India Cuts Visa Categories, Introduces Visitor Visa
The Union Government has simplified India’s visa regime, reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the changes on Wednesday, November 11, including renaming the Tourist Visa as the Visitor Visa and reducing visa application requirements by up to 70%.
India Introduces V-1 and V-2 Visitor Visas
The new Visitor Visa covers a wider range of activities beyond conventional tourism, including business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats and short-term educational courses.
The V-1 visa allows multiple entries over 30 days for eligible short-term visits, while the V-2 visa offers validity of one, five or ten years, depending on eligibility.
Mountaineering activities are also covered under V-2, with a separate six-month multiple-entry provision.
Medical, Student and Business Visa Rules Revised
The revised framework introduces clearer visa categories for medical treatment, education and business activities.
Medical visas have been divided into M-1 for conventional treatment and M-3 for AYUSH treatment. Both ordinarily permit multiple entries over one year, with separate provisions for accompanying attendants.
Student visas now include S-1 for school and higher education and S-2 for research and other academic activities.
Business visas have been reorganised into B-1 and B-2, including provisions for foreign technical specialists, engineers and investors.
India Cuts Visa Application Requirements by 70%
The Home Ministry has reduced the number of fields in visa application forms by approximately 65% to 70% across all 23 sub-categories.
India currently offers e-visas to nationals of 172 countries under 13 existing electronic visa sub-categories.
The government is updating its information technology systems to implement the revised framework, with visa issuance under the new structure expected by the end of 2026.
The changes aim to encourage international tourism, medical travel, education and business investment while simplifying entry procedures for foreign nationals.
