Fastest & Easiest way to get your Indian Tourist Visa!
Obtaining an Indian Tourist Visa has never been so easy! You can get it fast (as fast as within 24 hrs. at times) and in just 3 simple steps:
- Step 1: Fill the online visa application form
- Step 2: Make the payment online using your debit or credit card or even net banking
- Step 3: Your visa will be processed within 72 hours (or even less) and you will get your ETA on email.
You are required to fill out to the online Visa form to submit your application, along with a recent front-facing photograph with white background and a photo page of passport containing personal details like name, date of birth, nationality, expiry date, etc. Then it will give you an option to pay the Visa fee online. Post payment, an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) will be sent to your email within 72 hours. Once your Visa is approved, you need to take a print of the ETA and carry with you along with your other travel documents. On arrival in India, you will have to go at the ‘Visa on Arrival’ counter where you will be required to handover your visa approval document and will be asked for the biometrics of both your hands. Once this process is complete, then the officer will stamp your passport and you are ready to begin your journey in India.
It is important though that you apply on the right portal and not get led into any fraudulent sites. To apply for any visa, your passport needs to be valid six months after you acquire the visa. You must also have a confirmed return ticket with you, before applying for the Visa.
There are 2 options of acquiring an Indian Tourist Visa: the first one is the traditional regular Visa, which all countries offer (that requires visas) and the second one is the E-Visa which is the Indian Tourist Visa on Arrival, enabled with Electronic Travel Authorization. The difference between both the Visas is that the E-visa is really easy to apply.
For Indian tourist visa, or even for Business visa & medical visa, you have an option of applying it online. But if you are going to India for a conference, then you need a special conference visa and you need to inform the Indian embassy and get proper details about the requirements for a conference Visa. E-Visas are not acceptable for those who are visiting India for conferences. The Indian tourist visa lasts for 2 months and they are double entry visa. For example, if you are travelling to India, then fly to Nepal and again fly back to India, you can still do that with the double entry visa. But, if you are traveling to many countries via India, then you will need the regular Indian tourist visa. The Double entry two months E-Visa is all online and is very economical. You can only apply for an E-visa if your trip is within 4 months. If your travel dates are for next year then you can’t apply for an E-Visa in advance. You will have to wait until your travel dates gets a little closer. The validity of E-visa will be 30 days from the date of arrival in India.
The E-visa is only viable at 28 airports and 5 seaports in India, which means you cannot cross land borders with this type of visa. You can only apply for an Indian tourist visa as E-visa twice per year. So, if you are going to India frequently i.e more than 2 times in a year, then you can’t apply for an e-visa for the third time in the same year. In such case, you will have to go with the traditional path and apply for a regular Indian Travel visa. Currently, the Indian tourist visa online facility is available for the passport holders of over 160 countries. The applicants of all these countries can apply online for e-Visa through https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.
If the E-visa doesn’t work for you, then the option of regular Indian Tourist Visa is still available. The regular India travel visa takes more time as it involves lot of documentation and although they costs more, they lasts longer than the online e-visa. The Indian Tourist Visa are pretty easy to get. The U.S. Tourists can obtain 6 months, 5 years or even a 10-year Indian Tourist Visa. However, non U.S. tourists are only eligible for a 6 months Indian Tourist Visa. 6 months is the maximum duration for a foreign citizen to stay in India on his/her each visit, regardless of the type of Visa they possess. To obtain a regular Indian Tourist Visa, you must complete the online visa application form through https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/Registration and upload a digital photograph of self. The application form once completed and applied online, is to be submitted at the concerned Indian Visa Application Center, on the scheduled date given for interview, along with the requisite supporting documents. Once this process is done, then it will take minimum three working days to process the case and issue the visa, depending upon the nationality and special cases, if any. The Indian Tourist Visa holder cannot extend his or her stay and also cannot convert it into any other visa.