India's new visa rules: Tourist visa replaced, 70% less paperwork

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New visa rules ease travel for international students, tourists and patients One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a broader Visitor Visa category, allowing foreign…

New visa rules ease travel for international students, tourists and patients

Dubai: India has announced a sweeping overhaul of its visa system, reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and introducing simplified rules for foreign tourists, business travellers, students and patients seeking medical treatment.

The changes also include renaming the Tourist Visa as the Visitor Visa, introducing longer-validity medical visas and cutting the number of fields in visa application forms by 65 to 70 per cent, NDTV reported on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has reduced visa sub-categories from 49 to 23 as part of an effort to make the application process simpler and more accessible to foreign nationals.

The revised system is expected to become operational by the end of 2026, once the necessary technology upgrades are completed.

One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a broader Visitor Visa category, allowing foreign nationals to undertake activities beyond conventional tourism.

The new category will cover short-term business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, yoga programmes and courses in Indian languages, music, arts and crafts.

The V-1 visa will permit multiple entries over 30 days, while the V-2 visa will be available for longer visits, with validity periods of one, five or 10 years, depending on eligibility.

Mountaineering activities will also be covered under V-2, with a separate six-month multiple-entry provision.

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