Tourist Visa to India- Everything You Need to know in a Nutshell

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When it comes to tourist places, India has countless landscapes, monuments, snow-capped mountains, flora, and fauna, etc., that are enough to lure travelers from all over the globe. In addition to this, e-Tourist Visa is the reason for the noticeable growth in tourism over the years. Now, you only have to apply for Indian tourist visa through the online process, pack your bags and get ready to fly to India.

If you are not sure how to get the things done, you can take the help of the guide provided here.

Tourist Visa to India and Its Types

Tourism is the most common purpose for which foreigners visit India. Not only tourism, tourist visa can also be availed for the following purposes:

• For recreation purpose,
• Sightseeing,
• To meet your friends or relatives 

Tourist visa to India can be obtained in the following two ways:

• Through the traditional method of visiting the Indian Embassy
• By applying online for an electronic tourist visa i.e. etv visa India.

There can be a slight difference in the application process and duration of stay for both the types, so you have to apply accordingly. 

Application Process for Tourist and Online Tourist Visa to India

Regular Tourist Visa

To apply for a regular tourist visa, visit the link- https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html and you will see the option to apply online.

• Firstly, fill-up the form with the required details and submit it securely.
• Once you have filled and submitted the form, get a printout of the completed Indian visa application form. Sign and submit the physical copy along with the required documents and the Passport to the concerned Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) or at the Indian Mission on the date appointed to you.
• Next, you can collect your visa from the Indian Mission or Visa Application Centre or by post.

Electronic Tourist Visa

If you are a citizen of the eligible countries, you can opt for the online visa. The entire application process can be completed in one go in three simple steps:

• Go to the link for online visa application- https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html and click on ‘Apply here for e-Visa’ to begin with the process.
• Enter the details in the given fields in the most correct manner and there should be no misleading information provided. 
• Once you are done entering the information, recheck the form and proceed towards the payment part.
• Make the payment and your visa application will be forwarded for approval.

You will receive an Application ID in your email. You can use the same and your passport number to check the status of your Indian visa application from here- https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/StatusEnquiry

If you are going to visit for a shorter duration, applying for an e-Tourist Visa will be the best bet for you otherwise the regular one will work too.

Indian Tourist Visa Processing Time

In case of a regular visa, the Indian Mission takes a minimum of three working days to process the visa application and then issue the visa as per the nationality of the citizen and the type of visa applied for. 

By applying for an e-Tourist visa India, you can expect the visa to be sent to you within the next 4-7 business days. There is a provision of urgent e-Visa India (Emergency visa to India) as well but that is not available in case of tourism, only for business visas and medical urgencies. 

Countries Eligible to Obtain e-Tourist Visa

The citizens of Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives are eligible for visa-free entry into India. For nationals of Japan, South Korea, and UAE, visa on arrival facility can be availed and the countries that can apply for the tourist visa electronically are:

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 Republic, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Chile, China, China- Macau, China- SAR Hong Kong, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte D’Ivoire, 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, Macedonia, 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, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Christopher And Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States Of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City – Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The rest of the countries may need to apply for the regular visa such as Pakistani nationals.

Duration and Validity

Tourist Visa to India is normally granted for a period of 5 years throughout which multiple entries can be made. The Indian e-Visa is non-extendable in any case. 

Talking about e-Tourist Visa India, it has been further bifurcated into three categories:

• One-Month etv visa: valid for 30 days and double entries are allowed.
• One-Year etv visa: valid for 365 days and multiple entries can be made.
• Five-Year etv visa: valid for five years and multiple entries are permitted. 

Indian Tourist Visa Cost

Mainly, the visa fees are calculated on the basis of the following factors:

• The type of visa applied for
• Duration of visa
• Basic fee plus processing fee

Note- Fee once received is non-refundable in every circumstance such as application is withdrawn, a visa is not granted, etc. 

You can obtain the online Tourist visa depending on your nationality as per the cost mentioned in the table below:

Indian visa fees				Countries
30 days e-Tourist Visa (April to June)	30 days e-Tourist Visa (July to March)	One year e-Tourist Visa	Five-year e-Tourist Visa
10	25	40	80	Andorra, Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, China- Sar Hongkong, China – Macau, Cayman Island, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Estonia,El Salvador, Ecuador, Eritrea, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea,  Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Vatican City – Holy See, Hungary, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Cote D’Ivoire, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Republic Of Korea, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Laos, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Mexico, Montserrat, Mozambique, Montenegro, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger Republic, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Panama, Portugal, Qatar, Macedonia, Romania, Rwanda, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Saint Lucia, San Marino,  Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Saint Vincent And The Grenadines, Slovenia, Spain, Saint Christopher And Nevis, Suriname, Switzerland, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania,Thailand, Trinidad And Tobago , Turks And Caicos Isl, Ukraine, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Zambia.
10	25	25	25	Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka

Documentation for e-Tourist Visa

Following are the documents required to apply for Indian e-Tourist Visa:

Scanned Bio Page of the passport showing the Photograph and Details

For short term courses, copy of the letter from the institute/organization/hospital, etc. concerned on its letter-head

For voluntary work of short duration, copy of the letter from the organization concerned on its letter-head

Specifications of Documents to be Uploaded:

For Passport:

Format: PDF

Size: Minimum 10 Kb

         Maximum 300 Kb

For Digital Photograph

Format: JPEG

Size: Minimum 10 Kb

         Maximum 1 MB

Background must be plain, probably light-colored or white.

Height and Width must be uniform.

The photograph must show the front view of a full face with eyes open and without specs.

The photo must show full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin and must be clearly visible.

There should be no shadow on the face or on the background and the photo should be without borders.

Tourist Visa on Arrival

Tourist visa on arrival in India is available for the citizens of Japan, South Korea, and UAE but for a stay of up to 30 days. An on-arrival tourist visa is non-extendable and non-convertible and can be obtained twice in a year. There must be a gap of two months between the two visits.  The entry can be made through six major airports that include: Delhi (NCT), Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

If you want to enter through any other point in India, apply for an e-Visa instead.