Short Note : E-Visa Scheme

The Union Government of India initiated the e-Visa scheme in 2014 to enable a prospective foreign tourist/visitor to apply for an Indian Visa from his/her home country online without visiting the Indian Mission and also pay the visa fee online.

Features of the E-Visa Scheme-

• The e-Visa has been sub-divided into 5 categories for tourism(e-tourist visa), business (e-Business visa), medical visit (e-Medical visa), attending educational/industrial meets (e-Conference) and for a person accompanying a patient (e-Medical Attendant).
• This visa is not valid for any other purpose/activities apart from the sub-categories listed.
• This scheme has been extended to 166 Countries/Territories.
• The applicants of these eligible countries/territories must apply online minimum of 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 120 days.
• Only 28 Indian airports and 5 Indian Ports have been designated for providing e-visa service and serve as ports of entry for the people with e-visas.

The e-Visa facility is aimed to encourage people to travel to India with short-term planning, take via routes while traveling to other countries and bring family members while on business visits.

It will help in developing India as an international medical tourism hotspot.