Colorful, mystic and incredible, that is how a travel enthusiast would describe India. Planning a trip to India could be exciting, but can be a little frustrating if travelers are not familiar with the processes and documents required to get an Indian eVisa. Here’s what international travelers need to know about applying for an Indian eVisa.
Before Applying
Applying for an Indian eVisa is an easy, straightforward and online process. However, it is always good to be prepared. The Indian government is strict about the documents needed and about their sizes and resolution.
Read the instructions and details of required documents carefully, make a checklist and gather all the documents before starting the application process. Make sure to choose the right jurisdiction based on the applicant’s address and select an Indian consulate that is nearby.
Applicants must read the application form carefully and enter error-free information and ensure to verify the data before clicking the submit button.
Even a spelling error can cause delays in visa processing.
Travelers can apply through the website of the Indian government operations of which is outsourced to VFS Global, a private agency.
The website provides detailed instructions in English for foreign nationals about the application process.
Tips to Expedite the Application Process
Download Latest Software: The Indian visa application website works the best in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Windows version 9 and above. Applicants also must install Adobe Acrobat Reader to download and print the application form.
It is important to print the eVisa once it is delivered to the registered email address.
The immigration officers at the international airports in India will verify the printed copy of the eVisa before allowing entry.
Gather all the Required Documents: Keeping all the documents in handy can speed up the application process. Check if the documents are in proper order.
For example, to apply for an India visa, the passport of the applicant should have a minimum validity of six months and two blank pages. It is important to check the validity of the passport before starting the application process.
Applicants can also go through the immigration department’s website (https://boi.gov.in.) for information about documents needed.
They can also refer to the sample eVisa application form given on the website before proceeding to actual application.
Save Button: If applicants are not able to complete the application form at a stretch, they can save the application and can return to the form by clicking the tab at the bottom of the page.
Check the Email Validity: The Indian government uses the applicant’s unique email address to send all eVisa -related communication. Applicants are encouraged to verify the email address which will typically have their name and an electronic domain address.
Credit/Debit cards: To get an India visa, applicants are required to pay a processing fee and the payment is mostly made electronically. They can use a credit or debit card approved by the Indian government.
The government of India does not charge any additional fee for speeding up the application process or delivering an express eVisa.
It is to be noted that only one person can apply for the eVisa at a time. If a group has six members, they have to repeat the process six times over.
Different Types of eVIsa
The Indian government offers six types of electronic visas—Tourist visa, Business Visa, Medical treatment visa, Medical attendant visa, Conference visa and Emergency visa.
Documents needed for applying for these visas are mostly the same. However, some of these visas like e-Business visa and e-Medical treatment visa require additional documents.
The eVisa Application
Applicants can login to https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa to apply for an Indian eVisa. They have to choose the type of visa before proceeding.
Personal details
International travelers who wish to visit India need to enter several personal and identity details about them. Following is some of the information to be shared while applying for an Indian visa:
Nationality: Applicants of an Indian eVisa must declare their nationality and citizenship. Nationality is a method of legally identifying a person as a subject of a particular sovereign nation. This information also helps the applicant get legal or other assistance in case of an emergency.
Email Address: This is a unique electronic address and usually has the name of the applicant and an electronic domain name. The India bureau of immigration communicates all visa-related information via this email address. Applicants are advised to verify their email address before submitting the application as an error in this can result in the visa getting undelivered.
Date of Birth: The date on which the applicant is born. It should have the date, month and the year on which the applicant was born. This date must match that in the passport failing which the visa will be denied.
Given Name: The official first name of the applicant. This should exactly match the given name in the passport for the visa to be approved.
Surname: The official second name of the applicant and it should exactly match the surname in the passport. Applicants are required to provide information with regard to previously held names or surnames.
City of Birth: The city or town in which the applicant was born. This information must match that in the passport.
Country of Birth: The country in which the applicant was born. Make sure that the information matches that in the passport. Otherwise, the visa application may be rejected.
Citizenship/Nationality ID: This will be the unique identity number of the applicant. This is not a compulsory field as some nations do not provide a numerical nationality ID.
Gender: Here the applicant should enter his/her gender as given in the passport.
Religion: All applicants for an Indian eVisa have to mandatorily submit their religion. They are required to select their religion from a drop-down menu. If they are not able to select a religion from the menu, they have to state it in the given field.
Visible Identification Mark: This is not a mandatory field. A visible identification mark is a birthmark like a mole. This helps identify the person. If an applicant cannot find a visible birthmark in his/her body, he/she can write ‘NONE’ in the field.
Nationality by Birth or Naturalization: All applicants have to submit whether they have acquired their current citizenship by birth or by naturalization. They also need to state that if they have been staying in the country of their nationality in the last two years.
Applicants are allowed to save and leave the page in between. They just need to click on the save button. They can restart the application form by clicking the bar at the bottom of the page. They can also note down the temporary application ID provided at the top and use it to check the status.
Passport Details
Type of Passport: There are different types of passports such as ordinary/standard, diplomatic, service and official. Only ordinary or standard passport holders can apply for an Indian eVisa. Diplomatic and official passport holders need to get a regular embassy visa or can enter visa-free using their diplomatic status.
Passport Number: The passport number is given on the information page of the passport. If an applicant makes a mistake here, he/she will be denied an eVisa. They will have to reapply and repeat the whole process again.
Date of Issue: The exact date on which the passport was issued. Applicants should enter the date, month and year as provided in the passport.
Date of Expiry: The date from which the passport will be deemed expired. All nations issue passports for a specific time span (usually for ten years). The passport, an internationally recognized identity document, will be considered invalid after this date. It is to be noted that, to apply for an Indian eVisa, the applicant’s passport should have a minimum validity for six months.
All applicants must declare if they had previously held a passport of another country other than their current nation. If their answer is yes, they have to enter the passport number, date of issuance and expiry of the document. They also need to declare their previous nationality.
Applicants are required to enter the above details exactly as given in their now renounced passport.
Address Details:
Applicants need to submit their address details
House No./Street No: Here, they need to type in details of house name (if any) or number and street name/number. It is to be noted that each line should have a maximum of 35 characters only.
Village/ Town/City: Enter the name of their village/town/city as given in the passport.
Country: Applicants have to enter the name of their current country of citizenship. They have to select the name of the country from a drop-down menu.
Province/State/District: Name of the district, state or province as appeared in the passport.
Postal/Zip code: This a series of numbers or letters used by a country’s postal system as a code to sort the posts. Make sure to enter the right number as appeared in the passport.
Phone No: The number of the applicant’ landline phone if they have any
Mobile No: The cell phone number. Make sure to enter the correct number. Officials at the Indian bureau of immigration will use this number and the email ID to reach out to the applicant in case of an emergency.
Permanent Address: The permanent address of an applicant including house number, street number, province and postal/zip code as given in the passport. For some applicants both permanent and communication address will be the same. Still, they are required to submit the address two times.
Family Details:
Father’s details: Here, an applicant needs to submit the name, date of birth, country of birth, nationality and previous nationality of his/her father.
Mother’s details: Similarly, they have to submit the name, date of birth, country of birth, nationality and previous nationality of their mother.
All applicants are also required to submit their marital status and if they have a parent/ grandparent with a Pakistani origin.
Note that the Indian government does not grant eVisas to persons of Pakistani origin.
Travel Details:
Foreign nationals applying for an Indian eVisa are required to share information about their travel itinerary at the time of visa application. Read on to know more about them:
Expected Date of Arrival: Travelers are encouraged to plan the trip well in advance. They have to have a date of arrival in mind before starting the online application.
Port of Arrival: Travelers coming on eVisas can enter the country only through a few select international airports. They are as follows: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Amritsar, Gaya, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Trichy, Varanasi, Lucknow, Calicut, Mangalore, Pune, Nagpur, Bagdogra, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Trivandrum, Bangalore, Cochin, Goa, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam.
Foreign nationals can also enter India through a few seaports including Mumbai, Cochin, Mormugao, Chennai and New Mangalore
Visa Details:
The Indian government issues eVisas to foreign nationals for tourism, business, attending medical treatments and conferences.
They are required to submit various information and documents at the time of application.
While most of these documents are the same, applicants may be asked to submit additional/supporting documents that are specific to the visa type that they are applying for.
Details and Documents Required for e-Tourist Visa
International travelers who wish to explore India will have to provide information about their travel itinerary and accommodation at the time of visa application. Read on to know more about them:
Places to be Visited: Applicants must enter the tourist destinations that they are intending to visit while in India.
The Indian government has marked some areas in the country as prohibited/restricted because of threats from terrorism and extremism.
Foreign travelers are not allowed to visit these places without special permission from the ministry of home affairs.
Accommodation Details: If they have booked any resort/hotel, they have to share the details.
Port of Arrival/Exit: Travelers need to submit the information about the expected port of entry and exit.
Details of Previously Held Indian Visas: All applicants must share if they have held any Indian visa prior to the current visa. If they had held a valid India visa, they are required to share its details such as the type, place and date of issuance.
Foreign visitors also have to submit if they had been denied an Indian visa previously.
Places Visited in Last 10 years: Here, they are required to enter details of foreign countries they visited in the last 10 years including nations under SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation.)
Reference: Applicants need to provide the name, address and contact details of a person (friend or family members) in their home country as their emergency contact.
Additional Documents Needed for an e-Conference Visa
Apart from the personal, passport and travel details, applicants of an Indian e-Conference visa have to submit the following details:
Letter of Invitation from the Organizers: An Indian e-Conference visa is granted to foreigners who are planning to attend seminars and conferences organized by the India government, universities, state governments or public-sector entities for the duration of the meeting. Applicants of this visa type need to provide/ upload a letter or invitation from the organizers.
MHA Political Clearance Certificate: This certificate is issued by the ministry of home affairs to the organizers of the meeting. Applicants need to submit a copy of this certificate at the time of visa application.
MHA Event Clearance Certificate: This document too is issued to the organizers a copy of which must be uploaded by the visa applicant.
Additional Documents Needed for an e-Business Visa
Additional documents required for an Indian e-Business visa are as follow:
Business Card: All applicants need to upload a copy of their business card/letter.
Company Details: Information of their business venture/intended business venture including the name, registration number and industry.
Additional Documents Needed for an e-Medical Visa
- Recommendation letter from a medical practitioner in the home country
- Scanned copy of the invitation letter from a hospital in India. This document should have the type and starting date of the treatment.
Uploading the Photograph and Passport Information page
Applicants need to upload their passport-sized photograph and scanned copy of the information page of their passport is particular size, format and resolution specified by the Indian government.
Passport Photographs: Upload a clear and not blurry photograph of self. The size of the image should not exceed 300KB and the resolution must be less than 1000 pixels. Make sure to submit the image in jpeg format only.
Scanned Copy of Passport’s Information Page: This should be submitted in PDF format only. Ensure to scan the entire page from the top to bottom including the two lines at the bottom. Applicants must verify all the data that they have provided matches exactly the information given on this page.
Additional Questions to Assess the Character
These questions include whether the applicants had been arrested or convicted in the court of law, they had been arrested for human trafficking or for cybercrimes. They also have to declare if they have ever been accused of promoting or glorifying terrorism.
Declaration: At the end of this questionnaire, applicants need to submit a declaration that the information provided is correct to the best of their knowledge. Dishonesty here can result in isa rejection and other penalties.
Verification
Towards the end of the online application form applicants are given an opportunity to verify the data provided by them.
Make sure to take time to verify all the information provided. Errors including spelling mistakes can result in visa denial.
Payment
After verifying the information applicants can proceed to make the payment for the processing fee. They can use credit/debit cards approved by the India government. Note that the processing fee is not refundable in case of visa denial.
Once the applicant clicks on the Pay Now button, they will be guided to a payment gateway. They also have an option to Pay Later.
Disclaimer
The last page of the application form has a disclaimer that states that applicants are required to take a printed copy of the approved ETA (electronic travel authority).
It also states about the legal implication if an applicant is found to have submitted wrong information and false material.
Undertaking: All applicants need to give an undertaking declaring that they have read the disclaimer at the end of the form.
