India Visa Application
What is an India eVisa and when is it required?
When it comes to Indian eVisa application, the procedure requires you to answer and ask a million questions. Or let's say it is more of asking and answering questions to come out of the process. To help you understand the mechanism of filing an Indian Visa Application and what all you need to know, we have curated this article to at least answer and make you understand a few questions of yours.
What is an Indian eVisa?
Procuring Indian Visa by the online method of or eVisa India is the most viable option, secure, preferred, and trusted method of entering the country of India. Post COVID especially, paper or usual India Visa is not something anyone would suggest nor is it a very trustworthy method in the eyes of the Government of India. With rapid digitalization, such processes are now accessed and accepted online or through a soft copy.
An additional benefit to this process is that the passengers are not required to the travellers, they do not need to visit the local Indian Embassy/Consulate or any other High Commission to get access to Indian Visa as the visa now can be procured online. The Government of India has updated electronic travel authorisation or eTA for travelling purposes in India which permits citizens of 180 countries to traverse to the country of India without needing a physical stamping done on their respective passports. This new strategy of authorisation is called an eVisa India (Indian Visa Online) (abbreviated form of electronic India Visa).
Please note that it is because of this electronic India Visa Online that foreign visitors get permission to visit India for five crucial purposes, business meetings, short term or long term courses, medical visits or various types of conferences. There are further sub-categories that are branching out under each visa type mentioned here.
The Application process
As the name itself suggests, India Visa application process for an eVisa India is executed entirely online. Travelers are not required to go and visit any Indian Embassy or Indian high commission or any associated government office of India. The whole process of application from top to bottom can be processed on the website itself. Post COVID-19 it is all the more and imaginable to go and procure your visa from an office.
Kindly note that before an eVisa India (Indian Visa Online) or electronic Indian Visa online is structured, you might be required to attend to various questions related to your family, parents, relationship and spouse name. You might also be asked to upload your passport scan copy. If you face any difficulty in uploading these required documents or answer any questions as per demand, then in any case you can always check the website for contact details and requests for support and assistance (primarily through mail or a phone number).
If you happen to visit India for business purposes, you might be required to provide reference to the Indian company where you plan to make your visit. The entire process of application on average takes about a few minutes (given your net connection is working just fine). In case you get stuck at any point, you can always contact and ask for help from the Indian Visa Help Desk.
Requirements
- Details to be filled in the form
- Your current address details
- Your valid email address
- Payment to be done through Debit/Credit card
- Carrying a good character and clear from any criminal history
The application form will need you to answer certain personal questions, character details and basic passport details. Once you have made the payment online, then based on the type of visa you have applied for, a link is forwarded to you through an email requesting you to upload your passport scan copy. The scanning of your passport for eVisa India (Indian Visa Online) can also be done from your mobile phone. A photograph of your face is also required to be attached in the mail.
If you are planning your visit for business purposes, then you will be required to present a visiting card or business card for an Indian Business Visa. If you are visiting for or a medical purpose, then you will be required to present a copy or a picture of a letter written from the hospital or clinic where you are planning to get treated. In any scenario, you are not required to upload your documents immediately. This can happen after the evaluation process of your application has been passed.
You will be required to go through the details of the requirements of the application form and in case you face any problems in attaching or uploading your documents, then you can contact the concerned person through mail or reach out to the Help Desk for Indian Visa.
Types of Indian eVisa
There are primarily five recognised types of Indian eVisa (India Visa online application process)
- For the purpose of tourism, the visa issued is Indian e-Tourist Visa
- For the purpose of business meets, the visa issued is Indian e-Business Visa
- For the purpose of a medical emergency, the visa issued is an Indian e-Medical Visa
- For medical attendant reasons, the visa issued is Indian e-MedicalAttendant Visa
- For the purpose of attending a conference, the visa issued is the Indian e-Conference Visa
Tourist visas are available for the purpose of tourism, such as visiting relatives or friends, visiting a place for the purpose of tour and travel, for sightseeing purposes, for attending a yoga program or for some unpaid volunteer assistance. If you plan on applying for an Indian Visa, then written below are the reasons for which you will be eligible to acquire it.
Visas that are issued for business purposes can only be acquired for trading, purchasing, selling or buying, to attend business meetings, for a start-up, to be on a business tour, to attend a seminar or deliver lectures to recruit students, to take part in exhibitions and participate in trade fairs, or to behave as an expert who is here for the requirement of a special project. You will always be required to describe your purpose in full detail. If your meeting fulfils the criteria mentioned above, then you are eligible for the process of visa application.
What documents are required for Indian Visa Application
For the documents required for your eVisa India (Indian Visa Online) application, you will be required to give a picture of only your face photograph and a passport sized picture for the bio page considering you are visiting for the purpose of tourism or any short term course or any sort of recreational activity. In case you plan your visit for some business purpose or a technical endeavour, in that case, you will also be required to upload a scanned picture of your signature or share a scanned photo of your business card, in addition to the requirements above.
In case your visit is for a medical purpose, you will be required to show us a letter from the concerned hospital. These are the primary known documents that you are required to show to progress with your application process. The process however may require more documents or presentations depending on the kind of visa you are applying for and your purpose of visit.
What is the Payment Procedure for Indian Visa Application
After successfully completing your application form, you can make the payment in 132 different currencies as per your convenience. The payment is generally made through debit or cheque or credit or Paypal methods. Kindly note that you will be receiving your receipt via email after you have completed your payment and not anywhere else. The payment is generally charged in USD and it gets converted for your India visa application.
The process is smooth and transaction takes place in no time. Make sure you receive the receipt after payment. If not, you can always contact the help desk mentioned at the website. If it occurs that you find it difficult to process the payment for your Indian eVisa, then in all probability it can be that the international transaction is temporarily being blocked by the server of your bank or debit card company.
In such a scenario you can always dial the phone number written at the back of your credit or debit card and make one more attempt for the payment. This should resolve your issue at one go. If it does not, you can always contact the helpdesk mentioned at the website.
Airports and Seaports Valid for eVisa use
EVisa India (Indian Visa Online) (electronic India Visa, which is the same as Indian Visa) is operational only on certain designated airports and Seaports to enter the country of India. To place it this way, not every airport and seaport in India will permit entry into India on eVisa India (Indian Visa Online). As a traveller, it is solely your responsibility to check and make sure that your itinerary gives you the right to use this electronic India Visa. However, if you happen to enter India from a land border, then in that scenario, your electronic India Visa (eVisa India (Indian Visa Online)) will not come into use for your journey. Read the latest port of entry for Indian eVisa.
For Airports
These are the 29 airports in India that permits passengers to enter the country of India on their Indian eVisa.
- Ahmedabad
- Amritsar
- Bagdogra
- Bengaluru
- Bhubaneshwar
- Calicut
- Chennai
- Chandigarh
- Cochin
- Coimbatore
- Delhi
- Gaya
- Goa
- Guwahati
- Hyderabad
- Jaipur
- Kolkata
- Kannur
- Lucknow
- Madurai
- Mangalore
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- Port Blair
- Pune
- Tiruchirapalli
- Trivandrum
- Varanasi
- Vishakhapatnam
For Seaports:
To facilitate the movement of Cruise ship passengers, easy facility of the below mentioned five major Indian seaports have been made eligible by the government of India for electronic India Visa holder (abbreviated: eVisa India (Indian Visa Online)).
- Chennai
- Cochin
- Goa
- Mangalore
- Mumbai
Exit Ports
While you are easily permitted to enter the soil of India on your electronic India Visa (abbreviated: eVisa India (Indian Visa Online)) through only two means of transport: by Sea and by Air. Nonetheless, you are only allowed to exit or leave India on your electronic India Visa (abbreviated: eVisa India (Indian Visa Online)) by four different means of transport, such as, by Sea, by Rail, by Air (Plane) and via bus. Sea. Mentioned below are the recognised Immigration Check Points (ICPs) which give permit for exit from the soil of India. Read the latest ports of exit for Indian eVisa.
Recognised Airport Check Points
- Ahmedabad
- Amritsar
- Bagdogra
- Bengaluru
- Bhubaneshwar
- Calicut
- Chennai
- Chandigarh
- Cochin
- Coimbatore
- Delhi
- Gaya
- Goa
- Guwahati
- Hyderabad
- Jaipur
- Kannur
- Kolkata
- Lucknow
- Madurai
- Mangalore
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- Port Blair
- Pune
- Srinagar
- Surat
- Tiruchirapalli
- Tirupati
- Trivandrum
- Varanasi
- Vijayawada
- Vishakhapatnam
Recognised Land ICPs:
- Attari Road
- Akhaura
- Banbasa
- Changrabandha
- Dalu
- Dawki
- Dhalaighat
- Gauriphanta
- Ghojadanga
- Haridaspur
- Hili
- Jaigaon
- Jogbani
- Kailashahar
- Karimgang
- Khowal
- Lalgolaghat
- Mahadipur
- Mankachar
- Moreh
- Muhurighat
- Radhikapur
- Ragna
- Ranigunj
- Raxaul
- Rupaidiha
- Sabroom
- Sonouli
- Srimantapur
- Sutarkandi
- Phulbari
- Kawarpuchia
- Zorinpuri
- Zokhawthar
Recognised Seaports
- Alang
- Bedi Bunder
- Bhavnagar
- Calicut
- Chennai
- Cochin
- Cuddalore
- Kakinada
- Kandla
- Kolkata
- Mandvi
- Mormagoa Harbour
- Mumbai Seaport
- Nagapattinum
- Nhava Sheva
- Paradeep
- Porbandar
- Port Blair
- Tuticorin
- Vishakapatnam
- New Mangalore
- Vizhinjam
- Agati and Minicoy Island Lakshdwip UT
- Vallarpadam
- Mundra
- Krishnapatnam
- Dhubri
- Pandu
- Nagaon
- Karimganj
- Kattupalli
Citizens of many countries including United Kingdom citizens, Latvian citizens, Irish citizens, Mexican citizens and Ecuadorian citizens are eligible to apply for Indian e-Visa.