How to Apply for the Indian e-Visa?

If you are planning to travel to India in the upcoming days, then you have reached the right blog. For traveling to India, the most important document apart from your passport is a Visa. You can apply for the Indian e-Visa online and secure your travel. You can choose the duration for the visa as per your travel requirements. If you don’t know the process to apply Indian e-Visa, then read this blog till the end.

In this blog post, we have provided all the necessary information you need to apply for the Indian e-Visa, including eligibility criteria, steps, validity, cost, and potential errors to avoid. 

What are the Eligibility Criteria to Apply for the Indian eVisa?

While traveling to India, almost all nationalities require a visa, except for those from Bhutan and Nepal. If you are a citizen of any country except these two and wish to travel to India, you must obtain a visa or an e-Visa. 

The Indian e-Tourist visa is available for the citizens of 160+ countries, but they can only obtain it if their reasons for traveling are mentioned below:

• If they are coming to meet family or friends, for sightseeing, or recreation. 
• If you are going for short-term courses or a program.
• If you are traveling for some voluntary work for a short duration. 

The Indian e-visas have different categories, such as e-business visa, e-medical visa, e-conference visa, etc. But all these e-visas have different eligibility criteria as per their requirements.

NOTE: One important thing to keep in mind is that Pakistani citizens or individuals of Pakistani origin are not eligible for the Indian eVisa. If you want more info about this, then check out your government’s website for foreign travel advice. 

What is the Validity of the Indian e-Visa?

There are three types of Indian e-Visas for travelers all over the world:

• 30-day eTourist Visa: These types of visas are valid for 30 days starting from the date of your arrival in India. This e-visa allows two entries in India.
• 1-year eTourist Visa: These types of visas are valid for 1 year starting from the date the visa is granted. This e-visa allows multiple entries in India.
• 5-year eTourist Visa: These types of visas are valid for 5 years starting from the date the visa is granted. This e-visa allows multiple entries in India.

For the 1-year and 5-year visa types, you can stay for up to 90 days per visit for most countries. Only the citizens of some specific countries, such as Canada, Japan, the US, and the UK, can stay up to 180 days per visit in India. Although it is recommended that you double-check with the official website before visiting. 

Make sure that you count the number of days while applying for the 30-day e-tourist Indian Visa. And book your return flight tickets just the day after your visa expires. Keep in mind that you cannot extend your e-visa. 

Indian e-Visa Cost for Foreign Nationals

The cost for the Indian e-visa application depends on the time of the year when you are traveling to India and on your nationality. As we are talking about the Indian visa, there are 20 or more countries that do not require to pay for a visa to visit India. 

Here are the prices for different types of e-visas:

Documents Required for Applying Indian e-Visa 

Here is the list of documents that are required for the India e-visa application process:

• Your valid passport
• Information about your flight tickets and Itinerary
• Standard information about yourself and your family
• A recent passport-size photograph with a clear and while background to upload
• A scanned photo of the front page of your passport, which contains your details
• If you are applying for short courses or volunteering, then you have to upload a copy of the confirmation letter.

Note:

1. Make sure that the photo you upload follows all the requirements; otherwise, your application may lead to delays or rejections. 
2. Also, your fee is not refundable in case of a failed or rejected e-visa application. 
3. The file size of the scanned photos should be ridiculously small. So, you may need to resize them to upload. 

How to Apply for an Indian e-Visa Independently

Here are the steps to fill out the form by using the Indian e-visa application website:

1. Visit the e-visa application website.
2. Open the “Sample E-Visa Application Form” displayed on the screen. You can read this PDF for reference before applying for an e-Visa. 
3. Click on the option “Apply here for e-Visa”.
4. Fill out the details as asked in the form and follow the steps as they come. 

Common Errors to Avoid in the Indian e-Visa Application Process

Here are some of the potential mistakes or errors, as well as some tricky questions that you would find while applying for the e-visa online. This will help you save time while filling out the application and making the entire process smooth. The frequent issues are given below:

1. Places to be visited: In this section, you have to write the names of places that you intend to visit on your trip to India. These names don’t have to be very specific or exhaustive. 
2. Countries visited in the last 10 years: In this section, mention the countries that you have visited in the last 10 years. Keep in mind that you can mention only 15 countries, so curate this list mindfully. 
3. Reference name in India: In this section, you have to provide the details of your first stay in India. For example, the name and address of the hotel you have booked. 
4. Expected port of exit from India: If you know the details of your next location or have your return tickets booked, then it works to your advantage. You can mention the expected exit in this section. 

Ways to Avoid Payment Issues on the Indian e-Visa Application website

After you have completed the application, you need to make the payment at the end. Your application will be considered incomplete without making the payment, as it is a part of the process. For secure payment, you should use the government website. 

There will be two platforms for the payment from different banks: SBIePay and Axis Bank. You can use your Mastercard or Visa card for payments, as both of them are acceptable. 

If you face any issues regarding the payments, then try again after waiting for a few hours. Also, in addition to your e-visa fee, you will be charged 2.5% by banks, and some charges for foreign currency transactions could apply. 

The payment for the Indian e-Visa applications is entirely non-refundable, so make sure that you fill out each section very carefully. 

Why Choose Visament?

In this blog, you have understood the basics of the application process of the e-Visa for India. For some individuals, this might be a very complicated process as it involves documentation and all. Hence, seeking expert guidance seems to be an intelligent decision. You can visit Visament as our experts come with years of experience. Your applications are filled out with zero errors, which leads to fast approvals. Our services are affordable, which makes them more accessible to customers. If you have any queries related to your application, then you can contact our team anytime from anywhere. We will also provide all the updates related to your application in real-time.