Why this matters
India's e-Visa is issued at one place: indianvisaonline.gov.in. Several governments' missions: including India's own consulates abroad: have publicly warned that no third party is authorized to act as an intermediary in applying for or issuing an e-Visa. That hasn't stopped a long list of look-alike sites from ranking in search results and ads, charging service fees on top of (or instead of) the real government fee, sometimes for a visa that never arrives. This page isn't affiliated with the Government of India and doesn't process applications: it's an independent guide to help you tell a real application from a copycat before you hand over a card number.
Red flags to check before you pay
- The domain isn't indianvisaonline.gov.in: any other domain, however official it looks, is not the government portal
- The page doesn't clearly say it's a third-party or agent service, or buries that disclosure in fine print
- Pricing is vague, bundled, or significantly higher than the official fee with no itemized breakdown
- The site promises guaranteed approval or unusually fast turnaround that sounds too good to be true
- You found it through a paid search ad rather than typing the official domain directly
- The design closely imitates an official government look: emblems, tricolor styling, "Govt of India" wording: without being on the .gov.in domain
- There's no way to verify a business address, company registration, or customer support beyond a contact form
- Reviews online describe surprise charges, non-delivery, or no response after payment
A legitimate visa-assistance company can disclose its third-party status honestly and still charge a service fee: that alone doesn't make a site fake. The danger is sites that hide the disclosure, inflate the price without saying so, or simply take payment and disappear.
If you're not sure
- Stop before entering payment details and open a new tab to type indianvisaonline.gov.in directly
- Compare the fee shown against the current official fee schedule on the government portal
- Search the exact site name plus "review" or "complaint" before paying
- When in doubt, apply directly on the official portal: it takes the same documents and information as any third-party form
If you've already paid a fake or unauthorized site
- Contact your card issuer or payment provider promptly: ask about disputing the charge
- Keep screenshots of the site, your payment confirmation, and any correspondence as evidence
- Still apply through indianvisaonline.gov.in directly to get a genuine e-Visa, since the unauthorized payment likely didn't produce one
- Report the site to your bank's fraud team and, where available, your country's consumer-protection or cybercrime reporting service