India Visa Requirements 2026 — e-Tourist Visa Documents & Eligibility

Overview of India Visa Requirements 2026

India operates a comprehensive e-Visa system for tourists, business travellers, medical visitors, and conference attendees. The e-Tourist Visa (eTV) is available to citizens of over 160 countries and is one of the most popular electronic travel authorisations in Asia. All applications are submitted through the official portal at evisa.india.gov.in — no embassy visit is required for eVisa categories.

India does not offer traditional visa-on-arrival for most nationalities. Travellers from eligible countries must apply online at least 4 days before their planned date of arrival. The eVisa is linked electronically to your passport; print a copy to present on arrival at designated airports and seaports.

Documents Checklist for India e-Tourist Visa 2026

• Valid passport — minimum 6 months validity, 2 blank pages, issued in the last 10 years
• Digital passport photo — 50x50mm, white background, plain white or off-white dress, <6 months old
• Scanned bio-data page of passport (first and last pages)
• Return or onward ticket confirmation
• Proof of sufficient funds for the trip
• eVisa fee — USD 25 / USD 40 / USD 80 (paid by international credit/debit card)

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for an India e-Tourist Visa in 2026, you must hold a passport from one of the 164+ eligible countries, be travelling for tourism or casual visiting purposes, and have no criminal record that would render you inadmissible. Applicants with Pakistani passports or those of Pakistani origin must use the standard visa process at an Indian embassy. Journalists require a separate journalist visa category.

How to Apply for India eVisa

Visit evisa.india.gov.in and select "e-Tourist Visa." Fill in the online form with personal, travel, and passport details. Upload your photo and passport scan. Pay the fee by international credit or debit card. You will receive an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) by email within 72–96 hours. Print it and present it alongside your passport at the Indian port of entry.

Complete Visa Categories

Processing Times by Visa Type

Health & Character Requirements

• Yellow Fever: Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is MANDATORY for travelers arriving from or transiting through yellow fever endemic countries in Africa and South America. Without it, you may be quarantined for up to 6 days.
• Medical exam: Not routinely required for tourist or business visas. Employment visas for longer stays may require HIV testing (though India removed mandatory HIV testing for most visa categories).
• Recommended vaccinations: Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis (for rural areas), Rabies (for extended stays), Polio booster, Tetanus/Diphtheria.
• Malaria: No vaccination required but antimalarial prophylaxis recommended for certain regions.
• Police clearance: Required for Employment Visa, Research Visa, and Missionary Visa. Must be from applicant's home country and less than 6 months old.
• Biometrics: Fingerprints and photograph collected at Indian Visa Application Centres (IVAC) for regular visa applicants. Not required for e-Visa (collected on arrival).

Visa Extension & Renewal

• e-Tourist Visa (30-day): Cannot be extended. Must leave India before expiry.
• e-Tourist Visa (1-year/5-year): Each visit limited to 90 days (180 days for US, UK, Canadian, Japanese citizens). Cannot be extended — must exit and re-enter.
• Regular Tourist Visa: Can be extended at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in exceptional circumstances (medical emergency, flight cancellation). Fee: INR 3,000-6,000.
• Employment Visa: Extendable at FRRO. Must apply 60 days before expiry. Extension in 1-year increments up to 5 years.
• Student Visa: Extendable annually at FRRO with continued enrollment proof.
• Overstay penalties: Fine of USD 300 for each calendar year of overstay (minimum USD 300). Overstays can result in arrest, deportation, and future visa denial. Registration with FRRO required for stays exceeding 180 days on certain visa types.

Visa Refusal & Appeals

• Common refusal reasons: Incomplete application, incorrect photo specifications, passport with insufficient validity, applicants from restricted nationalities (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, China may face additional scrutiny), prior overstay in India, suspicious travel history.
• e-Visa specific refusals: Incorrect passport details, mismatched photo, prior e-Visa violation, citizenship of non-eligible country.
• Appeal process: No formal appeal process. Applicants may reapply immediately with corrected documentation. For regular visas, contact the Indian embassy directly to understand refusal reasons.
• Reapplication: e-Visa can be reapplied immediately (pay new fee). Embassy visa refusals may benefit from a waiting period to improve documentation. Pakistani nationals face stricter review and longer processing.
• Security clearance: Certain nationalities require mandatory security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which can take 4-8 weeks. Refusal at this stage is typically final.