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South Asia · 28.61° N · 77.21° E

India visa and entry requirements

India's 30-day e-Tourist visa allows multiple entries within 30 days of your first arrival. Its fee drops in the April to June low season, and it is only valid for entry at designated immigration check posts.

Verified on indianvisaonline.gov.in · October 21, 2026

Key facts

Authorisation
India e-Tourist Visa (30 days, multiple entry)
Stay
30 days · Multiple entries
Validity
30 days from issue
Authority processing
Up to 3 days
Passport
6 months beyond arrival

For the 30-day e-Tourist visa, apply at least 4 days and at most 120 days before your expected arrival date. The official processing time is up to 72 hours, but some applications take longer, and India offers no official express service, so do not wait until the last week.

With your passport

Embassy visa

You need a visa from an embassy

India does not issue an online visa to Chadian passport holders. You need to apply at an embassy or consulate — a service Visaska does not offer.

Official portal

The e-Visa is issued by the Government of India through indianvisaonline.gov.in, the only official portal. The 30-day e-Tourist visa is valid from the date of first arrival and allows multiple entries within the same 30 days; 1-year and 5-year e-Tourist visas with multiple entries exist for longer plans. Approval is sent by e-mail as an Electronic Travel Authorisation, usually within 72 hours. On arrival, the immigration officer captures your fingerprints and photo and stamps the visa into the passport. The e-Visa cannot be extended or converted into another visa type, and it does not cover Protected, Restricted or Cantonment areas without a separate permit.

Most visited cities

  • 28.61° N · 77.21° E

    Delhi

    The capital is visited for Mughal monuments such as the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb, and for its bazaars.

  • 19.08° N · 72.88° E

    Mumbai

    India's financial centre is visited for the Gateway of India, its Victorian and Art Deco architecture and Marine Drive.

  • 27.18° N · 78.01° E

    Agra

    The city on the Yamuna is visited for the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and nearby Fatehpur Sikri.

Photo credits: Delhi — Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mumbai — iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Agra — Yann; edited by King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0

How it works

From scan to payment in under 60 seconds.

  1. 01

    Scan your passport

    Point your phone at the photo page or upload it. We read it in seconds — nothing to type.

  2. 02

    See the full price, then pay

    Service fee and government fee are shown before you pay. No account needed, just your email.

  3. 03

    Answer what’s left

    Only the official questions your passport did not answer. Saved as you go; finishing them is what lets us file.

  4. 04

    Track it to your inbox

    We file on the official portal, follow up with the authority and send you the approved document.

Entry rules at the border

Passport
6 months beyond arrivalAt least 6 months of validity is required when you apply, and the portal counts 6 months from the date of arrival for children: plan on 6 months beyond your arrival in India. The passport's data page must be clearly legible in the PDF you upload.
Blank pages
2 blank pagesAt least two blank pages, for the visa stamp and the immigration stamps.
Onward ticket
RequiredRequired. You must hold a return or onward ticket, and the airline or immigration may ask for it.
Vaccinations
Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk countryA yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive within 6 days of leaving or transiting a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Travellers coming from Europe or North America are not concerned. Without it, travellers aged 9 months or more can be isolated for up to 6 days. Residents of some polio-affected countries, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, must also show proof of oral polio vaccination.
Insurance
RecommendedNot required for the e-Visa. Recommended, as private hospitals in India expect a deposit or insurer guarantee before admission.
Ports of entry
Entry only at the designated immigration check posts listed on the portal: 37 international airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and both Goa airports, and designated seaports, five of them for cruise passengers. The portal's entry list now also names some land check posts, but its FAQ still rules out land entry on an e-Visa, so confirm before planning an overland arrival. Exit is possible through any authorised check post.

Carry a printed copy of your authorisation

Also good to know

  • A free India e-Arrival Card is filled in online within the 72 hours before arrival, on indianvisaonline.gov.in, boi.gov.in or the official Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app; it replaces the paper disembarkation card.
  • Protected and Restricted Areas, such as parts of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, need a separate permit on top of the e-Visa.
  • The e-Visa is not available to holders of diplomatic or official passports, to persons of Pakistani origin (including through a parent or grandparent born or resident in Pakistan), or to people with a defence, military or police background; they must apply for a regular visa.

Why applications get refused — and what we check

Photo or passport file outside the specifications

The photo must be a square JPEG between 10 KB and 1 MB, showing the full face from hair to chin, on a plain light or white background, without glasses or shadows. The passport page must be a PDF between 10 and 300 KB. Files outside these limits are rejected or returned for re-upload.

What we checkA careful agent checks file type, weight and square format, confirms the face is centred with no shadows or glasses, and opens the PDF to check the machine-readable zone is legible.

Names entered in the wrong order

Given names must include middle names, in the order printed in the passport. A missing middle name or swapped surname creates a mismatch between the ETA and the passport at immigration.

What we checkSurname and given names are copied from the passport's data page in printed order, and the result is compared with the machine-readable zone.

Undeclared origin or previous nationality

The form asks whether nationality was acquired by birth or naturalisation, any previous nationality, and visits to SAARC countries in the last 3 years. Persons of Pakistani origin are not eligible for the e-Visa, and omissions on these points lead to refusal.

What we checkThe traveller's nationality history and recent trips to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and other SAARC countries are listed before filing and declared in full.

Purpose outside the e-Tourist categories

The e-Tourist visa covers recreation, visiting friends or relatives, a short yoga programme, a short course of up to 6 months and short voluntary work without payment. Business meetings, medical treatment or journalism declared under it lead to refusal.

What we checkThe traveller's actual activities are matched against the e-Tourist sub-types, and anything else is routed to the e-Business, e-Medical or regular visa route.

What if…

Real situations our agents handle, and what to do.

Your flight lands at an airport not on the designated list
The e-Visa will not be accepted there. Re-route your first arrival through a designated airport, such as Delhi or Mumbai, and take the domestic connection after clearing immigration.
You want to stay 45 days
The 30-day e-Tourist visa cannot be extended. Apply for the 1-year e-Tourist visa instead, which allows longer visits with multiple entries.
You travel in May
For arrivals between April and June, the 30-day e-Tourist visa costs USD 10 instead of USD 25 for most nationalities, plus a bank charge of about 3 % (4 % with PayPal through SBIePay). The season is set by your arrival date, not the application date.
You spot a mistake after clicking Verified and continue
Nothing can be edited at that stage. File a new application with the correct details and pay again; the fee for the first one is not refunded.
You fly in from Nairobi after a safari
Kenya is a yellow fever risk country. Arriving within 6 days without a vaccination certificate can mean up to 6 days of quarantine, so carry the certificate in your hand luggage.

Questions travellers ask

How much does the India e-Tourist visa cost?
The fee depends on nationality. For the 30-day visa, most passports, including the French, British and US ones, pay USD 25 for arrivals from July to March and USD 10 from April to June, plus a bank charge of about 3 %. Some nationalities, such as Indonesia, Jamaica and Uruguay, pay nothing. The 1-year e-Tourist visa costs USD 40 for most nationalities, while the 5-year visa ranges from USD 160 for US citizens and USD 200 for most EU passports to USD 484 for British citizens, according to the official fee table. Payment goes through SBIePay, Axis Bank or Razorpay, PayPal included on some gateways, and is not refundable.
When can I apply?
At least 4 days and up to 120 days before your expected arrival date, according to the official e-Visa FAQ. The fee must also be paid at least 4 days before travel, or the application is not processed.
How do the multiple entries work?
The 30 days start on your first arrival, which must fall within the validity of your ETA. You can leave, for example to Nepal or Sri Lanka, and come back, provided each entry falls within those 30 days.
Which airports accept the e-Visa?
Only the designated check posts selectable on the portal, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and both Goa airports. You can leave India from any authorised check post.
Why are my parents' details required?
The Indian form asks for the father's and mother's names, nationalities and places of birth for every applicant, adults included. A spouse section also opens if you declare that you are married.
Who should I give as a reference in India?
A hotel or tour operator is accepted as the reference in India. You also need a reference contact in your home country.
Can I save the form and finish later?
Yes. Saving gives you a temporary application ID valid for 7 days. After you click Verified and continue, the details can no longer be changed.
How do I enter phone numbers?
Digits only, without the + sign. The portal rejects formatting characters, which is a common reason why the form refuses to move to the next page.
What is the India e-Arrival Card?
A free online arrival form, filled in within the 72 hours before arrival, which has replaced the paper disembarkation card. It is separate from the e-Visa, has no fee and is also required from OCI cardholders.
Can I visit Sikkim or Arunachal Pradesh?
Yes, but these states include Protected or Restricted Areas that need a separate permit for foreigners. The e-Visa alone does not cover them.
I used to be an Indian citizen. Can I use the e-Visa?
Former Indian citizens with another nationality can apply, but may be asked for the surrender certificate of their Indian passport. Holders of an OCI card need no visa at all.
How long can I stay on a 1-year or 5-year e-Tourist visa?
The official rule for the 1-year and 5-year e-Tourist visas is a maximum of 180 days in India per calendar year, with multiple entries throughout the visa's validity. Immigration can still grant a shorter stay at entry.

Other passports

The requirements above are for a Chadian passport. For another passport, change it in the price column or see the list.

Entry without a visaSee the 3 passportsPassports3StayUp to 90 daysGovernment feeNoneProcessingNone

3 passports enter India without a visa, for stays of up to 90 days. Nothing has to be filed before the flight to India: the passport is stamped at the border. What trips people up: India wants the passport valid 6 more months from the arrival date.

E-visa before departureSee the 157 passportsPassports157StayUp to 30 daysGovernment fee$0 to $25ProcessingUp to 3 days

157 passports need the e-visa for India, filed online before departure. The government fee for the e-visa for India is $0 to $25, and the authorities take up to 3 days. Apply at least 4 days before flying to India: the airline checks the e-visa at boarding.

Visa on arrivalSee the 3 passportsPassports3StayUp to 30 daysGovernment fee$25ProcessingUp to 3 days

3 passports get the visa at the border in India. The e-visa can be filed online instead, to skip the visa counter when landing in India. What trips people up: India checks the yellow fever certificate of travellers arriving from a risk country.

Visa from an embassySee the 35 passportsPassports35Stay—Government fee—ProcessingSet by the consulate
Your passport is in this group

35 passports need a visa from an embassy or consulate of India before travelling. Visaska does not file these visas: each consulate of India sets its own documents and delays, so book the appointment early.

Visaska is a private company, unaffiliated with any government. You can apply directly with the authorities at indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa.