There is nothing that one cannot do online. From booking tickets to buying medicines one gets all the services available on the internet. Likewise, one can also acquire a visa to India online through an e-tourist visa facility.

What is an E-tourist visa?

E-tourist visa is an online facility through which one can apply for a visa to travel to India. The payment for the visa is also done through internet banking. The e-tourist visa is then sent to the individual’s e-mail id. It is the easiest and fastest way to fetch a visa.

Who is eligible for an E-tourist visa to India?

• International visitors who come to India to travel, visit friends or relatives, on business trips or for a short-term medical treatment or health check.
• The passport should have at least six months of validity from the date of arrival to India.
• The passport should have at least two blanks for the immigration officer to put the authorized stamp.
• International tourists should have their return tickets or onward journey tickets and sufficient money for their stay in India.
• Tourists from Pakistan, holding Pakistani nationality may apply for regular visas at the Indian Mission.
• E-tourist visa is not available for Diplomatic or Official Passport holders.
• It is also not available for those who are endorsed on their Parents/Spouse’s passport. Each individual should have a separate passport.
• E-tourist visa is not available for International Travel Document Holders.

What are the important documents required?

• PDF version of the scanned first page of the passport.
• The size of the PDF should be 10KB to 300KB.
• A digital photograph is to be uploaded. The photograph should maintain the following criteria:
  • Size: 10KB to 1MB
  • The height and width of the photo should be equal.
  • The photo should have a full face, front view, and eyes open.
  • Center head within the frame. The Head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin of the individual should be prominent.
  • The background should be plain light-colored or white.
  • There should be no shadows on the face or on the background.
  • The photo should not have any borders.

What are the instructions to be followed?

• Applicants who are eligible for e-tourist visa can do so at least four days in advance from the date of their arrival. The arrival date can be selected between 30 days. For instance, if someone is applying for 1st October then he or she can select the arrival date between 5th November – 4th December.
• The applicant should upload all the required documents along with information regarding his or her name, date of birth, nationality, passport expiry date, etc.
• The application may get rejected if any of the information is not provided by the applicant or the photograph is not clear.
• The e-tourist visa fee must be paid at least four days before the expected date of travel else the application will not be processed.
• The e-tourist visa is non-refundable and is not dependent on the granting or rejection of it.
• Applicant should carry a copy of the e-tourist visa during his or her travel.
• Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at Immigration on arrival to India.
• The validity of the visa is 30 days from the date of arrival.
• E-tourist visa is allowed twice in one calendar year.
• Once issued, an e-tourist visa on arrival to India is only single entry, non-extendable, non-convertible, and not valid for visiting protected/restricted and cantonment areas.
• Be careful while making the e-tourist visa fee payments. After three unsuccessful attempts, the application id would be blocked and the applicant will have to apply again.
• The visa fee status may take two hours to get updated. So the applicants are requested to wait before paying of visa fee again.
• In case the visa fee has been deducted but the status is not updated then he or she may click on the Verify Payment/ Pay Visa Fee tab.
• Before applying again, the applicant should wait for four hours as the visa fee status update may take time after the final submission of the application form and visa fee.
• Nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries must carry a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card at the time of arrival to India else they may be quarantined for 6 days upon arrival.

How much does an E-tourist visa cost?

The fee for an e-tourist visa ranges from 00 USD to 60 USD. Bank transaction charges of 2.5% will be additionally charged.

In which international airports in India are e-tourist visa entry accepted?

E-tourist visa is valid for entry in 16 designated airports namely:

• Ahmedabad
• Amritsar
• Bengaluru
• Chennai
• Cochin
• Delhi
• Gaya
• Goa
• Hyderabad
• Jaipur
• Kolkata
• Lucknow
• Mumbai
• Tiruchirapalli
• Trivandrum
• Varanasi

Nonetheless, the international tourist can exit from any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.

How is it useful for medical patients?

E-tourist visa is primarily a tourist visa but people seeking medical treatment in India can also opt for it. If they have any small treatments which would not require much time or they are coming to India for their medical check-ups they can easily opt for an e-tourist visa.

It is because then one would not have to go through the hassle of acquiring a medical visa. Getting an e-tourist visa is much faster and easier than acquiring a medical visa as one can apply for it from their own computers or laptops.

Special Update on E-Visa:

The Government of India has recently amended the e-visa policies so that international patients find it easier to apply for medical visas online. Click here to know the full story.