India simplifies visa rules, reduces categories to 9 from 13

The Union government on Wednesday reduced the number of Indian visa categories to 9 from 13 and sub-categories to 23 from 49. The number of fields in visa application forms was also reduced by 65% to 70%.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the revised framework was aimed at making the process easier to navigate for foreign citizens visiting India for tourism, medical treatment, education, research and business.

The latest changes follow an earlier revision in October 2025, when the government reduced the number of visa categories to 13 from 22 and sub-categories to 49 from 63.

The nine main visa categories are: business, diplomatic, work, journalist, medical, official, student, visitor and miscellaneous.

The tourist visa was renamed as the visitor visa to cover a wider range of activities beyond tourism. This includes business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats and short-term courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft.

The visitor visa has been divided into two sub-categories, V-1 and V-2.

The V-1 visa will be valid for 30 days with multiple entries. The V-2 visa will be available for one year, five years or 10 years, depending on eligibility. While V-1 will cover short-term activities, V-2 will cater to a variety of purposes, including mountaineering.

Medical visas have been divided into M-1 for treatment outside traditional...

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