NEW DELHI: India has reduced the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23, while cutting the number of fields in visa application forms by 65 to 70 per cent, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. The latest changes are part of the second major exercise to rationalise the country's visa regime since October 2025.
The changes were introduced through a Home Ministry order on August 27, 2026. They follow an earlier exercise in October 2025, when the number of main visa categories was reduced from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49. The ministry said it had studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards before consolidating categories with similar travel purposes. The exercise aims to make the visa framework "more compact, coherent and responsive" to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting India.
The nine main categories are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous visas.
The Tourist Visa has been renamed Visitor Visa to cover purposes beyond conventional tourism. It has been divided into two sub-categories: V-1, for short visits including business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-term medical treatment and courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft; and V-2, for longer visits with validity of one, five or 10 years. Both categories cover eligible visitor activities, while V-2 also covers mountaineering. A six-month multiple-entry visa will be issued for mountaineering.
Medical visas retain separate provisions for conventional and AYUSH treatment. M-1 covers medical treatment other than AYUSH, while M-3 is for AYUSH treatment. Both are granted for one year by default with multiple entries. The corresponding attendant visas are M-2 and M-4, respectively.
Student visas have been consolidated into two sub-categories. S-1 covers school, graduate and postgraduate education, while S-2 covers PhD and research scholars, visiting faculty, foreign research students visiting India, scientific and anthropological expeditions, interns and exchange students, among other specified academic activities.
The Miscellaneous Visa category covers persons of Indian origin and their spouses and children, those joining specified institutions such as the Auroville Foundation, dependants of foreign nationals holding long-duration visas, stay visas for Afghan nationals, and long-term visas for certain categories of nationals from neighbouring countries. It also covers other purposes not included under any of the other visa categories.
Currently, e-visas are processed under 13 sub-categories and are available to nationals of 172 countries. The MHA said it was updating its information technology systems to implement the revised framework, with visas under the new system expected to be issued by the end of 2026.
(with inputs from media organisations)