Indian Visa Details

The Indian government has  made changes to the types of Indian visas that it offers.
This guide to Indian visa types will help you find out what Indian visas are available,and for whom.

1.  Tourist Visa

Tourist visas are issued to people who want to come to India to visit friends. Although tourist visas can be granted for more than six months, depending on the applicant's nationality, it's not possible to remain in India for longer than six months at a time on a tourist visa.

In 2009, India introduced new rules to curb the misuse of tourist visas in India (people who were living in India on a Tourist visas, and doing quick runs to a neighboring country and back every six months). Specifically, a two month gap was required between visits to India. This requirement was finally removed in late November 2012. However, some exceptions do still remain. Also note, that if you apply for another tourist visa within a month of expiration of your old one, processing may take up to 45 days as approval needs to be obtained from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

2.  X (Entry) Visa

An X visa used to be issued to people who didn't clearly fall into any of the other categories of visa applicants (such as volunteers). However, as of mid 2010, an X visa is only available to the following people:

A foreigner of Indian origin.Family of a foreigner of Indian origin or Indian citizen.
 Spouse and dependent children of a foreigner coming to India on any other long term visa, such as an Employment visa or Business visa.


3.  Employment Visa

Employment visas are issued to foreigners who are working in India, for an organization registered in India. Foreigners doing volunteer/intern work in India are now granted employment visas (as opposed to X visas, which was previously the case). Employment visas are usually granted for one year, or the term of the contract. They can be extended in India.In order to apply for an Employment visa, you'll need proof of employment with a company/organization in India, such as a contract that states the terms and conditions. There's a new rule that applicants must be earning $25,000 a year or more. Exceptions are made for volunteers, ethnic cooks, translators, non-English language teachers, and members of Foreign High Commissions and Embassies.

4.  Student Visa

Student visas are granted to people who wish to come to India and study at an officially recognized educational institution. This includes the study of yoga, Vedic culture, and Indian system of dance and music. The main document required is student admission/registration papers from the institution. Student visas are issued for up to five years, depending on the duration of the course. They can also be extended in India.
In regards to yoga, the term "Yoga visa" is often mentioned.

5.  Business Visa
Business visas are available for people who wish to explore business opportunities or conduct business in India. This type of visa differs from an Employment visa in that the applicant won't be working for, and earning an income from, an organization in India. Business visa applicants will require a letter from the organization that they intend to do business with, stating the nature of the business, duration of stay, places to be visited, and intention to meet expenses.Business visas are valid for six months or more, with multiple entries. However, holders usually aren't allowed to remain in India for more than six months at a time (depending on the nature of the business). Ten year business visas can be granted to foreigners who set up joint ventures in India.

6.  Conference Visa
Conference visas are issued to delegates who want to attend a conference in India that's offered by an Indian government organization. Those who are attending a conference with a private organization in India should apply for a Business visa.

7.  Journalist Visa

If you're a professional journalist or photographer, and you'll be making a film or documentary in India, you should apply for a Journalist visa. The main benefit of a Journalist visa is if you want access to a particular region or person. A Journalist visa is issued for three months. However, these visas can be notoriously difficult to get, so only apply if you really need to.If you're employed by a media company, or if you list your occupation as journalist or photographer on your visa application, it's likely you'll be made to get a Journalist visa regardless of what you intend to do in India. India is very sensitive to people involved in the media (including editors and writers) coming to India, due to how they may portray the country.

8.  Research Visa

Research visas are issued to professors and scholars who wish to visit India for research related purposes. This is another difficult category of visa to get. It's restrictive and comes with a lot of requirements. Applications are sent to the Department of Education. Ministry of Human Resource Development for approval, which may take three months to be granted. Many people choose to apply for a Tourist visa instead, if they're conducting research informally and not going to be in India for more than six months.

9.  Medical Visa
Medical visas are provided to those seeing medical treatment in India at recognized and specialized hospitals, and treatment centers. The treatment should be significant in nature, such as neurosurgery, heart surgery, organ transplant, joint replacement, gene therapy, and plastic surgery. Up to two Medical Attendant visas will be issued for people to accompany the patient.

10.  Transit Visa

Visitors staying in India for less than 72 hours can obtain a Transit visa. Otherwise a Tourist visa is required. A confirmed airline booking for the onward journey must be shown when applying for the visa.

All visitors need a visa for India, except citizens of neighboring Nepal and Bhutan. India has a limited Tourist Visa on Arrival facility for passport holders of 43 countries. Otherwise, your Indian visa must be obtained before arriving in India. Here's what you need to know to prepare your India visa application.
What Type of Visa is Required for India Visitors staying in India for less than 72 hours can obtain a Transit Visa, otherwise an Indian Tourist Visa is necessary.

Tourist visas are generally issued for six months, depending on what nationality you are.
However, no matter what the duration of your Tourist visa is, you're not allowed to remain in India for more than 6 months (180 days) at a time.
Also note that although a two month gap previously applied between visits to India on Tourist visas, this has now been removed.Other types of visas that are available for visitors to India include Business Visas, Employment Visas, Research Visas, and Student Visas.


Indian Tourist Visa Cost

The cost of an Indian Tourist Visa varies between countries according to the arrangement between governments. For a six month Tourist Visa you can expect to pay $76 in the United States, 92 pounds in the United Kingdom  and $95 in Australia.(Subject To Change)

How and Where to Apply for an Indian Visa:- The Indian visa application process is outsourced to private processing agencies in most countries. The Indian government is currently in the process of replacing all foreign companies, including Travisa and VFS Global (which handles India visa processing in many other countries), with Indian companies. This has already happened in countries including the US, Canada, South Africa and China.


In the United States, Indian visa applications are managed by Cox and Kings Global Services.

When applying for an Indian Visa, you'll need to complete an on-line application form.

See Below Information:

Along with your application and fee, for an Indian Tourist Visa you'll need to submit your passport that's valid for a least six months and has at least two blank pages, a recent passport sized photo, and details of your itinerary. In some countries, copies of flight tickets and proof of residential address may also be required. Your visa application form may have the space for Indian referees, but this section usually isn't required to be completed for tourist visas.

Permits for Protected/Restricted Areas in India Even if you have a valid visa, there are some remote areas in India that require foreigners to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to visit them.

These areas are usually near borders, or have other security concerns associated with them.

Such areas include Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and some parts of northern Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, In many cases, individual tourists are not allowed, only tour/trekking groups.

You should apply for your PAP at the same time as you apply for your visa.

In the United States, Indian visa applications are handled by Cox and Kings Global Services. This company replaced BLS International effective from May 21, 2014.

When applying for an Indian Visa, you'll need to complete an on-line application form.

Along with your application and fee, for an Indian Tourist Visa you'll need to submit your passport that's valid for a least six months and has at least two blank pages, a recent passport sized photo, and details of your itinerary. In some countries, copies of flight tickets and proof of residential address may also be required. Your visa application form may have the space for Indian referees, but this section usually isn't required to be completed for tourist visas.Permits for Protected/Restricted Areas in India Even if you have a valid visa, there are some remote areas in India that require foreigners to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to visit them.

These areas are usually near borders, or have other security concerns associated with them.

Such areas include Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and some parts of northern Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, In many cases, individual tourists are not allowed, only tour/trekking groups.

You should apply for your PAP at the same time as you apply for your visa.
Who is Eligible for the New Visa on Arrival?

The first phase of the Indian visa on arrival makes citizens from 43 countries eligible, including 12 countries that already had visa-on-arrival allowances in place:

Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nauru, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tongo, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam, and Vanuatu.

Note: Anyone with Pakistani origins, despite holding a passport from one of the above countries, will still need to apply for a tourist visa via the old Indian visa application form.

If your country isn’t on the list yet, additional countries will be included in future phases!
How Does It Work?

Before leaving home, you’ll apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorization via the new system.

 After applying and paying the non-refundable fee, you’ll be emailed your authorization code within four days. From the approval date, you’ll have 30 days to present your printed ETA in one of the visa-on-arrival airports in India to be stamped into the country. Think of the ETA as a pre-approval process to speed things through at the immigration counters. A handful of other countries, including Sri Lanka and Australia, use

ETA systems.

Note: After arriving in India, visitors with ETAs won’t have to get in the lengthy queues at the visa-on-arrival counters in airports. You can proceed directly to the immigration counters to be fingerprinted and stamped into India.

What You’ll Need to Get the ETA Before Flying to India

Don’t even think about turning up in India without an approved ETA! To apply for your ETA online, you’ll need the following:

    The ability to open PDF documents
    A planned arrival date for India (read about visiting India during the monsoon season)
    A credit card or debit card to pay the US $60 fee
    A scanned PDF image of the first page in your passport (max size: 300 KB)
    A full-face JPEG photo of yourself, facing forward, from the top of hair to bottom of chin, no borders, with white background (max size: 1 MB)

What You’ll Need for the Visa on Arrival Once You Arrive

After arriving in one of the nine airports with visa-on-arrival facilities, you will proceed directly to the immigration counters for what will hopefully be rapid processing. Please Be sure that you have the following:

    A passport still valid for at least six months
    A printed copy of your approved ETA
    Proof of a return flight out of India
    Proof of funds (this is loosely enforced; having a bank statement or credit card may do the trick)

Details of the ETA and Indian Visa on Arrival

    When to Apply: no less than four days and no more than 30 days before your arrival date
    ETA application Fee: US $60 (payable via credit or debit card)
    Processing Time: 3 – 4 working days
    Validity: The ETA is valid for 30 days after approval date
    Visa-on-Arrival Duration: 30 days (single entry/non-extendable) on the ground in India
    Number of ETAs Allowed/Year: 2

Which Airports Support Visa on Arrival?

You can trade your ETA for a visa-on-arrival stamp at any of these nine airports:

    Delhi
    Mumbai
    Goa
    Bengaluru
    Chennai
    Kolkata
    Kochi
    Hyderabad
    Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum International Airport)



Have all of your documents ready, then go to the official Indian visa on arrival site to apply.

If you run into trouble, you can email with questions (indiatvoa@gov.in) or call the 24-7 visa support center (+91 11 24300666).

Once applied, you can check the status of your ETA here:
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/VisaEnquiry.jsp
More Details on you can visit below site
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html