India Simplifies Visa Rules, Reduces Categories From 13 To 9 To Boost Tourism
New Delhi has rationalised the visa regime by reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and the sub-categories from 49 to 23, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.
Recommended For You“The step aims at making it more compact, coherent and responsive to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting India,” the Ministry said.
The Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa to reflect a broader range of permitted purposes beyond conventional tourism, it said.
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“The category has been organised into two sub-categories, V-1 and V-2, so that applicants may select a visa suited to the nature and duration of their proposed visit,” it said.
The V-1 category will cover short-term activities such as business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-duration medical treatment and short-term courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft. It is granted for 30 days with multiple entries.
The V-2 category is intended for longer-duration visits, with validity of one, five or 10 years. For mountaineering, a six-month visa with multiple entries will be granted.
Rich cultural heritageIndia, with its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes and historical attractions, remains one of the top tourist destinations. It received 9.95 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024, according to government data.
The Business Visa, divided into two categories, will cover long-term licence-based business activities, including foreign nationals seeking to establish industrial or business ventures in India, as well as short-term activities such as conferences, sports, performing arts and films.
The Medical Visa framework retains separate provisions for treatment under conventional medicine and AYUSH - an umbrella term for India's alternative and traditional medicine systems - and will be granted for one year with multiple entries.
The government said the provisions would offer greater flexibility to patients requiring multiple consultations, follow-up visits or staged treatment, while facilitating travel by accompanying attendants.
The move is also aimed at promoting medical value tourism in line with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Heal in India', the Ministry said.
The South Asian nation is emerging as a promising destination for medical tourism. More than 1.8 million foreign patients arrived in India between 2023 and 2025, according to government data.
The Student Visa has been consolidated into two broad sub-categories and will cover school, graduate and postgraduate education, PhD programmes and research scholars at Indian universities, visiting faculty, foreign research students visiting India for research, and scientific and anthropological expeditions, among other specified academic activities.
“The changes reduce overlap between visa categories and make the framework easier to navigate for visitors, patients, students, researchers, investors and business professionals,” the Ministry said.
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