Why this guide
India's e-Visa is applied for entirely online, with no embassy visit and no intermediary required, at indianvisaonline.gov.in. This page is an independent walkthrough of the application's structure: not affiliated with the Government of India, and not a substitute for the official application itself.
Before you begin
- Have your passport, a compliant digital photo, and a clear bio-page scan ready: see our document & photo checklist for the full list
- Confirm your nationality is currently eligible for the e-Visa category you want
- Know your planned arrival date and the airport or seaport you'll enter through
The application, step by step
- Go directly to indianvisaonline.gov.in: confirm the URL before entering any information
- Choose the visa type and validity option that matches your trip (for example, e-Tourist Visa, 30-day/1-year/5-year)
- Enter your personal, passport, and travel details exactly as printed in your passport
- Upload your digital photo and a scan of your passport's bio page, meeting the portal's current photo and file specifications
- Review every field before submitting: this is the step where most rejections originate
- Pay the official application fee online; a standard bank transaction charge applies on top of the visa fee itself
- Save the application ID and tracking reference shown after payment
- Watch your email for the approval notice, then download and print your e-Visa before you travel
Exact screens, fields, and fee amounts are set by the official portal and do change: this describes the structure of the process, not a fixed script to follow.
After you submit
- Most applications are processed within a few working days when the form and documents are clean: see our processing-time guide for what affects the timeline
- If approved, your e-Visa arrives by email as a document: print it and keep a digital copy too
- Carry the printed e-Visa and your passport's bio page together when you arrive
- If something looks wrong, correct it and reapply directly on the portal rather than turning to a third-party "fix-it" service