India Tourist Visa

Citizens from 167 countries are eligible to apply for e-Tourist Visa online. See the full country list in the sidebar.

The sole objective of the visit must be one of the following:
• Recreation and sightseeing
• Casual visit to meet friends or relatives
• Short-term yoga courses on local languages, music, dance, arts & crafts, cooking, or medicine — non-certificated, • not exceeding 6 months duration
• Voluntary work of short duration (maximum one month, no payment of any kind)
• Medical treatment, including treatment under Indian systems of medicine
• Business purposes
• Attending a conference, seminar, or workshop

Who Cannot Apply for e-Visa
The following categories are not eligible for e-Tourist Visa and must apply through an Indian Mission:

• Pakistani nationals or persons of Pakistani origin (including those whose parents or grandparents — paternal or maternal — were born in or permanently resident in Pakistan)
• Holders of diplomatic or official passports
• Holders of Laissez-passer or other international travel documents (non-passport)
• Stateless persons
• Individuals endorsed on a parent's or spouse's passport — each traveler must hold their own separate passport
• Nationals of countries not on the eligible list

Passport Requirements
• Minimum 6 months validity from the date of arrival in India
• At least two blank pages available for immigration stamps
• Traveler must carry the same passport used during the application — the ETA is linked to that specific passport document
• If you receive a new passport after ETA is granted, you may still enter on the new passport, but you must carry both the old and new passport at travel

Financial Requirements
The traveler must have a return or onward journey ticket and sufficient funds to cover their stay in India. Immigration officers may ask for evidence of this on arrival.

Minors
Each traveler — including minor children — requires a separate e-Visa. There are no family or group e-Visas. The child's passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the intended arrival date.

The e-Tourist Visa (eTV) is an electronic travel authorization issued by the Government of India for short-term tourism. It is non-extendable and non-convertible — once granted, it cannot be changed to any other visa type or extended beyond its validity.

Three validity options are available. Choose based on how long you plan to stay and whether you may exit and re-enter India during your trip.

30-Day e-Tourist Visa
Validity: 30 days from the date of first arrival in India
Entries: Double entry within the validity period
Apply window: Minimum 4 days before arrival; maximum 120 days in advance
Processing time: 24–72 hours; up to 5–7 days in some cases
Fee: Country-specific — check the fee table in the sidebar.

Important
The 30-day clock starts from your first entry into India, not from the date the ETA is granted on email. If you are granted the ETA on March 1 and arrive on March 20, your visa is valid until April 18.

The double-entry means you can exit India and re-enter once within the 30-day window — for example, a side trip to Sri Lanka or Nepal with return to India, provided you re-enter within the 30-day period.

1-Year e-Tourist Visa
Validity: 365 days from the date of ETA grant
Entries: Multiple
Maximum continuous stay per visit: 180 days
Maximum total stay per calendar year: 180 days
Apply window: Minimum 4 days before arrival; maximum 120 days in advance
Processing time: 3–5 days; up to 7–10 days in some cases
Fee: Country-specific — check the fee table in the sidebar.

Important
The 1-year validity begins from the date the ETA is granted — not from your first arrival. If your ETA is granted on April 1, it expires on March 31 of the following year, regardless of when you first enter India.

5-Year e-Tourist Visa
Validity: 5 years from the date of ETA grant
Entries: Multiple
Maximum continuous stay per visit: 180 days
Maximum total stay per calendar year: 180 days
Processing time: 5–7 days; up to 10–15 days in some cases
Fee: Country-specific — check the fee table in the sidebar.

Rules That Apply to All Three Types
• Non-extendable, non-convertible. Cannot be extended or changed to any other visa category under any circumstance.
• Fee is non-refundable. Processing fee is charged for application processing and is not refunded on rejection or cancellation.
• ETA status must show "GRANTED." Check your status on the official portal before travel. Do not travel if the status is still pending.
• ETA is linked to your passport. It cannot be transferred to a new passport. If you get a new passport after ETA grant, carry both passports.
• Not valid for Protected, Restricted, or Cantonment Areas. Separate permits required for those zones.
• Payment status may take up to 2 hours to update after submission due to network delays. Do not re-apply immediately — wait 2 hours and verify payment status using the 'Verify Payment/Pay Visa Fee' tab on the portal.

Apply only through the official Government of India e-Visa portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

No agent, travel agent, or intermediary is authorized to facilitate e-Visa applications. Any third-party website charging additional fees for the same service is not official. There is no express or premium service to get an e-Tourist Visa faster. Do not share personal or passport details with unauthorized websites.

Apply at least 7–10 days before travel to allow buffer time. Do not rely on the minimum 4-day window.

Step-by-Step Application Process
The entire process — form filling and payment — takes 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 1 — Complete the online application form
Fill all fields accurately: passport details, travel details, contact information, previous India visa details. If you do not remember previous visa details, write "NA" or "Not Available" in the relevant field.

Double-check before submitting: Name, nationality, passport number, and date of birth must exactly match your passport. Discrepancies on the ETA are the applicant's responsibility. Contact the e-Visa support centre at least 24 hours before travel if you find an error on a granted ETA.

Step 2 — Upload required documents
Two documents are mandatory for e-Tourist Visa:

• Passport bio page (PDF, 10 KB–300 KB) — must clearly show name, DOB, nationality, passport number, expiry date
• Photograph (JPEG, 10 KB–1 MB) — see Docs Required in sidebar for photo specifications

Applications are liable to rejection if uploaded documents or photographs do not meet specifications.

Step 3 — Pay the visa fee
Two payment options are available — SBI ePay and Axis Bank Payment Gateway. Both accept international Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards.

• Bank transaction charge: 3% of the applicable e-Visa fee (for card payments via both SBI ePay and Axis Bank)
• PayPal: 4% of the applicable e-Visa fee (via SBI ePay only)
• All charges are inclusive of applicable taxes.
• Fees are non-refundable regardless of grant or rejection.

Fee is country-specific. Check the country-wise fee table in the sidebar before applying.

If payment is deducted but status is not updated, wait 2 hours before attempting again. Use the 'Verify Payment/Pay Visa Fee' tab on the portal to check status. For failed transactions where the account has been debited, refunds are processed within 7 days after reconciliation.

Step 4 — Receive confirmation email
Immediately after submission and payment, you receive a confirmation email on the address provided in the application. This confirms the application has been received — it is not the visa.

Step 5 — Track your application status
Check status at the official portal using your application reference number and passport number. Status options: Pending / Granted / Rejected. You will also be notified by email when a decision is made.

Step 6 — Download, print, and carry the ETA
Once status shows "GRANTED", download the ETA from the portal. Print it. Carry the printed ETA with you when traveling — you present it at the immigration counter on arrival.

What You Receive
The ETA is an Electronic Travel Authorization — not a physical visa sticker. It is sent to your registered email. Immigration verification happens electronically at entry in India. The immigration officer stamps your passport on arrival; that stamp records your permitted entry and stay duration.

Biometric details (fingerprints) are captured mandatorily at immigration on arrival in India.

e-Tourist Visa is valid for entry through designated airports, seaports, and 4 land ports only. Entry through any other point is not permitted on an e-Visa.

33 Designated Entry Airports
Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa (Dabolim), Goa (Mopa), Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kannur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Port Blair, Pune, Surat, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam.

19 Designated Seaports (Cruise Tourists)
Agatti, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Goa (Mormugao), Kamarajar, Kandla, Kattupalli, Kolkata, Kollam, Mangalore (New Mangalore), Mumbai, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Port Blair, Vallarpadam, Visakhapatnam, Vizhinjam, Vizhinjam International.

4 Designated Land Entry Ports
Raxaul, Rupaidiha, Darranga, Jogbani.

Exit Points
e-Visa holders may depart from any authorized Immigration Check Post in India — not restricted to the entry airports listed above. This includes a wider list of airports, land ICPs, seaports, and rail ICPs across the country.

Yellow Fever Vaccination
All travelers arriving in India within 6 days of departure from any yellow fever endemic country — or transiting through one — must carry a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate in original at the time of arrival. Failure to produce the certificate may result in up to 6 days of quarantine.

Overstays
e-Tourist Visas are non-extendable. Staying in India beyond the permitted period results in fines and legal proceedings.

e-Arrival Card
All foreign nationals traveling to India must complete and submit the e-Arrival Card online within 72 hours before arrival. This is separate from the visa — it captures travel and contact details for immigration records. Failure to complete it may cause delays at immigration.

This is for arrival information, not a visa.

Clubbing of e-Visa Activities
A foreigner holding an e-Tourist Visa may club activities permitted under other e-Visa categories (except e-Conference Visa, which only permits tourist activities co-terminus with its 30-day validity). For example, a traveler on e-Tourist Visa may also attend a short business meeting — both activities are permitted under the same visa.

Visible Identification Mark
The application form asks for a "Visible Identification Mark." This refers to permanent, visible physical features such as moles, birthmarks, or scars — features that may be used for identification by Indian Immigration Authority if required.

Discrepancy in ETA Details
If you find a discrepancy in your name, nationality, passport number, date of birth, or photograph on the granted ETA, contact the e-Visa support center at least 24 hours before your journey date.

India Manual is produced by Intodia. All content follows a continuous review cycle and is free from commercial influence, ads, or any affiliate arrangements.