Modifications to the existing e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) Scheme of Government of India

Government of India has changed the nomenclature of its existing ‘e-Tourist-Visa’ facility available to the nationals of the Republic of Serbia to ‘e-Visa’ to expand its scope by adding three sub-categories, namely, ‘e-Tourist Visa’, e-Business Visa’ and e-Medical Visa’ with effect from 1st April 2017.

VARANASI, INDIA – APRIL 23: Young Indian Hindu Brahmins training to be priests perform yoga on a ghat on the Ganges River, holy to Hindus, at sunrise on April 23, 2014 in Varanasi, India. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

e-Visa will be non-extendable except in the case of e-Medical Visa. e-Visa will generally be non-convertible to any other type of visa. The modified e-Visa facility will be available at 24 major airports in India, namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, Varanasi, Gaya, Ahmadabad, Amritsar, Tiruchirapalli, Jaipur, Lucknow, Cochin, Calicut, Mangalore, Pune, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Bagdogra, Guwahati and Chandigarh and 3 seaports namely, Mangalore, Cochin and Marmago and exit can be made from any of the authorised Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India. The facility of e-Visa is valid only for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year and is in addition to the existing Visa services provided by the Indian Embassy. Salient features of the revised scheme are given below:-

e-Tourist Visa: Available for those whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, and attending short duration yoga programme. The validity of e-Tourist Visa will be 120 days with double entry from the date of arrival in India and maximum stay permissible will be 60 days.

e-Business Visa: All activities permitted under normal business visa. The validity of e-Business Visa will be 120 days with double entry from the date of arrival in India and maximum stay permissible will be 60 days.

eMedical Visa: Medical treatment, including treatment under Indian systems of medicine. The validity of e-Medical Visa will be 120 days with triple entry from the date of arrival in India and the maximum duration of stay will be 60 days. Extension up to 6 months may be granted on case to case basis by the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned on the merits of each case.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Passport should be valid for at least six months from the date of arrival in India. The passport should have at least two blank pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer.

  • Applicant should have return ticket or onward journey ticket, with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.

  • Not available to individuals endorsed on Parent’s/Spouse’s Passport i.e. each individual should have a separate passport.

  • Serbian nationals who hold Diplomatic/Official passports will continue to enjoy visa free entry into India.

  • Not available to International Travel Document Holders.

How to apply

Applicants are required to log on the website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in for accessing the prescribed online application. This site is best viewed in Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer (Windows) version 9.0 and above. Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher is required in order to download the print the completed application form.

  • Applicants are required to apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 120 days. For example: If you are applying on 1st September then applicant can select arrival date from 5th September to 2nd January.

  • Recent front facing photograph with white background and photo page of passport containing personal details like name, date of birth, nationality, expiry date etc. should be uploaded by the applicant. The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded document and photograph are not clear or as per specification.

  • After filling details on https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html , the applicant should click “Pay Now” for online payment. After successful completion of transaction, the applicant will be redirected with a successful receipt of payment.

  • After completing the online procedure, the applicant should take a print out of the e-Visa generated and carry a copy of this along with him/her at the time of travel.

  • Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at Immigration on arrival in India.

  • Applicants should be careful while making payment of the e-Visa fee. If the number of unsuccessful attempts is more than three (03), the application id would be blocked and the applicant would be required to apply afresh by filling the application form again and regenerating a new application id.

  • Before re-applying, the applicants are requested to wait for 4 hours after final submission of the application form and payment of the fee as updating of payment status may take up to 4 hours.

Fee structure

  • e-Tourist Visa fee applicable in case of Serbian nationals is US$ 50/- as compared to the visa fee of US$ 100 charged by the Embassy for the standard tourist visa.

  • e-Business Visa fee applicable in case of Serbian nationals is US$ 50/- as compared to the visa fee of US$ 120/- charged by the Embassy for the standard business visa.

  • e-Medical Visa fee applicable in case of Serbian nationals is US$ 50/- as compared to the visa fee of US$ 80/- charged by the Embassy for the standard medical visa.

  • e-Visa fee once submitted is non-refundable as the fee is for processing of the application and is not dependent on either Grant or Rejection of VISA.

(Bank transaction charges of 2.5% will be charged in addition to the e-Visa fees. The fee must be paid at least 4 days before the expected date of travel otherwise application will not be processed.)

Other important guidelines

Applicants can track the status of their application online by clicking visa status.

Nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries must carry YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CARD at the time of arrival in India, otherwise they may be quarantined for 6 days upon arrival in India. Please visit our Ministry of Health & Family Welfare latest guidelines regarding yellow fever countries here.

Applicants are advised to refer to the official e-Visa website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html or call Indian Embassy, Belgrade at telephone number 00381-11-2667990 or email at infobg@eunet.rs for further guidance.

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