Why this guide
India's e-Tourist Visa isn't one product: it's three, with different validity windows, fees, and stay limits. Travelers planning a single short trip sometimes overpay for a multi-year visa they don't need, while travelers planning repeat visits sometimes under-buy and have to reapply. This page is an independent explainer, not affiliated with the Government of India. Apply only at indianvisaonline.gov.in: the government has stated that no third party is authorized to act as an intermediary in applying for or issuing an e-Visa.
The three e-Tourist Visa validity options
- 30-day e-Tourist Visa: valid for 30 days from arrival, double entry, intended for a single short trip
- 1-year e-Tourist Visa: valid for 1 year from the date of issue, multiple entry, with stay on each visit capped at 90 days continuously for most nationalities (180 days for some, including U.S. nationals: confirm your nationality's limit on the official portal)
- 5-year e-Tourist Visa: valid for 5 years from the date of issue, multiple entry, with the same per-visit stay caps as the 1-year visa
Stay limits, fees, and eligible nationalities for each option are set by the government and do change: confirm the current rules for your nationality on indianvisaonline.gov.in before applying, especially the per-visit stay cap, which varies by nationality on the 1-year and 5-year visas.
How to choose
- One trip, no return planned within the visa's validity: the 30-day option is usually the simplest and cheapest
- Planning to return within the next year, or unsure of exact dates: the 1-year multiple-entry option avoids reapplying
- Frequent visitors, business-adjacent travel, or family ties in India: the 5-year option amortizes the higher upfront fee across repeat trips
- Remember: validity is the visa's lifespan, not your stay length: even a 5-year visa still caps how long you can stay on any single visit
Common mistakes
- Assuming a 5-year visa means a 5-year continuous stay: it doesn't; per-visit stay limits still apply
- Booking flights before confirming which validity type and entry count match the actual itinerary
- Not checking whether re-entry is allowed under the 30-day option before planning a side trip to a neighboring country
- Letting a long-validity visa lapse without realizing the per-visit stay cap still resets only on a fresh entry, not automatically