Visa is technically the official authorization granting traveler access to the areas of a foreign country. Previously the traveller needed to get the visa approval through Indian embassies situated in their vicinity. Now the Indian government has started an e-Visa facility which enables the traveler belonging to a list of around 162 countries to apply for visa online. The e-Visa application process is fully online. Soft copies of relevant documents need to be uploaded online and the visa approval documents are also mailed directly to the applicants. The traveler just have to carry a hard copy of the visa approval documents for presenting it to the Immigration officers in India. Here we try to breakdown the whole visa application process into easy to follow steps to help the online applicants make an informed decision.
Who Can Apply e-Visa Online?:
Passport holders of 162 countries including the United States, are eligible to apply for the Indian visa (e-Visa) online. Applicants of the eligible countries are requested to apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 180 days. e-Visa is valid for 60 days from the date of arrival. The visa must be availed within its period of validity. The e-Visa India for the purpose of Tourism and Business will be valid for two entries and for Medical purpose it will be valid for Three entries from the date of the first arrival date in India. e-Visa is allowed for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year.
Step 1: Check whether your name appears in the list:-:
e-Visa services are available to inhabitants of around 162 countries. The international applicants can check if their country's name appear in this updated list of countries eligible for applying for e-Visa. The tourists of Pakistani origin cannot apply for e-Visa facilities and need to apply directly through Indian embassies in their area.
Albania, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameron Union Republic, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Chile, China, China- SAR Hong Kong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger Republic, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal , Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Step 2: Decide which type of e-Visa you need to apply for::
he e-Visa services have been categorized into three types and the applicant has to choose any one of them depending on their purpose of visit to India. Below we have listed the types of e-Visas, the purposes they serve and the essential documents required in order to apply for them. The applicants are allowed to club together these categories.
(a) e-Tourist visa for India:- The International tourists whose purpose of visit is sight-seeing, meeting acquaintances or is recreational in nature can opt for e-Tourist visa. The applicants need to upload the soft copy of the front page of their passports in order to apply for e-Tourist visa for India.
(b) e-Medical visa for India:- This type of visa is issued to those tourists whose sole purpose of visit in India is to get medical treatment. A maximum of two attendants per patient who are blood relatives are also allowed entry. They have to apply separately as only one person is allowed per visa approval. Tourists applying for e-Tourist visa have to upload the soft copy of the front pages of their passport and a soft copy of the approval of the Indian medical institution where the treatment is going to be held.
(c) e-Business visa for India:- Tourists who want to visit India for business purposes need to apply for e-Business visa. The required documents in the case of e-Business visa is the soft copy of the front page of their passports as well as the soft copy of their business cards. Businessmen coming here to deliver lectures or to attend conferences need to upload the invitation received from the concerned Indian organization/institute Note: The Invitations/recommendations and other paperwork needs to be submitted in English language only. Noncompliance may lead to rejection of the application.
Step 3: Ensure that you apply for e-Visa within the stipulated time frame:-:
After deciding which type of e-Visa the applicant needs to apply for he/she can move forward towards applying for the e-Visa. The applicants have to apply for e-Visas at least 4 days prior to their date of arrival in India. The e-Visa application can be applied maximum 120 days prior to the applicant's date of arrival to India in case the tourists don't want to get caught in the last minute rush.
Step 4: Check if the airport/seaport where you are landing in India has immigration facilities:-:
The Government of India has provided for immigration facilities at almost all the major airports as well as seaports of India. The International visitors need to ascertain if they are arriving at these designated airports/seaports. Below we have provided the list of airports and seaports where immigration facilities are available.
Airports:-:
Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Calicut, Chennai, Chandigarh,Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Varanasi & Vishakhapatnam
Seaports::
Cochin, Goa, Mangalore
Step 5::
Apply online at our website: After ensuring that they have fulfilled all the aforementioned criteria, the applicants can apply online at our website where our team of dedicated professionals will assist them throughout this whole procedure of getting visa approval. We assure you that your records are safe with us and won't be shared with any other organization or entity.
Point to note:-:
e-Visa approval is the sole authority of concern department of Government of India and www.etaindia.org is not accountable in any way for denial of visa approvals by the official authorities for whatsoever reasons. However we shall provide proof to the applicants confirming the denial of their e-Visa applications. For any assistance you may contact customer care number 24x7 and mail us at
[email protected].
