India’s Ministry of Tourism has announced that foreign tourists visiting India on the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) will now be entitled to stay in the country for up to two months and have double entry benefits.
Beginning 1st April 2017, the new e-Visa guidelines permit a traveller to stay in the country for up to 60 days, with double entry for those holding valid business and tourist e-Visas, and triple entry for those holding medical e-Visas. This entitles visitors to explore neighbouring countries before returning to India within a specified time. The window for application to the e-Visa scheme has also increased from 30 days to 120 days.
The e-Visa for India, which was introduced in August 2015, has been sub-divided into three categories: e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa and e-Medical Visa. On arrival, the visitor must present the authorisation to immigration officials, in order to enter the country.
Applying for e-Visa
- e-Visa has three sub-categories: e-Tourist visa, e-Business Visa and e-Medical visa. A foreigner will be permitted to combine these categories.
- Applicants of the eligible countries/territories may apply online a minimum of four days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 120 days. For example: If you are applying on 1st September then the applicant can select an arrival date from 5th September to 2nd January.
- A recent front-facing photograph with white background and the photo page of the applicant’s Passport containing personal details such as name, date of birth, nationality, expiry date, etc, are to be uploaded mandatorily by the applicant. Additionally, one more document depending on the e-Visa type will also be required to be uploaded. The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded documents and photograph are not clear / as per specification.
- The e-Visa fee is country/territory specific. Bank transaction charges of 2.5% will be charged additionally on applicable e-Visa fees. The fee must be paid at least four days before the expected date of travel, otherwise the application will not be processed.
- The e-Visa fee, once submitted, is non-refundable as the fee is for processing of the application and is not dependent on either grant or rejection of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
- The applicant should carry a copy of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) along with him/her at the time of travel. The applicant should confirm that their ETA status is shown as ‘GRANTED’ on the website prior to commencement of their journey. Applicants can track the status of their application online by clicking on VisaStatus.
- Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at Immigration on arrival in India.
- The validity of an e-Visa will be 60 days from the date of arrival in India. Double entry is permitted on e-Tourist Visa and e-Business Visa. Triple entry is permitted on e-Medical Visa.
- An e-Visa is valid for entry through 24 designated airports (Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Calicut, Chennai, Chandigarh, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, and Varanasi) and three designated seaports (Cochin, Goa, Mangalore). However, the foreigner can exit from any of the authorised Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.
- This facility is in addition to the existing Visa services.
- An e-Visa can be availed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year, i.e. from January to December.
- An e-Visa is non-extendable, non-convertible and not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas. If the visitor intends to visit Protected/Restricted/Cantonment areas, they will require prior permission from the Civil Authority: please visit here.
- Be careful while making payment of the e-Visa fee. If the number of unsuccessful attempts is more than three, then the application ID will be blocked and the applicant will be required to apply afresh by filling the application form again and regenerating a new application ID.
- The e-Visa fee payment status update may take up to four hours due to technical reasons/network delays. Before re-applying, the applicants are requested to wait for four hours for payment status to update, after final submission of the application form and payment of the fee. In cases where an e-Visa fee has been deducted but status of the application has not updated, applicants are advised to verify their payment status by clicking on the ‘Verify Payment/Pay Visa Fee’ tab or by clicking on the link Verify Payment.
- Nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries or travellers arriving from these countries must carry a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card at the time of arrival in India, otherwise they may be quarantined for six days on arrival in India. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare latest guidelines regarding yellow fever countries are here.
- For any assistance call the 24×7 e-Visa support centre at +91-11-24300666 or send an email to [email protected]
How to Apply for e-Visa
Step 1: Apply online Upload Photo and Passport Page
Step 2: Pay visa fee online Using Credit / Debit card
Step 3: Receive e-Visa Online e-Visa will be sent to your e-mail
Step 4: Fly To India Print e-Visa, carry at the time of travel and present to necessary authorities
For more information about India, visit: www.incredibleindia.org
