India Streamlines Visa Framework, Reduces Categories from 13 to Nine

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has reduced the number of main visa categories in India from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23, while cutting the information required in application forms by 65-70 per cent.

The revised visa framework is expected to come into effect by the end of this year, officials said on Wednesday.

According to an MHA statement, the changes are aimed at making India’s visa regime “more compact, coherent and responsive to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting India”.

The latest rationalisation was announced on August 27, following an earlier exercise in October 2025, when the government reduced the main visa categories from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49.

The ministry said the government had studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards while reviewing India’s existing framework. Consolidating similar travel purposes, it added, would make it easier for foreign nationals to identify the appropriate visa category while facilitating legitimate arrivals.

The existing e-Visa facility covers nationals of 172 countries across 13 sub-categories.

Under the revised framework, the erstwhile Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa and divided into two categories, V-1 and V-2, covering activities beyond conventional tourism.

The V-1 visa will permit multiple entries over 30 days for eligible activities, including business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-term treatment and short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft.

The V-2 visa will be available with validity periods of one, five or 10 years, as specified. Foreign nationals visiting India for mountaineering will be granted a six-month, multiple-entry visa.

The medical visa framework has also been reorganised. M-1 visas for treatment outside AYUSH systems and M-3 visas for AYUSH treatment, including their electronic variants, will ordinarily be issued for one year with multiple entries. Accompanying attendants will be eligible for M-2 and M-4 visas, respectively.

Student visas have been consolidated into two categories: S-1 for school, undergraduate and postgraduate education, and S-2 for research and other specified academic activities. These include PhD programmes, visiting faculty assignments, internships and student exchange programmes.

Eligible foreign students enrolled through the Study in India portal may receive multiple-entry e-S1 visas valid for up to five years or the duration of their course, whichever is shorter.

Business visas have also been reorganised into B-1 and B-2 categories. The B-1 visa will cover long-term, licence-based activities, including establishing industrial or business ventures, while B-2 will cater to short-term, contract-based activities such as production investment, conferences, sports, performing arts and films.

The ministry further said foreign specialists, engineers and technical personnel engaged by Indian companies for specific assignments could obtain a Production Investment Business Visa through the e-Visa platform under the B-2 category. Such assignments include installation, commissioning, maintenance, training and technology transfer. The new nomenclature replaces the earlier e-B4 category.

The MHA said application forms across all 23 sub-categories had been simplified, with essential information retained to facilitate processing. The changes are expected to reduce the documentation burden and make the visa application process more straightforward for foreign visitors.