Seoul Gazette - India Overhauls Visa System: Tourist Category Renamed, Paperwork Cut by 70%

India has initiated a sweeping restructuring of its national visa system, aiming to simplify entry procedures for foreign nationals by reducing the number of primary visa categories from 13 to nine. The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that the overhaul includes a significant reduction in administrative burdens, cutting the number of fields required on visa application forms by 65 to 70 percent.

The most visible change involves the renaming of the Tourist Visa to the Visitor Visa. This new category is designed to accommodate a broader range of activities beyond conventional tourism, including short-term business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, and participation in yoga programs or courses focused on Indian languages, music, arts, and crafts.

The revised framework introduces two distinct tiers for visitor entries. The V-1 visa permits multiple entries over a 30-day period. The V-2 visa offers longer validity options of one, five, or ten years, depending on the applicant's eligibility. This tier also covers mountaineering activities through a separate six-month multiple-entry provision.

Medical travel regulations have been adjusted to support India’s "Heal in India" initiative. Foreign nationals seeking medical treatment will now receive a default one-year, multiple-entry visa. The system distinguishes between two principal medical categories: M-1 for conventional medical treatment and M-3 for treatment under AYUSH systems, which include traditional Indian medicine. Separate M-2 and M-4 visas are available for attendants accompanying these patients.

The extended validity for medical visas is intended to assist patients requiring repeated consultations, procedures, and follow-up care without the need to submit fresh applications for each visit.

Student visa procedures have also been consolidated into two categories. The S-1 visa covers school, undergraduate, and postgraduate education. The S-2 visa includes doctoral research, visiting faculty positions, internships, exchange programs, and scientific expeditions. Foreign students admitted through the government’s Study in India portal may qualify for a multiple-entry e-S1 visa valid for up to five years or the duration of their course, whichever is shorter.

Business travel rules have been simplified into B-1 and B-2 categories. The B-1 visa covers long-term business activities, such as establishing industrial and commercial ventures in India. The B-2 visa accommodates short-term contractual work, conferences, sports events, cultural performances, film production, and specialized technical assignments.

The B-2 framework specifically includes foreign engineers, IT professionals, and technical specialists engaged by Indian companies for equipment installation, maintenance, quality control, production, supply chain management, and technical training.

India currently offers electronic visa facilities to nationals of 172 countries through 13 existing e-visa sub-categories. The government is upgrading its information technology systems to implement the revised framework. According to reports from NDTV, the new visa categories are expected to become operational by the end of 2026.

The nine main visa categories under the new system will be Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor, and Miscellaneous. The Miscellaneous category will include certain people of Indian origin, their families, dependents of long-term visa holders, and other eligible foreign nationals.

The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the government studied international visa systems and global practices before undertaking these changes. The objective is to make travel, education, medical treatment, and business activities in India more accessible for foreign nationals.

S.Yang--SG