How to Apply the Indian visa online

DestinationsIndia
 

Apply your visa online

You are in the right place if you are looking for a guide to know how to apply the e-Tourist visa for traveling to India. The first time to make is not so simple for a few points but having completed it several times, I’m able to help you. You can also do it throught a visa agency but they ask a lot of fees.
 

You should know that the slightest error provided during the visa procedure in the form will result in a refusal without refund but you will not be affected if you follow this tutorial correctly. The Indian government website prevents any possible machine translation and copying of words. Follow this guide to know how to do and the things to know.


India Tourist Visa Info

You will also find in this guide some information about formalities, entry requirements and things related to the Indian visa.

 

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Prices of tourist visas

30 days
(July to March)
30 days
(April to June)
One year5 years
$25 (USD)$10 (USD)$40 (USD)$80 (USD)
 
 

4 duration options are available for the tourist Indian visa. Be aware that if you leave the country on a 30-day visa, you will need to reapply online. 1 and 5 year visas allow you to enter and leave the country as many times as desired.

 
Maximum length of stay

Travel must not exceed 3 months. If you want to stay longer, you can enter a neighbouring country then return back to India (you can even do it in a single day) to benefit again from a 3-month residence permit. If you are in the North, the easiest way is to go to the Nepalese border, entering, and then return (visa on arrival is available there, which is not the case for Bangladesh and Pakistan) or going to Sri Lanka if you travel in the South.

Where to apply for a visa online?

Apply India Visa Application Online
 

You only need to go to the government website to apply for a visa online. There are a multitude of fraudulent sites that should be avoided. Many people fall into the trap.

 
The one and only place to apply it:

🔎 https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/
 

 
Once on the site, go to the bottom of the page and click on Apply here for e-visa. Once you have completed the first page, your application number will be assigned to you by email. You can continue the visa procedure later by clicking on the third box by entering the same number.

Fill out the online form

Page 1
 

India e-Visa Form

 

Visa application

Nationality/RegionYour nationality
Passport typeThe type of your passport

Select “ordinary” if you have no connection or activity with government services.
Port of arrivalSelect the airport or seaport through which you intend to enter the territory.

Be aware that arriving by a port other than the one you have chosen does not matter if you change your mind. However, it must be included on this list. Once your visa is validated by customs, you will be able to re-enter through any other port (only for multiple-entry visas).
Date of BirthYour date of birth
Email IDYour e-mail

address You will receive your application number and your e-visa on it.
Re-enter Email IDRe-enter your email address
Visa serviceSelect “e-Tourist visa” and the desired duration: 30 days, 1 year or 5 years.
 
Then select the reason
 
– Recreation and sight seeingVisit and leisure
Meeting friends/relativesVisiting relatives or friends
Short term courses on (…)Short courses without structure and without obtaining a qualification or diploma. Must not exceed 6 months.
– Voluntary work of short durationVolunteering of less than one less financially unpaid or any other kind due to the volunteer at the end of the mission.
Expected date of arrivalSet the date you plan to arrive in India.
Please enter above textCopy the CAPTCHA in upper and lower case.

 
  • Check the box to confirm that you have the required documents in PDF format and passport photos in JPEG or JPG and click continue.
     

NOTE : do not wait too long between two pages because they expire quite quickly and need to be started again.
 
 

Page 2 
  

Translation of the visa application for India

 

Application details

SurnameYour family name
Given nameYour first name(s).

They must be written exactly as on your passport.
Have you ever changed name?Click on the box if you have already changed your name/surname and fill in the details.
GenderYour gender
City of birthYour city of birth
Country of birthYour country of birth
Citizenship
/National ID
Your national identification number The one on your identity card if you have one. Otherwise, enter “NA”.
ReligionIndicate your religion.
In case you are an atheist, select OTHERS and then enter ATHEIST.
Visible identification marksIndicate if you wear visible elements that show your religious affiliation. (jewelry, tattoo, veil, clothing, …). Register NONE if you are not affected.
 
Educational qualification
 
Fill in your qualifications at the end of your studies
– Below matriculationYou stopped before the 10th year of study
– GraduateGraduate
Higher secondaryHigher secondary
IlliterateYou are illiterate
– MatriculationYou have completed your 10th year of study
– Post graduateYou have obtained a master’s or doctoral degree
– ProfessionalYou have completed vocational training
NationalityYour nationality
Nationality by birth or naturalizationIndicate whether you acquired your nationality by birth or naturalization.
Have you lived at least two years were you are applying visa?Have you lived for at least 2 years in the country where you are currently applying for the visa?
 
 

Page 3
  

 

Passport details

Passport numberYour passport number
Place of issuePlace of issue (city)
Date of issueDate of issue
Date of expiryExpiration date
Any others valid passport (…)Fill in the information of your other active passports or identification documents if you have any. Otherwise, check the “NO” box.


 

 

Address of the applicant

 
Current address

House No./StreetYour street and home number
Village/Town/CityYour village or city
State/Province/DistrictState, region or district
Postal/Zip codeYour postal code
 

 
Permanent address

Check the box if your permanent address is the same as your current address.
 
 

How do I apply for a visa?

 
 

Family details

 
Father details

NameName
NationalityNationality
Previous nationalityPrevious nationality
Place of birthCity of birth
Country of birthCountry of birth

 
Mother’s details

NameName
NationalityNationality
Previous nationalityPrevious nationality
Place of birthCity of birth
Country of birthCountry of birth

 

Enter “NONE” in the boxes if you do not know your biological parent(s) or enter your adoptive parent(s) details if applicable.
 

  

Applicant’s marital statusMarital status of the applicant
-SingleAlone
– MarriedMarried
– DivorcedDivorced
Were your parents/grandparents Pakistan nationals or belong to Pakistan held area ?Were your parents or grandparents Pakistani nationals or did they belong to the Pakistani-held region?

Check yes or no.
If yes, fill in the details.
 
 
  

 

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Profession

Present occupationCurrent situation or occupation

(See second table)
Employer name/businessName of employer or company
AddressYour employer’s address
Past occupation if anyOld job if there is one, specify.
Are/were you in a Military/Semi-Military/Police/Security organization?Were or are you a military, semi-military, police, or other security-related job?
If yes
:- Organization
Designation
Rank
Place of posting
 
Organization
Designation
Rank Occupied
Place

 

Present occupation

Air ForceAir Force / Aviation
Business personBusinessman or woman
CameramanCameraman
Charity/social workerSocial worker
Chartered accountantChartered Accountant
College/university teacherCollege or university teacher
DiplomatDiplomat
DoctorDoctor, Doctor
EngineerEngineer
Film producerFilm producer
Government serviceGovernment Services
House wifeHousewife
JournalistJournalist
PloughingEmployee
LawyerLawyer
MediaMedia
MilitaryMilitary
MissionaryMissionary
NavyMarine
News broadcasterNews broadcaster
OfficialOfficial
OthersOther
PolicePolice
PressPress
Private servicePrivate services
PublisherEditor
PostponePostpone
ResearcherResearcher
RetiredWithdrawn
Sea manWork at sea
Self employed/ freelancerFreelancer
StudentStudent
TraderMerchant
Tv producerTV Producer
Un-employedUnemployed
UnofficialUnofficial
WorkerWorker
WriterWriter
  
 

Page 4
 

Do not take into account the duration of the visa on the attached image
 

 

Details of the visa requested

Places to be visitedFill in the cities you want to visit.

Just write the main cities or states/regions.
Places to be visited line 2Use this line if you run out of room in the first line of places you want to visit
Have you booked any room in Hotel/Resort etc. throught a tour operator?Have you booked a hotel room or other through a tour operator?
Expected port of exit from IndiaWhat port of exit do you plan to leave India?

It will not matter if you choose to leave the territory through another port if you change your mind.
 
 

 

 

Details of current visa or previous visa

Have you ever visited India before?Have you visited India before?

If not, check the “NO” box and proceed to the next step.
AddressEnter the address where you stayed the longest (that of a hotel, a friend or any host)
Cities previously visited in IndiaCities visited in India on your last trip to India. Write them with spaces.
Last Indian visa/Currently visa Indian visa NoThe number of your last or valid visa
Type of visaThe type of visa
Place of issueThe place where it was issued to you
Date of IssueThe date it was issued
Has permission to visit or to extend stay in India previously been refused?Have you ever been denied permission to visit or extend your visa to India?
If so, when and by whom (Mention Control No. and date Also)If so, when and by whom? Also mention the application number of the visa in question and the date.
   
 

 

More information

Countries visited in last 10 yearsSelect all the countries you have visited in the last 10 years.

Be aware that if customs notice that a country is in your passport and you have not mentioned it, your visa may be cancelled when you go through Indian customs.

 

 

Details of SAARC country visits

Have you visited SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries (except your own country) during last 3 years?Have you travelled in the last 3 years to: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka?

If yes, fill in the information.

 

 

 

Reference

 
What is the reference in the e-visa?

Your referees are those you designate in case of problem or person to contact. You have to choose one in India and one in your country.
 

Reference name in IndiaReference name in India

Fill in which person or organization should be contacted if there is a problem. This can be a hotel, an Indian friend, your local guide, etc.
AddressAddress of your referee
StateThe state in which he lives
DistrictDistrict (region)
PhoneHis phone number
Reference name in (your country)Reference name in your country

This can be a friend, relative, relative, etc.
AddressAddress
PhoneHis phone number
 
 

Page 5
 

 

Provide details below

 

Have you ever been arrested/prosecuted/ convicted by Court of Law of any country?

Yes or no
 

Have you ever been refused entry / deported by any country including India?

Yes or no
 

Have you ever been engaged in Human trafficking/ Drug trafficking/ Child abuse/ Crime against women/ Economic offense / Financial fraud?

Yes or no
 

Have you ever been engaged in Cyber crime/ Terrorist activities/ Sabotage/ Espionage/ Genocide/ Political killing/ other act of violence?

Yes or no
 

Have you ever by any means or medium, expressed views that justify or glorify terrorist violence or that may encourage others to terrorist acts or other serious criminal acts?

Yes or no
 

Have you sought asylum (political or otherwise) in any country?

Yes or no
 

I (your name), hereby declare that the information furnished above is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. in case the information is found false at any stage, I am liable for legal action/deportation/blacklisting or any other action as deemed fit by the Government of India.

Yes or no
 

Upload documents for the visa

Downloading documents in the right format and the right file size can be quite a pain if you don’t know the tools to compress files.  Here we will see how to reduce the weight of photos and PDF online in case yours are too heavy.
 

1️⃣ Photo

 

How to change the weight of your photo
 

At first, the easiest method is to scan a passport photo. It must be recent. Your visa application may be refused if necessary.

 
Weight and format

Your photo must weigh a minimum of 10 KB and a maximum of 1 MB. Its dimensions must be 350×350 pixels. You should not use the same photo as your passport.

Important : your photo must be as clear and sharp as possible at the risk of having your visa rejected. The photo should be cropped as much as possible above your torso. Your shoulders should be apparent.

 
If you don’t have access to a photo booth

You can do it at home if you can afford it (I did it 3 times):
 

● Take a picture of yourself with a camera or mobile phone against a light and neutral background (preferably in a shade of white or any other very light color). Make sure to avoid shadows – use the flash if necessary but avoid overexposure – your face should be uncovered, without piercings, glasses or other jewelry (see the example in my photo below).
 

● With the help of various editing software, you will be able to remove parasites if there are any on your background. For my part, I have cleanly erased many impurities.
 
 

How do I reduce the weight and change the dimensions of a photo?

 

Dimensions and format

 
1. At first, download the software PhotoFiltre.
 

2. Install it.
 

3. Drag your photo into the interface and crop it by holding down the left click while dragging the mouse. Then, give it a perfectly square shape from the bottom of the right column by clicking on the “=” sign and adjust your frame again from the interface. [See photo]
 

4. Resize your image to the requested measurements by left-clicking on your image (always from the interface). Select “Image size…” ” then change the width and height to 350 and click “OK”.
   

Resize the image to visa standards
 
 
 
 

5. Save the photo in the right format: go to “File” > Save As: make sure here that the format is set to JPEG and then save.
 

Choosing the right photo format
 
 

6. First compression (do not touch it if your image is already optimized): drag the slider to 70 or even 65 if your photo is very heavy. This tool will reduce its weight (follow the rest to complete the compression).
 

Compress image
 
 

Compression

 
1. To compress and reduce the weight of your photo, you can use an online tool (see link below). It will automatically compress during upload and then you will only have to download it. Repeat the maneuver if necessary but make sure that the quality is not degraded.

🔎 Compress your photo here

2. Your image is ready to be uploaded to the government website.

 
 

2️⃣ Passport

 

Reduce passport weight to PDF for India e-visa

 
The size of your passport scanned in PDF format must be:

● Maximum of 10 KB
● Maximum of 300 KB

 
You can also take a picture of your passport but be aware that this requires great care since all the details must appear. I strongly advise you to scan your passport for this step.
 

How to reduce the size of a PDF file for India visa?

Here is the best online tool to reduce and compress the weight to the standards of your India e-visa. From the site, you will be able to choose the compression ratio until it suits you.

🔎 Compress your PDF here
 

What if my PDF file is still too large?

1. Take a screenshot of your passport > Save the > Switch the new image to a photofilter > Set its width to 800 and height to approximately 1100 (see the tutorial in the previous section) > Go to File Then save as by selecting the PNG format (it is one of the lightest).
 

2. Go to the attached link below and convert your new PNG image to PDF.

🔎 Convert your image to PDF here
 

3. Compress your PDF again with the online tool.

🔎 Compress your PDF here

4. Your passport is ready to be uploaded. Don’t forget to click Upload Document after you choose your file. Finally, check the box at the bottom of the page and confirm.


 

3️⃣ Confirm your details

 

Confirm your visa details and proceed to payment

 

Payment and obtaining the visa

Regulation

Payment and visa fees
 

You have the option to pay for your e-visa for India by credit card or PayPal. Choose the “Axis Bank” option for credit card settlements.

Warning: the system can be long and suggest that your payment has not been taken into account. Many people paid double without repayment possibilities.
 

Obtaining the visa

You will receive your e-visa in your mailbox. You will know if it has been accepted if you see “GRANTED”. This document must be printed, it is the one you will have to present to Indian customs upon arrival.

The delays are about a week or a few days, but it can be as fast as a few hours as it has already been the case for me.
 

Other issues

For further questions, please read F.A.Q. At the end of the article or leave a comment, I answer it quite quickly.
 

How to apply for an online visa for India?

Insurance for travelling to India

 

 

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You will not pay any additional fees on my commission using my affiliate link. On the other hand, you allow me to pay for my work and support Spirit-Travelers.com.

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About the author

Picture of Tom Spirit
Tom Spirit
Hey, it's Tom! Welcolme to Spirit Travelers. I'm a nomad traveler for several years and I share my experiences by publishing content and travel guides on this blog. Find some of the most popular countries to visit but also off the beaten track destinations.

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