There are a few types of tourist visas that can get you inside India, but all of them need to be granted before your arrival.
Unless you are a citizen of Bhutan / Nepal / the Maldives, you will need a visa to enter India. Although this process might sound complicated at first, I have summed up for you the most important and relevant information to help you choose and plan the best strategy to enter India.
You can choose between an electronic visa (E-visa) or a paper visa issued by the Indian embassy in your current location.
E-visa means an electronic visa that gets issued online without the need to visit an Indian embassy. To most nationalities E-visa is a better choice, being easier, faster, and cheaper. in most cases, the E-visa gets you the same perks as the embassy paper visa minus the hassle and the time it takes.
There are a few types of E-visas you can consider due to your travel needs: A visa for one month/1 year/5 year and multiple entries (the continuous stay on long-term visas is limited to a maximum of 90 days, and the maximum stay is limited to 180 days in a calendar year. Ive broken it down to examples below), which is issued online without the need to visit the embassy. The price varies between the duration of the visa you apply for, starting at 10$ for the shortest 30-day visa and going up to 80$ for the 5-year visa.
To submit your online tourist E-visa application you will have to choose whether to do it directly through the official Indian e-visa website or do it through a moderating company that will take a small commission. since the original website is not super user-friendly and is often challenging to upload files without resizing them accordingly, some people choose to pay a few extra dollars to get it done through external agencies. If you are comfortable in the webspace there is no reason not to do it by yourself on the original website, it is completely safe to use.
FAQs about tourist E-visa
- How long does it take for the visa to be ready from the moment the form is submitted? An electronic visa is ready within a maximum of 72 hours (and usually sooner).
- Can you enter India by land or only by air (flight)? You can enter by air. Entry by land is possible only starting from the second entry with the same visa.
- Is the E-visa extendable? Under no circumstances can an electronic visa be extended. Not even for a day. In extreme situations, I recommend explaining your situation to the FRRO official office, and contacting them before your visa expires.
- New passport after issuing the visa and before the first entry If you managed to get a new passport between filling out the electronic visa form and the first entry and stamping the visa in the passport, bringing the old passport is not enough! You need a new visa.
The only crowd that has had problems with getting their tourist E-visa approved are mostly journalists. If that is your case the paper visa is a better choice. Another reason your application might be denied is visiting Pakistan or having any family connection to Pakistan. In that case, a paper visa is also a better option for you.
A tourist paper visa from the embassy
Details may vary and depend on your country of origin and the country you will apply from. This kind of visa will demand you to leave your passport at the embassy (with additional forms and files needed, which you can find on the local Indian embassy website) and collect it a few days to weeks later. The only main difference from the E-visa that can be ensured and does not depend on personal circumstances is that you will be eligible to enter India by land on your first entry, unlike the E-visa that only grants you land entrance on the second entry.
Transit visa through India
If you have a built-in connection in India, meaning both flights are from the same company and on the same booking, and the waiting time is up to 10 hours, you do not need a visa. In any other case, a visa is required.
When do you need a visa for transit in India?
- A flight to India and a connecting flight were booked separately.
- A flight to India and a connecting flight are booked together on the same booking, but the connection time is more than 10 hours.
- A flight to India, a domestic flight within India, and a connecting flight from India – even if everything is on the same booking and it is less than 10 hours, a visa is still required.
It’s really important to make sure you leave India on time
Do not overstay, since the Indian government may not be flexible and overstaying may lead to unnecessary fines and drama! Here are some examples of how to calculate and plan your time:
Entry into India on 1.4: You can stay for 90 days until around the beginning of July. After 90 days, you can leave India and re-enter the next day for another 90 days. After that (i.e., after two stays of 90 days), you will need to leave India and can return only in 2025, once the calendar year has been renewed provided the visa is still valid. You can also, of course, choose not to return to India immediately and can split your entries as you wish (It is very common for travelers to visit close by countries as their visa renewed location such as Nepal, Thailand, and Sri Lanka).
Entry into India on January 1: You can stay continuously for 90 days until around the end of March. At this point, you must leave India, but you can return the next day and stay in India for another 90 days continuously, for example until the end of June. By this time, you would have stayed in India in 2024 initially for about 90 days and then for another 90 days, meaning you used your 180 days in a calendar year. This means you can return to India again in 2025 when the calendar year renews.
Entering India on July 1: You can stay continuously for 90 days until around the end of September. At this point, you must leave India, but you can return the next day and stay in India for another 90 days continuously, for example, until the end of December. By this time, you would have stayed in India in 2024 initially for about 90 days and then for another 90 days. With the next calendar year around the corner from you exceeding your 180 days in a calendar year, you can stay for another 180 days as you wish.
