30-Day Indian e-Visa for British Citizens

British citizens are eligible for the Indian 30-day e-Visa. They can also apply for an e-Conference visa, valid for thirty days. Read more about the one-month electronic visa to India in this guide below. 

Who is Eligible

The e-Visa facility only applies to nationals of the United Kingdom (British citizens).  

Exceptions

Please note that the India e-Visa is not available to the following:  

• British subjects  

• British protected person  

• British overseas citizen  

• British national (overseas)  

• British dependent territories citizen  

• British citizens of Pakistani origin  

• OCI Cardholders residing in Britain do not require a visa/e-visa to India  

India has introduced an eVisa for yoga, aiming to attract global yoga enthusiasts and bolster its wellness tourism by providing easy access to the country’s rich yogic traditions and programs.

30-day Indian e-Visa vs e-conference visa

The 30-day Indian e-Tourist Visa offers British visitors double entry for a month. It is suitable for tourism purposes. In contrast, the single-entry e-Conference Visa, also valid for 30 days, is designed for attendees of conferences. It requires organisers to upload details to the Ministry of Home Affairs website.  

Thus, while both visas have a 30-day validity, their purposes and entry allowances differ significantly.  

One-Month Tourist e-Visa

Both groups, as well as individual tourists, can apply for a one-month tourist e-Visa. The details are as follows:  

Entries: Double.  

Duration: One month.  

Visa Type: For tourism purposes (it is non-extendable and non-convertible)  

Image Specifications: British applicant's recent coloured photograph of 2 inches X 2 inches in dimension. The size must be less than 1MB. See full image upload specifications.

Passport: Copy of passport page containing personal particulars in PDF format.

Stay: e-Visa permits a continuous stay of up to 30 days from the date of entry into India.

Processing time: It varies depending on the month and time of the year.  

Cost: 8.19 GBP (April to June) and 20.47 GBP (July to March). Bank charges of 2.5% will also be applicable.  

Tip: When applying for the 30-day e-Visa, ensure the travel date is not later than the application date.   

For example, if the applicant is applying on 10th November on the India e-Visa portal, the maximum date of entry a British tourist can fill in the form will be 10th December, not 11th December.  

Purpose of Visit

British passport holders must choose the reason for their visit when applying for an electronic visa to India.   

British applicants must choose one eligible activity from the list provided on the e-Visa portal:  

• Tourism, recreation, and sightseeing  

• Meeting friends/relatives  

• Short-term yoga program  

• Short-term courses on local languages, music, dance, arts and crafts, cooking, medicine, etc. However, it should not be a formal or structured course/program. Therefore, the duration of courses must not exceed 6 months, and institutions must not issue them with a qualifying certificate/diploma, etc.  

• Voluntary work of short duration is allowed. It must be for a maximum period of one month. Additionally, it must not involve any monetary payment or consideration of any kind in return.  

Important Note: Point of Confusion

The Indian e-Visa system can be a bit confusing when it comes to understanding the validity period of the visa. Officially, the India e-Visa portal mentions that the maximum stay for tourists is 30 days.

However, there's an interesting point to note: the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that an e-Tourist Visa can be granted for up to 60 days with the option of double entry. This discrepancy might be due to how the visa's issuance and expiry dates are calculated.

Example

Imagine a tourist is granted a 30-day e-Visa on November 3rd. If he/she enters India right away, the visa will expire on December 2nd. This aligns with the 30-day limit.

Here's where it gets interesting: if the same tourist enters India later, say on December 1st, his/her 30-day stay gets recalculated from his/her date of entry. So, he/she can now stay until December 30th. In this way, the e-Visa offers a bit of flexibility in terms of travel planning.

Advice for British Travelers

For British tourists, it's important to understand this flexibility in the e-Visa validity. While the visa can be issued for up to 60 days before the travel date, the actual duration of stay in India is capped at 30 days from the date of entry.

This means that while a British tourist can plan the trip well in advance, he/she needs to be mindful of the 30-day stay limit once he/she enters India. However, Natvisa advises British travelers to make inquiries before visiting the country.  

Conclusion

British applicants applying for the one-month tourist e-Visa should be aware that it is the most affordable option for short trips to India. The 1-year tourist e-Visa is a good option for longer trips or those wanting more flexibility. The 5-year Tourist e-Visa is the best option for frequent travelers or those wanting to stay for longer periods.  

Understanding the rules and duration limits of the Indian 30-day e-Visa is crucial for British citizens planning a short-term visit to the country.