To get a visa for India, for tourism or a short visit for other purposes (business, medical treatment), visitors now have the ‘e-visa’ option. You apply and pay online, the visa is then sent to you by email, you print it out and then have it to hand when you arrive. Note: this visa is only valid for 30 days. For a longer visa, apply via VFS Global.
The Indian e-visa facility is available to nationals of the following countries:
Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong), China (Macau), Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Basics for applying for the Indian e-visa:
- Visit: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html and to apply click the orange box (top left).
- The e-visa is issued for people travelling to India for the purpose of tourism, a casual visit to meet friends or relatives, a short/casual business trip or short duration medical treatment.
- An e-visa application can be submitted between 4 days and 30 days in
advance of arrival in India. - A recent passport photograph is required and a copy of your passport’s photo page with the name, date of birth etc…all legible. The passport should have at least 6 months until it expires, and should have at least 2 blank pages.
Both the above will need to be scanned on to your computer as you’ll have to upload them with your application. - The e-visa fee varies depending on what country you’re from, but should be between $0 and $60 (USD).
- Once your e-visa comes through you will need to print it out and carry a copy of it when you travel.
- The visa is valid for 30 days from the date of arrival in India.
- With an e-visa you can only enter Indian though the following 16 airports:
Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru (Bangalore),
Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai,
Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum & Varanasi. You can exit from any airport. - Only 2 e-visa visits per year are permitted. The e-visa is not extendable
- People with a Pakistani or Bangladeshi passport, or people of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin, are not eligible for the e-visa.