The electronic India visa is one of the online visas which travelers from eligible countries can apply for eVisa. Indian government launched this electronic tourist visa in the year 2014 October to be precise. The reason why it was introduced is to make the eVisa easy to process and obtain and also to make sure that foreign visitors do not go through any stress before they get the tourist eVisa.

Things to Note Before Applying for India e-Visa

• Check Your Eligibility

  First things first, the applicant must check that s/he is a national of or hold passport of one of the eligible countries listed above. Each applicant needs a passport, applicants who are endorsed on their Parent’s or Spouse’s passport are not granted e-Visa. A traveler should have a return or onward journey ticket with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.

• Know The Required Document For Different e-Visa

  There are five categories of e-Travel authorization as pointed out earlier, required documents for submission depend on the category of e-Visa an applicant is seeking.

• 1. For India e-Tourist Visa:

     Applicants need to have a scanned passport Bio Page, copy of invitation letter from inviting organization on their letterhead (for short term courses and voluntary aid work).

  2. For India e-Business Visa:

     • Applicants need to have a scanned passport Bio Page,
     • Scanned copy of Business Card or copy of invitation letter from inviting organization on their letterhead (optional). To deliver lecture/s under Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN),
     • Applicants need a copy of invitation letter on Faculty Letterhead, copy of sanction order under GIAN and a copy of course synopsis in addition to scanned passport Bio Page.

  3. For India e-Medical Visa:

     • Applicants need to have a scanned passport Bio Page,
     • Copy of invitation letter from the inviting Hospital on their letterhead which should include expected date of admission.
     • For accompanying person/s who require India e-Medical Attendant Visa, only their scanned passport Bio Page is needed from them.

  4. For India e-Conference Visa:

     • Applicants need to have a scanned passport Bio Page,
     • A copy of invitation letter from organizers,
     • A political clearance from Ministry of External Affairs,
     • And event clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

  5. NOTE: All the required documents should be in PDF format.

• Ensure Your Passport Has At Least 6 Months Validity

  It is important to check your passport validity before applying for India e-Visa because only passports with at least 6 months validity upon arrival to India are accepted.

  Children, including underage ones, must have their own passports. The first page of your passport (page that contains your biographic information) must be scanned and submitted.

  Note that only coloured copy is accepted. Ensure that your passport have at least two (2) empty pages before your travel to India.

• Get Your Personal Information Handy

  Eligible travelers with at least six month passport validity can proceed to apply for the e-Visa online. Before applying, get the following information handy:

  • Active Email address
  • Credit or Debit card Information
  • Full name
  • Place of birth
  • Date of birth
  • Address and contact information
  • Nationality
  • Religion
  • Educational qualification
  • Marital status
  • Expected port of entry

  
• Have A Recent Digital Passport Photograph

  Travelers are required to submit a recent digital passport photograph that meets the following criteria below:

  • Equal height and width.
  • Minimum size of 10 KB and Maximum size of 1 MB.
  • Photo showing full applicant’s face, front view, eyes open and no spectacles.
  • Applicant’s head must be at the center, no shadows on the face or background, and no borders.
  • The digital passport photograph must have a white background.

  

India e-Visa Validity

India e-Visas allow multiple entry and the validity depend on the category of e-Visa applied for. Duration of continuous stay on an India e-Visa also depend on the category of visa and the country of origin of the traveler. It is further explained below:

e-Tourist Visa

The India tourist e-Visa is classified based on duration of stay; 30 days, 365 days and Five years e-Tourist Visa.

1. 30 days India e-Tourist Visa | 1 month India e-Tourist Visa

   The 30 days e-Tourist Visa is valid for one month counting from the date of issue of the e-Visa. Holders can stay up to 30 days from the date of first arrival in India and double entry is allowed.

   If you get a 30 days e-Tourist visa on 25 January 2021, then your electronic travel authorization is valid until 25 February 2021.

   • If you enter India on 10 of February 2021, you may stay continuously for thirty days until 10 March 2021.
   • If you enter India on 27 January 2021 and plan on double entry, you must make sure your second entry is within the e-Visa validity period on/before 25 February 2021. For instance, if you spend 17 days on your first trip (left on 13 February 2021), you are allowed to enter India second time on/before 25 February 2021.

2. 365 days India e-Tourist Visa | 1 year India e-Tourist Visa

   The 365 days e-Tourist Visa is valid for a year counting from the date of issue of the e-Visa. During each visit, e-Visa holders cannot stay more than 90 days continuously except for nationals of the USA, UK, Canada and Japan who can stay up to 180 days during each visit.

   If you get a 365 days e-Tourist visa on 25 January 2021, then your electronic travel authorization is valid until 23 January 2021 and you can enter multiple times.

3. 5 years India e-Tourist Visa

   The 5 years e-Tourist Visa is valid for five years counting from the date of issue of the e-Visa. During each visit, e-Visa holders cannot stay more than 90 days continuously except for nationals of USA, UK, Canada and Japan who can stay up to 180 days during each visit. If you get a 5 years e-Tourist visa on 25 January 2021, then your electronic travel authorization is valid until 24 January 2026 and you can enter multiple times.

India e-Business Visa

The India e-Business Visa is valid for 365 days and comes with multiple entry grant. If you get an e-Business visa on 25 January 2021, then your electronic travel authorization is valid until 23 January 2022. Holders of e-Business Visas can stay continuously for 180 days in India during each visit. Within the validity period of the e-Business Visa, you can enter India at any time and stay up to 180 days continuously. If you wish, you may return again and spend up to 180 days as long as the e-Visa is still within its validity period.

If an applicant wish to stay longer than 180 days during a particular visit, they must register at the Foreigner Registration Office in India on or before the 160th day.

India e-Medical and India e-Medical Attendant Visa

The India e-Medical Visa and India e-Medical Attendant Visa is valid for 60 days counting from the date of issue of the e-Visa. Holders can stay up to 60 days from the date of first arrival in India and triple entry is allowed. If you get e-Medical/Attendant Visa on 25 January 2021, then your electronic travel authorization is valid until 25 March 2021.

• If you enter India on 10 of February 2021, you may stay continuously for sixty days until 10 April 2021.
• If you enter India on 20 January 2021, make sure your other two entries are planned on/before 25 March 2021 before the e-Visa expires.

India e-Conference Visa

The India e-Conference Visa is valid for 4 months counting from the date of issue of the e-Visa. Holders can stay up to 30 days from the date of first arrival in India and no other entry will be allowed. If you get e-Conference Visa on 25 January 2021, then your electronic travel authorization is valid until 25 February 2021.

• If you enter India on 13 of February 2021, you may stay continuously for up to thirty days until 12 March 2021. You cannot enter India again with this e-Visa after your first visit, you need another e-Visa authorization to visit India again.

1. Get Yellow Fever Certification/Card (If Applicable)

   Travelers coming from yellow fever affected areas are required to be vaccinated and get a certificate/card of yellow fever vaccination. Upon arrival in India, nationals from yellow fever affected countries are mandated to present their yellow fever vaccine card, failure to do so will result in compulsory vaccination and quarantine for six days upon arrival in Indian port. Trust me, you don’t want to go through this.

   Hence, check below for the list of countries whose nationals must present yellow fever card and get it along if required:

2. Other Things To Note
   • Have a specific reason why you want to initiate the travel and it must conform to the reasons highlighted for visiting India before filling the application form online.
   • Be ready to get a return journey ticket.
   • Must not have intention to work with any Indian organization.
   • Cannot enroll at an Indian educational institute.
   • The e-Visa should be printed, it must be in colour printing and printed on an A4 paper. This printed travel document should be in your hand luggage.
   • Travelers must be able to prove that they have adequate money to perform the travel plans, up till the date they will leave India.

Managing e-Visa Rejection

Most e-Visa applications are rejected due to incomplete or incorrect information, the slightest mistake in your data can get your application declined. This forms part of what motivated us to help travelers vet the correctness and completeness of their information before applying. Indian government may decide not to give applicants reason(s) for rejecting their application, the following are generally established reasons behind India e-Visa application rejection:

1. Applicant is from a visa-exempted country for Indian.
2. Applicant's name is or like one on the banned list for India.
3. Applicant currently has a valid e-visa.
4. Applicant didn't give complete/accurate information.
5. Applicant's passport does not meet the 6 months validity at the time of application.
6. Applicant has or is perceived to have an ulterior motive for applying for India e-Visa other than Tourism, Business, Conference or Medical purposes.
7. Applicant is from a country not eligible to apply for e-Visa.
8. Applicant has a Pakistani origin.

When is an e-Visa NOT Sufficient

For certain reasons, travelers won’t be able to make use of the electronic visa facility. Some of these are:

• Traveler plans to study in India.
• Traveler wants to undertake paid work in India, whether voluntarily or not.
• Traveler plans to stay longer than the stipulated validity period.

Travelers in these categories need to visit the Indian embassy and opt for the physical Indian visa. All the visa processing will take place at the consulate where they stamp your passport after successfully undergoing screening. This costs more and also take longer time.