India Tourist visa
The Tourist e-Visa is the dominant route into India for eligible nationalities, lodged on indianvisaonline.gov.in with most clean decisions arriving inside 72 hours. The paper sticker visa, processed through VFS centres on behalf of the consulate, remains the only option for several nationalities and for any land-border arrival. Both processing time and fee are listed as Varies because consular charges depend on nationality and on the chosen variant — 30-day double-entry, one-year, or five-year — alongside the application route. The e-Visa is restricted to a specified list of airports and seaports that the Ministry of External Affairs updates periodically, and arrivals at non-listed gateways are turned away. Some destinations within India — Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman interior, and parts of the North-East — also require Inner Line, Protected Area, or Restricted Area Permits issued separately from the tourist visa.
| Visa required | Varies — verify on the official source |
|---|---|
| e-Visa available | Yes (source) |
| Processing time | 3–5 days (source) |
| Visa fee | 40 USD (source) |
Requirements
e-Tourist Visa eligibility
- Hold a passport from a nationality on the current e-Tourist Visa eligibility list; otherwise apply for the paper sticker through VFS.
- Hold a passport with at least six months' validity beyond the planned arrival and at least two blank pages.
- Plan to arrive at one of the designated airports or seaports — land-border arrivals are not covered.
- Provide a travel itinerary, accommodation evidence, and bank statements demonstrating sufficient funds.
- Upload a square-crop photograph (white background, full face, no glasses) and a passport bio-page scan meeting the portal's strict format rules.
- For trips covering Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman interior, or parts of the North-East: arrange Inner Line, Protected Area, or Restricted Area Permits separately.
- Carry a yellow-fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a listed country.
- Comply with the validity rules of the chosen variant (30-day double-entry, one-year, or five-year) and the per-stay maximum specified on the grant.
Documents checklist
For the e-Tourist Visa, every document is uploaded inside indianvisaonline.gov.in; for the paper sticker, the same set is delivered to a VFS centre, with originals usually verified at the counter.
- Passport with at least six months' validity beyond the planned arrival and at least two blank pages.
- Bio-page scan of the passport (PDF) within the portal's file-size limit.
- Recent photograph: square crop, white background, full face, no glasses, sharp focus.
- Confirmed travel itinerary arriving at a designated e-Visa airport or seaport (paper applicants are not bound to that list).
- Hotel reservation or invitation letter covering each night of stay.
- Bank statements demonstrating sufficient funds for the trip.
- Letter of invitation from an Indian host, with their ID and address proof, where applicable.
- Yellow-fever vaccination certificate for arrivals from listed countries.
- Protected Area Permit or Restricted Area Permit if visiting Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman interior, or parts of the North-East — separate from the visa.
- Printout of the e-Visa or ETA email — keep one with the boarding documents even though the visa is digital.
Application steps
- Confirm e-Visa eligibility for the passport and that the planned arrival airport or seaport is on the designated list; otherwise apply for the paper sticker through VFS.
- Open indianvisaonline.gov.in and start an e-Tourist Visa application — choose between the 30-day double-entry, one-year, or five-year products based on travel plans.
- Complete the form, providing personal details, travel itinerary, and accommodation; upload a passport bio-page scan and a square-crop photo with a white background.
- Pay the visa fee online by international card at the rate the portal displays for the chosen nationality and variant.
- Wait for the decision — most clean cases issue inside 72 hours, with peak-season files taking a few days longer.
- Download and print the ETA email; keep one printed copy with the boarding documents.
- If the trip includes Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman interior, or parts of the North-East, arrange Inner Line, Protected Area, or Restricted Area Permits separately.
- Travel to India, present the passport and printed ETA at the immigration counter, and submit to biometric capture on arrival.
Processing time
3–5 days (source) (typical). Processing times may vary.
Visa cost
Fee (from our data): 40 USD (source) . Fees are subject to change; check the official source before applying.
The fee for an Indian tourist visa is listed as Varies because it depends on nationality, the variant selected (30-day e-Visa, 1-year e-Visa, 5-year e-Visa, or paper sticker), and the application route.
The amount the portal or consulate charges covers consular processing and issuance; bank-handling charges on the e-Visa portal, VFS service fees on paper applications, and any courier return fee are billed separately. Cards are accepted directly on indianvisaonline.gov.in; paper-route fees are usually paid at the VAC.
Indian visa fees are reviewed periodically, so the live figure should be checked on the official portal before completing payment.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most application errors on the Indian tourist visa cluster around photo and passport-scan quality, around the airport list for the e-Visa, and around permits beyond the visa itself. The mistakes below come up repeatedly on indianvisaonline.gov.in and at VFS counters.
- Submitting a photograph that fails the portal's strict format. The e-Visa portal requires a square crop, white background, full face, no glasses, and tight file-size bounds. The single largest cause of e-Visa rejection is photo non-compliance, not substantive concerns.
- Choosing the wrong validity variant. The 30-day double-entry product, the one-year, and the five-year e-Tourist Visa carry different fees and entry rules. Pick the variant that matches the planned trip — a one-year visa for a single two-week holiday wastes the higher fee.
- Flying into a non-listed airport or seaport. The e-Tourist Visa is restricted to a list of designated gateways that the Ministry of External Affairs updates periodically. A flight that lands at a non-listed airport will be turned around even with an approved visa.
- Trying to enter India by land on an e-Visa. Land-border arrivals are not covered by the e-Tourist Visa — the paper sticker route through VFS is the only option for overland entry from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, or Myanmar.
- Forgetting Inner Line and Restricted Area Permits. Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman interior, and parts of the North-East require separate permits issued in addition to the visa. Some of these are only granted to organised tour groups and need lodgement weeks in advance.
- Trying to extend the e-Visa onshore. Standard tourist visas are generally not extendable inside India; the FRRO grants extensions only in narrowly defined emergencies. Plan the trip to fit inside the granted validity, and exit before expiry.
- Filing one application for an entire family. Each traveller, including infants, needs an individual e-Visa or paper visa with their own form, photograph, and fee. Family lodgements run in parallel rather than as a single grouped file.
Country context & recent trends
Recent rule changes
The Ministry of External Affairs has expanded the e-Tourist Visa to a wide list of nationalities, with three validity variants — 30-day double-entry, one-year, and five-year — and a designated list of arrival airports and seaports. Land-border arrivals remain on the paper sticker route through VFS. The e-Visa airport list is updated periodically, so confirm the planned arrival gateway before booking.
Peak-season patterns
October through March is the heaviest tourism window — cooler weather, the festival season, and the Christmas-New Year peak. e-Tourist Visa volumes spike accordingly, and decision times can drift from the typical 72-hour window into several days during the peak. Lodge at least a week ahead of departure.
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman interior, and parts of the North-East require Inner Line, Protected Area, or Restricted Area Permits issued separately from the visa. Some of these are only granted to organised tour groups and need lodgement weeks in advance.
How it compares to nearby destinations
For travellers thinking about a wider South Asian itinerary, India's tourist programme sits alongside Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan — each running on a different model.
| Destination | Visa required | Typical processing | Indicative fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| India (e-Tourist Visa) | Yes for many | Varies | Varies |
| Sri Lanka (ETA) | Yes | ~ 24–48 hours | ~ 50 USD |
| Nepal (Visa on Arrival) | Yes | On arrival | ~ 30–125 USD by duration |
| Bhutan (Tourist permit) | Yes | ~ 5 working days through tour operator | ~ 100 USD/day Sustainable Development Fee |
India is the most flexible of these options for self-organised travel; Bhutan in particular is normally visited via a registered tour operator with a daily sustainable-development fee on top.
Frequently asked questions
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Should I apply for the e-Visa or the paper sticker?
The e-Tourist Visa is the practical default for eligible nationalities arriving at designated airports and seaports, with quick online lodgement and a printed ETA email at the airport. The paper sticker remains the only option for nationalities outside the e-Visa list and for any land-border entry.
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How fast is the e-Visa typically issued?
Most e-Tourist Visas decide within 72 hours, with peak-season files taking a few days longer. Apply at least four working days before departure, and longer for paper sticker applications submitted through VFS.
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Why does the fee say Varies?
Tourist visa fees differ by nationality, by validity (30-day, one-year, five-year), and by application route, so a single figure cannot capture the whole schedule. The portal or VFS centre displays the live charge for the chosen combination at the payment step.
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Can I extend an e-Tourist Visa from inside India?
Standard tourist visas are generally not extendable inside India; the FRRO grants extensions only in narrowly defined emergency situations such as medical incapacity. Plan the trip to fit inside the granted validity, and exit before expiry.
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Are there permits beyond the visa I should know about?
Yes — Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, the Andaman & Nicobar interior, and parts of the North-East require Inner Line, Protected Area, or Restricted Area Permits issued separately. Some of these are only granted to organised tour groups and need lodgement weeks in advance.
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Can children apply on a parent's tourist visa?
Each traveller, including infants, needs an individual e-Visa or paper visa with their own application, photograph, and fee. Family lodgements run in parallel rather than as a single grouped file.
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What if my e-Visa is rejected?
The most common reason for rejection is photo or passport-scan quality rather than substantive concerns. Fix the technical issue and lodge again, or switch to the paper sticker route via VFS where the e-Visa option keeps failing.