New Delhi: The Indian government 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 65-70 per cent to simplify the process for foreign nationals, officials said on Wednesday.
The changes are aimed at making the visa regime “more compact, coherent and responsive to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting India”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement.
The latest rationalisation was carried out on August 27. It followed 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.
“While considering the simplification of the Indian visa regime, the government studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards,” the statement said.
The consolidation of similar travel purposes is intended to provide greater clarity and make it easier for foreign nationals to identify the appropriate visa category, while facilitating legitimate arrivals in India, it added.
Currently, e-visas are processed under 13 sub-categories, and the facility is available to nationals of 172 countries, the statement said.
Tourist Visa renamed Visitor Visa
The erstwhile Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa to reflect a wider range of permitted activities beyond conventional tourism. The category has been consolidated into 2 sub-categories, V-1 and V-2.
The V-1 visa covers short-term activities such as business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-duration medical treatment and short-term courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft. It is granted for 30 days with multiple entries.
The V-2 visa is intended for longer visits, with validity of 1, 5 or 10 years, as specified. It covers activities permitted under the V-1 category as well as mountaineering. For mountaineering, a 6-month multiple-entry visa will be granted.
Medical and Student Visa categories revised
The Medical Visa framework retains separate provisions for treatment under conventional and AYUSH systems.
The M-1 visa covers medical treatment other than under AYUSH systems, while the M-3 visa is meant for treatment under AYUSH systems.
Both visas, including their e-visa variants, will generally be granted for 1 year with multiple entries.
Medical attendant visas are also available under the revised framework. The M-2 and M-4 visas will be granted to attendants accompanying M-1 and M-3 visa holders, respectively.
The MHA said the arrangement would provide patients with greater predictability when treatment involves multiple consultations, follow-up appointments or staged procedures.
“Multiple-entry validity can reduce the need for repeated visa applications during a course of care, while the distinct AYUSH provision helps applicants identify the appropriate treatment route,” it said.
The availability of attendant visas would also facilitate support from accompanying persons and encourage medical value tourism in India, the statement added.
The Student Visa category has been consolidated into 2 broad sub-categories.
The S-1 visa covers school, graduate and postgraduate education, while the S-2 visa covers PhD and research scholars at Indian universities, visiting faculty, foreign research students visiting India for research, scientific and anthropological expeditions, internships and exchange students, among other specified academic activities.
For foreign students enrolled in Indian educational institutions through the Study in India portal, the e-S1 visa may be granted for up to 5 years or for the duration of the academic course, whichever is shorter, with multiple entries.
Business Visa categories consolidated
The Business Visa category has been consolidated into B-1 and B-2.
The B-1 visa covers long-term, licence-based business activities, including foreign nationals seeking to establish industrial or business ventures in India.
The B-2 visa covers short-term, contract-based business activities, including production investment, business meetings, conferences, sports, performing arts and films.
A specific provision has also been introduced for foreign subject-matter specialists, engineers and technical personnel engaged by Indian companies.
Their activities may include installation and commissioning, quality checks and essential maintenance, production, IT and ERP ramp-up, training, supply-chain development, plant design and bring-up, senior management and technical support, including the transfer of know-how, technology and services.
Such personnel may be granted a Production Investment Business Visa under the B-2 category through the e-visa platform. This was earlier granted under the e-B4 visa nomenclature, the statement said.
Visa application forms to be simplified
The MHA has also undertaken a comprehensive exercise to simplify and rationalise visa application forms across all 23 categories and sub-categories.
“The required fields/columns for all 23 categories/sub-categories of visas have been reduced by 65-70 per cent,” the statement said.
The initiative is aimed at reducing the information foreign nationals need to provide and simplifying application forms while retaining essential details required for processing.
“This will reduce time and effort required to complete an application and enhance administrative efficiency by facilitating more focused scrutiny and processing of visa application,” the statement said.
The MHA is updating its IT systems to implement the changes, and visas will be granted under the revised framework by the end of this year, it added.
The revised framework comprises nine main categories: Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor, and Miscellaneous visas.
The Miscellaneous Visa category covers persons of Indian origin and their spouses and children; those joining specified institutions such as the Auroville Foundation; dependents of foreign nationals holding long-duration visas; stay visas for Afghan nationals; long-term visas for certain categories of nationals from neighbouring countries; and other purposes not covered under any of the other categories, the statement said.
