangalore | Mumbai |
| Nagpur | Port Blair |
| Pune | Srinagar |
| Surat | Tiruchirapalli |
| Tirupati | Trivandrum |
| Varanasi | Vijayawada |
| Vishakhapatnam |
| 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 |
| Agati and Minicoy Island Lakshdwip UT | Vallarpadam |
| Mundra | Krishnapatnam |
| Dhubri | Pandu |
| Nagaon | Karimganj |
| Kattupalli |
| Attari Road | Akhaura |
| Banbasa | Changrabandha |
| Dalu | Dawki |
| Dhalaighat | Gauriphanta |
| Ghojadanga | Haridaspur |
| Hili | Jaigaon |
| Jogbani | Kailashahar |
| Karimgang | Khowal |
| Lalgolaghat | Mahadipur |
| Mankachar | Moreh |
| Muhurighat | Radhikapur |
| Ragna | Ranigunj |
| Raxaul | Rupaidiha |
| Sabroom | Sonouli |
| Srimantapur | Sutarkandi |
| Phulbari | Kawarpuchia |
| Zorinpuri | Zokhawthar |
READ MORE:
Cruise Ship passengers can travel to India using an e-Visa. We cover all the details here in this Guide for Cruise Ship visitors.
Applying for an online e-Visa (e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical, e-MedicalAttendand) for India has many advantages. You can complete the application entirely online from the comfort of your home and do not need to visit Indian Embassy or consulate. Most e-Visa applications are approved within 24-72 hours and are sent over email. You are required to have a valid passport, email and credit / debit card.
However when you apply for regular Indian Visa, you are required to submit the original passport along with your 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.
So e-Visa India is both faster and simpler than a regular Indian Visa
Under the Visa-on-Arrival category, the Indian Immigration has introduced the scheme - Tourist Visa on Arrival or TVOA, which is applicable to foreign nationals hailing from only 11 countries. These countries namely comprise of the following.
Major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) are accepted. You can make payment in any of the 130 currencies using a Debit or Credit card. All transactions are done using a Secured payment gateway.
If you find that your payment for India e-Visa is not getting approved, then the most likely reason is the issue 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 most of the cases. Learn more at Why was my payment declined? Troubleshooting tips.
Mail us at [email protected] if the issue is still unresolved and 1 of our customer support staff will get in touch with you.
Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need.
Most travelers are recommended to vaccinated for:
Visitors that are from a Yellow Fever impacted nation must carry a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card when traveling to India:
Africa
South America
Important Note: If you have been to above countries mentioned above, you will be required to present a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card upon arrival. Failure to comply may result in quarantine for 6 days upon arrival to India.
Yes, all travelers including children/minor must have the valid -visa to travel to India. Ensure that your child’s passport is valid at-least for next 6 months from the date of arrival in 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.
India e-Visa is unavailable to Laissez-passer travel document holders or Diplomatic/Official Passport Holders. You must apply for a regular Visa at Indian embassy or consulate.
In case the information provided during the e-Visa 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.