How to Get a Visa to Visit India - Tourist Visa Guide

Almost every foreign visitor to India needs a visa before arrival. The good news is that for the great majority of tourists, applying for an Indian visa is now an entirely online process — no embassy visit, no courier service, no agent required. This guide walks through the practical steps, the documents you need, and a few common mistakes that catch first-time applicants.

Important: Indian visa rules change from time to time. Always verify the current requirements for your nationality on the official Government of India e-Visa portal — indianvisaonline.gov.in — before you apply. The information below is general guidance for tourists and does not replace official government information.

Note: A valid visa is no longer enough on its own. Since 1 October 2025, every foreign visitor must also complete a free online e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before flying to India. Plan to file both.

Which kind of visa do you need?

For a standard holiday or short business trip, you have two main options:

e-Visa (electronic visa). The simplest and most popular option. Applied for online; approval comes by email; no sticker is placed in your passport. Most leisure visitors qualify. Available to nationals of around 160 countries.
Regular sticker visa. Issued by an Indian Embassy, Consulate, or VFS Global centre in your country. Needed if you don't qualify for an e-Visa, want a longer stay, or plan to enter at a port not designated for e-Visa entry.

For most readers of this site — tourists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the EU, and many other countries — the e-Tourist Visa is the right path.

e-Tourist Visa - the three main durations

The e-Tourist visa is currently issued in three variants:

30-day e-Tourist Visa — double entry, valid for 30 days from the date of arrival.
1-year e-Tourist Visa — multiple entry, valid for one year from the date of issue.
5-year e-Tourist Visa — multiple entry, valid for five years from the date of issue.

The cost of a multiple-entry visa is often the same as, or only slightly more than, a single-entry one. If you might cross over to Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka or any other neighbouring country during your trip, choose a multiple-entry visa. Otherwise you cannot return to India on the same visa once you leave.

When to apply

The e-Visa system is intentionally close to the trip — you do not apply months ahead. As a rule of thumb:

Apply at least 4 days before your planned arrival in India.
Apply no more than 30 days before arrival for the 30-day visa (longer windows apply to the 1-year and 5-year variants — check the portal).
Most approvals arrive within 24-72 hours of submission, but allow extra time in case the system asks for clarification.

Do not leave it to the last minute. If something is wrong with your photograph or your passport scan and the application is returned, you will need to reapply.

Documents and information you will need

Have the following ready before you start the online form:

Your passport with at least six months of validity beyond your intended date of arrival in India, and at least two blank pages.
A clear colour scan or photo of the passport bio page (the page with your photo and details), in PDF format.
A recent passport-style photograph of yourself: full face, plain white background, no glasses, no head covering (unless worn for religious reasons), in JPEG format. Indian visa photos must be square (the system will reject portrait-shaped photos).
A credit or debit card that works internationally to pay the visa fee.
Travel details — your expected arrival and departure dates, the airport you will arrive at, and the address of your first hotel or host in India.
A working email address — your visa approval (called an "ETA") is sent there.

It also helps to have a printed or PDF copy of your return or onward ticket and your first hotel booking confirmation, in case immigration in India asks to see them on arrival. They rarely do, but it does happen.

Step-by-step: applying online

Go to the official Government of India e-Visa portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in. Be careful — many lookalike commercial sites charge a "service fee" on top of the government fee for exactly the same form. There is no advantage to using them.
Click e-Visa and select e-Tourist Visa (or the category that matches your purpose of visit).
Fill in the application. You will need your passport number, full name exactly as it appears on the passport, date of birth, country of birth, parents' names, and your trip details.
Upload your passport bio page and your photograph. The portal validates both and will reject them if they fail the format check.
Review the application carefully. Spelling errors in your name or passport number will cause problems at immigration.
Pay the visa fee using your credit or debit card. The fee depends on your nationality and the visa duration.
You will receive an Application ID on screen and by email. Save it. You will use it to track your application and to download your ETA.
Wait for the email confirming the visa has been granted. The email contains your Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) as a PDF.
Print the ETA and bring it with you. It is also a good idea to keep a copy on your phone. You will be asked for it at check-in by your airline and again at immigration on arrival in India.

What happens at the airport

When you land in India, queue at the e-Visa counter (separate from regular foreign-passport queues at most airports). Have your passport and printed ETA ready. The immigration officer will take your fingerprints and a photograph, stamp the visa into your passport, and you are through.

For a smoother arrival, also see our detailed guide on arriving in India for the first time.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few patterns come up again and again with first-time applicants:

Using a third-party "visa service" website. They charge two to four times the official fee for filling in the same form you can fill in yourself. Some are outright scams.
Photo rejected for wrong dimensions or background. The Indian system is strict — square photo, plain white background, full face visible.
Name mismatch. Enter your name exactly as it appears on the machine-readable line at the bottom of your passport bio page, including middle names.
Passport too close to expiry. Renew your passport first if you have less than six months of validity remaining beyond your planned departure date.
Arriving at a non-designated port. e-Visa holders must arrive at one of the airports or seaports listed on the portal. The major international airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Cochin, Goa, Ahmedabad and others — are all designated, but smaller entry points may not be.
Single-entry visa when you wanted multiple entry. If you plan a side trip to Nepal, Bhutan or Sri Lanka, this is a costly mistake — you cannot return to India on a single-entry visa once you leave.

If your trip is more complicated

The e-Tourist Visa covers ordinary holidays and short visits to friends or family. If your situation is different — long-term study, employment, journalism, attending a conference, medical treatment, or visiting a restricted area like parts of the North-East, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Lakshadweep or Ladakh — you may need a different visa category or an additional Protected Area Permit or Restricted Area Permit. The portal lists every category and the documents required.

A few practical tips before you go

Take photocopies of your passport bio page and the page that will hold your visa stamp. Keep one set with you and leave another at home. It saves a lot of time if your passport is ever lost or stolen.
Carry a few extra passport-size photographs. They come in handy for SIM cards, hotel registration, and any restricted-area permit you might need on the road. See our pre-trip checklist for the full list.
Save the e-Visa portal email address and your Application ID until you are safely home. If you need to query the visa or extend your stay, you will need the Application ID.
Check your government's travel advisory for India before you finalise plans. Links to the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand advisories are on our government travel advisory page.

Final word

For most visitors, getting an Indian tourist visa is a straightforward online task that takes less than half an hour to apply for and a couple of days to receive. The keys to a smooth experience are using only the official portal, getting the photograph right the first time, and choosing a multiple-entry visa if there is any chance you will leave and re-enter India. Once the ETA email arrives in your inbox, you can put visa worries aside and start planning the rest of your trip.