India's new visa rules: Tourist visa replaced, 70% less paperwork
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…
India has recently implemented significant changes to its visa system, streamlining the process for foreign nationals and reducing the paperwork burden. The overhaul involves consolidating 13 main visa categories into nine, with the introduction of a new Visitor Visa category for tourists. Other changes include a shorter-validity medical visa, the elimination of 65 to 70 percent of fields in visa application forms, and the introduction of multiple-entry options for certain visas.
The revised system, expected to become fully operational by the end of 2026, aims to make travel, education, medical treatment, and business activities in India more accessible for foreign nationals.
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