India simplifies visa rules, cuts categories from 13 to 9 and application fields by 70%

The Centre has simplified India's visa regime by reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23, while cutting the number of fields in application forms by 65-70 per cent to make the process easier for foreign nationals, officials said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the changes were intended to create a more streamlined and accessible visa system while facilitating legitimate foreign arrivals for tourism, business, education, medical treatment and other purposes.

The latest rationalisation was undertaken on August 27, following an earlier exercise in October 2025, when the number of main visa categories was reduced from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49.

The ministry said the revised system would make the visa regime "more compact, coherent and responsive to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting India".

"While considering the simplification of the Indian visa regime, the government studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards," the statement said.

The government currently offers e-visas under 13 sub-categories to nationals of 172 countries.

𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮

One of the major changes involves renaming the existing Tourist Visa as the Visitor Visa to reflect a broader range of permitted activities beyond conventional tourism.

The category has been consolidated into two sub-categories, V-1 and V-2.

The V-1 visa will cover short-term activities such as business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-duration medical treatment and short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft.

It will be granted for 30 days with multiple entries.

The V-2 visa is intended for longer visits and will be issued with validity of one, five or 10 years, as applicable.

It will cover activities permitted under V-1 as well as mountaineering. For mountaineering, a six-month multiple-entry visa will be issued.

𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱

The revised Medical Visa framework retains separate provisions for conventional medical treatment and treatment under AYUSH systems.

The M-1 visa will cover medical treatment other than AYUSH, while the M-3 visa will apply to treatment under AYUSH systems.

Both categories, including their electronic variants, will be granted for one year by default with multiple entries.

Separate attendant visas will also be available. The M-2 visa will be issued to attendants accompanying M-1 visa holders, while M-4 will cover attendants of M-3 visa holders.

The ministry said the arrangement would provide greater predictability for patients requiring multiple consultations, follow-up appointments or treatment in stages.

"Multiple-entry validity can reduce the need for repeated visa applications during a course of care, while the distinct AYUSH provision helps applicants identify the appropriate treatment route," it said.

The government expects the changes to support India's medical tourism sector by simplifying travel arrangements for patients and accompanying family members.

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀

The Student Visa category has been consolidated into two broad sub-categories, S-1 and S-2.

The S-1 visa will cover school, undergraduate and postgraduate education.

The S-2 visa will apply to PhD and research scholars, visiting faculty, foreign research students, scientific and anthropological expeditions, internships, exchange programmes and other specified academic activities.

Foreign students admitted to Indian educational institutions through the Study in India portal may receive an e-S1 visa valid for up to five years or the duration of their academic course, whichever is shorter.

Such visas will allow multiple entries, reducing the need for repeated applications during the period of study.

𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱

The Business Visa category has been reorganised into B-1 and B-2.

The B-1 visa will cover long-term, licence-based business activities, including foreign nationals seeking to establish industrial or commercial ventures in India.

The B-2 visa will cover short-term, contract-based activities, including production investment business, conferences, sports, performing arts and films.

A specific provision has also been introduced for foreign technical specialists, engineers and other professionals engaged by Indian companies.

These include personnel involved in installation and commissioning, quality inspections, essential maintenance, production, information technology and enterprise resource planning, training, supply-chain development, plant design and technical support.

Such professionals may obtain a Production Investment Business Visa under the B-2 category through the e-visa platform.

The provision was earlier available under the e-B4 visa nomenclature.

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝟳𝟬%

The MHA has also undertaken a comprehensive review of application forms across all 23 visa categories and sub-categories.

"The required fields/columns for all 23 categories/sub-categories of visas have been reduced by 65-70 per cent," the ministry said.

The changes are intended to reduce the amount of information applicants must provide while retaining essential details required for verification and processing.

According to the ministry, shorter application forms will reduce the time and effort involved in applying for visas and improve administrative efficiency by allowing more focused scrutiny.

The revised framework comprises nine main categories: Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous visas.

The Miscellaneous Visa category will cover persons of Indian origin and their spouses and children, dependents of foreign nationals holding long-duration visas, individuals joining specified institutions such as the Auroville Foundation, stay visas for Afghan nationals and long-term visas for certain categories of nationals from neighbouring countries.

Other purposes not covered by the remaining visa categories will also fall under this classification.

The ministry said the necessary changes to its information technology systems were underway and visas would begin to be issued under the revised framework by the end of 2026.