How to Apply for the Indian Tourist Visa

Apply for the Indian Tourist Visa

Are you planning a trip to India but are not sure how to go about it? Then you have landed on the right page. In this article we will cover the topic of obtaining an Indian tourist visa. Once through with this one, Getting Around in India will help you go places within India.

Indian Tourist Visa

All foreign nationals intending to travel to India are required to possess a valid national passport. When you have yours ready, you can then obtain the Indian tourist visa at an Indian Mission either in your home country (best practice), or in another country if you’re already on the road. In order to submit your visa application along with all relevant documents you may be required to visit the Indian Mission/Visa Collection Centre or send everything by post. The usual Indian tourist visa is granted for 3-6 months.

You can start your online visa application process on Government of India’s Indian Visa Online portal.

Visa-free Entry

India allows visa-free entry to the citizens of Bhutan, Maldives (up to 90 days) and Nepal unless entering from mainland China. There is no limitation of stay to remain in the country unless otherwise noted.

Travellers possessing an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) or a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Card document are also exempt from visa obligations. Citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan (also known as Myanmar), China (mainland), Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are generally not entitled to these documents.

As of March 2015 citizens of Seychelles are entitled to a 3-month visa exemption.


Indian e-Tourist Visa (eTV)

This tourist visa scheme allows travellers from 161 countries & territories to visit India for 60 days or less. 60 days, in all honesty, are insufficient to properly see the vast land that India is, but this can be very handy for quick trips to the subcontinent.

Take note that the eTV facility can be availed only twice in a calendar year. The application must be made at least 4 days prior to your intended date of arrival in India. The e-Tourist Visa application fee varies country-wise. For the majority of the countries it is US $50 + 2.5% bank charges. This is a non-refundable fee. Country- and Territory-wise e-Visa Fee.

The Indian eTV will take a minimum of 3 working days to be processed, excluding special cases. The processing time can change depending on the applicant’s nationality.

It’s important to note that there are only selected entry ports that can be used to arrive in India with the eTV. The list of 24 airports along with their airport codes and the 3 seaports is given below.

Who is Eligible for eTV?

The Indian e-Tourist Visa facility is currently available to the passport holders of the following countries:

Albania, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon Union Republic, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Chile. China, China- SAR Hongkong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, 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, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger Republic, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

eTV Quick Summary

Purpose:  Recreation • Sight seeing • Short duration medical treatment • Casual visit • Casual business • Meet friends & relatives

Validity:  1 month¹, 1 year² or 5 years²

Entries: ¹Double (non-extendible and non-convertible) or ²Multiple

Stay: Maximum continuous stay during each visit is 90 days for all countries except USA, UK, Canada and Japan. Maximum continuous stay for USA, UK, Canada and Japan is 180 days.

Processing Time:  Minimum 3 working days

Entry Ports: 28 airports and 5 seaports (list below)

Visa Delivery:  Via email


eTV Application Process

Below is the 4-step process of obtaining the eTV:

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1. Apply Online

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2. Pay Visa Fee Online

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3. Receive eTV Online

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4. Fly to India

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Start your eTV application process now

Government of India’s Online Visa portal.


Apply Through iVisa.com

If you want the convenience of an experienced agency that expedites the visa processing and offers guidance, then we recommend that you take a look at iVisa.com:

iVisa.com


List of Entry Ports for Arriving With eTV:

Airports

Make sure that you arrive at one of the following 24 airports with your eTV otherwise you will be denied entry into the country.

  1. Ahmedabad: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD)
  2. Amritsar: Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport (ATQ)
  3. Bagdogra: Bagdogra International Airport (IXB)
  4. Bengaluru: Kempegowda International Airport (BLR)
  5. Bhubaneshwar: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI)
  6. Calicut: Calicut International Airport (CCJ)
  7. Chandigarh: Chandigarh International Airport (IXC)
  8. Chennai: Chennai International Airport (MAA)
  9. Cochin: Cochin International Airport (COK)
  10. Coimbatore: Coimbatore International Airport (CJB)
  11. Delhi: Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)
  12. Gaya: Gaya Airport/Bodhgaya Airport (GAY)
  13. Goa: Dabolim International Airport (GOI)
  14. Guwahati: Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU)
  15. Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport HYD)
  16. Jaipur: Jaipur International Airport (JAI)
  17. Kolkata: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU)
  18. Lucknow: Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (LKO)
  19. Madurai: Madurai Airport (IXM)
  20. Mangalore: Mangaluru International Airport (IXE)
  21. Mumbai: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM)
  22. Nagpur: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport (NAG)
  23. Port Blair: Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ)
  24. Pune: Pune International Airport (PNQ)
  25. Tiruchirappalli: Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ)
  26. Thiruvananthapuram: Trivandrum International Airport (TRV)
  27. Varanasi: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS)
  28. Vishakhapatnam: Vishakhapatnam Airport (VTZ)

Seaports

Besides the above airports, eVisa facility is also available at 5 major Indian seaports for cruise tourists:

  • Chennai
  • Cochin
  • Goa
  • New Mangalore
  • Mumbai

If you find information on this page to be outdated or incorrect, please feel free to drop us a line. We’ll jump right on to fix it.

Disclosure: iVisa.com is affiliated with International Travellers’ Hostel. If you use the affiliate link above to apply for a visa, then we may earn a commission.

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