Under certain circumstances foreign tourists and business travellers can stay in India for up to two months, if they have an e-visa. With earlier visas, it wasn’t possible to stay in India for an extended period; a maximum staying limit of thirty days applied. This means that India has doubled the length of stay.
This was announced by the Home Office minister, Rajnath Singh. The authorities in India have agreed with the plan. This would make it easier for tourists to apply for a visa, as they can now stay longer.
Staying longer in India due to the new visa rules
New requirements for visas
For all visas, new requirements apply. This means that both the digital business visa, the medical visa and the tourist online visa have new requirements. With the new visa, tourists can travel to neighboring countries like Bhutan, and then return to India without problems.
The government has set new rules surrounding the visa, to make tourism and business trips more appealing. Furthermore, the e-visa is also meant to attract potential investors.
The digital India visa is divided into three different categories: the e-tourist visa, the e-business visa and the e-medical visa. For all three visas, a maximum staying duration of two months applies. Most visas are issued within 72 hours.
The Home Office minister has furthermore announced that several new counters have been opened to help medical tourists when they arrive at the airport.
Medical tourism India
Tourists with a medical visa can get help during their stay. They can go to the counters at the airports of: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Huderebad. Furthermore, a new visa was introduced: the F-visa. This allows you to stay in India for up to a year.
Another Indian visa is the intern visa. This is meant for travellers wishing to complete an internship in India. The new rules make it possible for travellers of 161 countries to quickly and easily apply for a visa. The visa also offers access to the various seaports, including: Cochin, Goa and Mangalore.
Biometric identification
India will also be making more use of modern techniques, such as implementing a biometric visa. With a biometric visa, travellers can stay in India for up to five years on a tourist or business visa.
Indian visa application
Finding information about this visa and applying for an Indian visa online can be easily done through this website. Applying through the application form takes about 15 minutes and can be done 24 hours a day. It’s possible to include multiple people in a single visa application. The cost of the visa is € 59,95 per person and is usually issued within 4 workdays. India doesn’t have an automated system yet, so it takes an average of two days to issue an Indian visa.
It’s also possible to submit an urgent application. For an added fee, these visa are granted priority. It is not possible to offer a guarantee regarding delivery, even when urgent. This means that tourists would do well to apply for their visa well on time.
Do I need to print the visa?
The e-visa India is a digital document. However, it’s still advised to print the document and take it along when leaving for India, according to the Home Office minister Singh. India checks for valid passports and visas. Make sure you have these documents at hand. With the e-visa, the applicant receives the visa within 4 workdays by e-mail.
On arrival, the traveller needs to present the visa to the immigration service in India. Once the document is approved, you are granted access to the country.
Please note: this news article about the visa for India is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for India.