KATHMANDU- The Government of India has introduced major reforms to its visa system, reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23 to make the application process simpler and more accessible for foreign nationals.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the revised system will reduce the number of fields in visa application forms by 65 to 70 percent across all 23 sub-categories. The move is expected to reduce paperwork, save applicants’ time and improve administrative efficiency.
One of the major changes is the renaming of the existing Tourist Visa as a Visitor Visa, which will cover a wider range of activities beyond conventional tourism. The new category will have two sub-categories: V-1, a 30-day multiple-entry visa covering short-term visits, including business meetings, medical consultations and cultural courses; and V-2, which will offer longer-term validity of one, five or 10 years, subject to eligibility.
The reforms also reorganise medical, student and business visas. The revised student visa framework will cover academic programmes, research, PhD studies, internships and exchange programmes. Similarly, the business visa system will distinguish between long-term investment activities and short-term contractual assignments, including provisions for foreign technical experts and engineers.
The nine main visa categories under the revised framework are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous.
India currently provides electronic visa facilities to citizens of 172 countries. The government said the reforms are intended to encourage foreign tourist arrivals, medical travel, international education, investment and business engagement.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is upgrading its information technology systems to implement the revised arrangements. Visa issuance under the new framework is expected to begin by the end of 2026.
The latest reform follows an earlier rationalisation in October 2025, when India reduced its main visa categories from 22 to 13.