A foreign tourist visiting India could soon attend a business meeting, take a yoga course or seek a medical consultation without having to navigate different visa categories. The government is overhauling its visa system, promising fewer forms, fewer categories and greater flexibility for visitors.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced Wednesday that India has reduced its main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. Application forms will also require 65 to 70 per cent fewer fields, cutting down the paperwork for foreign nationals.
The changes were approved on 27 August, but the ministry is still updating its IT systems. The revised visas are expected to be issued under the new framework by the end of 2026.
The government hopes the changes will attract more tourists, international students, patients and foreign investors.
What changes for tourists visiting India?
The familiar Tourist Visa is being renamed the Visitor Visa, but the change goes beyond the name.
The new category will cover activities that previously fell under different visa classifications, allowing eligible travellers to combine tourism with short-term business, medical or cultural visits.
It will have two sub-categories.
V-1 will be a 30-day multiple-entry visa covering tourism, business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-duration treatment and courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft.
V-2 will cover longer visits, with validity options of one, five or 10 years, depending on eligibility. It will permit activities covered under V-1, along with mountaineering. Those travelling specifically for mountaineering can receive a six-month multiple-entry visa.
The idea is to spare travellers from having to choose between overlapping visa categories when their visit involves more than one activity.
What about medical patients and international students?
Foreign patients travelling to India for treatment will continue to have dedicated medical visas.
The M-1 category covers conventional medical treatment, while M-3 is meant for treatment under AYUSH systems, including Ayurveda and yoga-based healthcare.
Both will ordinarily be valid for one year with multiple entries, allowing patients to return for follow-up consultations or procedures. Separate visas will be available for accompanying attendants.
For students, the government has introduced two broad classifications.
S-1 covers school, undergraduate and postgraduate education, while S-2 covers PhD scholars, researchers, visiting faculty, internships and academic exchanges.
Eligible students applying through the Study in India portal can receive an e-S1 visa valid for up to five years or the duration of their course, whichever is shorter.
How will business visas change?
Business visas will be divided into B-1 and B-2.
B-1 covers long-term activities such as establishing industrial or commercial ventures in India. B-2 covers shorter assignments, including conferences, film shoots, sporting events and contract-based business activities.
Foreign engineers and technical specialists travelling to India for equipment installation, maintenance, training or technology transfers will also have a route under B-2.
The government hopes this will make it easier for companies to bring in foreign expertise without confusion over visa classifications.
When will the changes take effect?
The revised system will have nine main categories, including visitor, medical, student, business, work, journalist, diplomatic, official and miscellaneous visas.
India currently offers e-visas to nationals of 172 countries across 13 sub-categories.
The MHA says the necessary technology upgrades should be completed by year-end. Until the new system is operational, applicants should follow the existing visa procedures.
While the government expects the overhaul to simplify applications, it has not announced a guaranteed reduction in visa processing times.