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India has simplified its visa system by reducing the number of main categories and cutting application form requirements by up to 70 per cent to make the process easier for foreign nationals.
Mariyam Adheela
NEW DELHI, India: The Indian government has reduced the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and subcategories from 49 to 23 as part of an effort to simplify the country’s visa system.
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the changes on Wednesday, saying the revised framework aims to make the process clearer and more accessible for foreign nationals travelling to India for tourism, medical treatment, education, research and business.
The government has also reduced the number of fields in visa application forms by 65 to 70 per cent across all 23 visa subcategories, while retaining the information required for processing applications.
Under the revised system, the former Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa and divided into two categories, V1 and V2.
The V1 visa covers short term activities, including tourism, business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats and short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft. It will allow multiple entries over a period of 30 days.
The V2 visa is designed for longer visits, with validity periods of one, five or 10 years, depending on the approval granted.
The medical visa system has also been reorganised, with separate categories for conventional medical treatment and treatment under the traditional AYUSH systems. Both categories will generally be issued for one year with multiple entries.
Student visas have been consolidated into two categories covering school, undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as research and other academic activities.
Business visas have also been reorganised to distinguish between long term business activities, such as establishing companies or industrial ventures, and short term assignments, including conferences, cultural performances and production related activities.
The nine main visa categories are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous.
The ministry said it is updating its information technology systems to implement the changes. Visas under the revised framework are expected to be issued by the end of 2026.
The government said the changes are intended to encourage foreign tourism, medical travel, international education and business engagement while making India’s visa system easier to navigate.
