The Home Ministry announced on Wednesday a simplified visa framework that cuts the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23, and reduces the fields in application forms by 65 to 70 per cent. The changes were approved on 27 August. The ministry is still updating its IT systems, and the revised visas are expected under the new framework by the end of 2026. Until then applicants should follow existing procedures.
The nine categories are visitor, medical, student, business, work, journalist, diplomatic, official and miscellaneous.
What changes for travellers
The tourist visa becomes the Visitor Visa and can combine tourism with short business, medical or cultural visits. The V-1 is a 30-day multiple-entry visa for tourism, business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short treatment and courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft. The V-2 is for longer visits, with one, five or 10 years of validity depending on eligibility, and adds mountaineering to the V-1 activities. Travellers coming only for mountaineering can get a six-month multiple-entry visa.
Medical visas are split into the M-1 for conventional treatment and the M-3 for AYUSH treatment, including Ayurveda and yoga-based healthcare. Both are ordinarily valid for one year with multiple entries, and separate visas are available for attendants.
Student visas are the S-1, for school, undergraduate and postgraduate study, and the S-2, for doctoral scholars, researchers, visiting faculty, internships and academic exchanges. Students applying through the Study in India portal can get an e-S1 visa valid for up to five years or the length of the course, whichever is shorter.
Business visas are the B-1, for long-term activities such as setting up industrial or commercial ventures, and the B-2, for shorter assignments such as conferences, film shoots, sporting events and contract work. Foreign engineers and technical specialists who come for installation, maintenance, training or technology transfer fall under the B-2.
Expected effect
The government wants to attract more tourists, international students, patients and foreign investors, and to remove confusion over overlapping categories. India currently offers e-visas to nationals of 172 countries across 13 sub-categories. No guaranteed cut in processing times has been announced, and the ministry has named no individual official in the announcement.
