India Cuts Visa Categories to Nine, Shortens Forms Ahead of Planned 2026 Rollout

Fewer visa categories and less paperwork

India has reduced its main visa categories from 13 to nine and its subcategories from 49 to 23, while cutting the information requested in application forms by 65 to 70 per cent. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the changes in a statement on November 11, 2026, with visas under the revised framework expected to be issued by the end of the year.

The changes reach across tourism, medical treatment, education and business. The Tourist Visa becomes the Visitor Visa, allowing a wider range of short visits. Medical patients will ordinarily qualify for visas valid for one year with multiple entries, while eligible international students enrolling through the Study in India portal may receive electronic visas lasting up to five years.

The ministry said the latest reduction in categories took place on August 27, 2026. Its November statement explained the revised arrangements and said information technology systems were being updated to put them into operation.

Foreign visitors face two connected changes: fewer categories to choose from and fewer fields to complete after choosing one. The government says bringing similar purposes of travel together should make it easier to identify the right visa, while retaining the information officials need to process applications.

The Ministry of Home Affairs described the purpose of the reform in its statement:

The move aimed at making it more compact, coherent and responsive to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting India.

For travellers, the practical changes depend on the purpose and duration of a visit. A short business meeting, a university degree, a hospital treatment programme and an assignment installing factory equipment each have a specified place in the revised structure.

Two rounds of changes reshape the system

India began this consolidation before the latest announcement. In October 2025, it reduced main visa categories from 22 to 13 and subcategories from 63 to 49. The August 2026 changes narrowed both lists again.

Across the two rounds, the main categories have fallen from 22 to nine, a reduction of about 59 per cent. Subcategories have dropped from 63 to 23, or about 63 per cent. The latest round alone removes 26 of the previous 49 subcategories, slightly more than half.

The main dates are:

• October 2025: Main visa categories were reduced from 22 to 13, and subcategories from 63 to 49.
• August 27, 2026: The ministry reduced the structure again, to nine main categories and 23 subcategories.
• November 11, 2026: The ministry set out the changes and described the technology work needed for implementation.
• By the end of 2026: Issuance of visas under the revised framework is expected to begin.

The ministry said the government examined visa systems in developed countries and global standards before making the changes. Its approach combines similar travel purposes rather than keeping a separate label for each narrowly defined activity.

Application forms lose up to 70 per cent of their fields

Application forms across all 23 subcategories have been shortened, according to the ministry. The number of required fields or columns has been reduced by 65 to 70 per cent, with essential processing details retained.

Put simply, for every 100 fields previously required, roughly 30 to 35 remain. That comparison illustrates the scale of the reduction; the ministry did not give the original number of fields on each form.

Applicants should therefore have less information to enter. Officials also expect more focused scrutiny because the forms will concentrate on details needed to assess an application. The intended benefit reaches both sides of the process: less work completing a form and a more manageable set of information to review.

The announcement gives no specific processing time or exact launch date. The end of 2026 remains the stated implementation target while the government updates its systems.

Visitor visas cover more than holidays

The Visitor Visa replaces the Tourist Visa and brings several activities beyond sightseeing into a broader category. Its two subcategories, V-1 and V-2, are intended to match different visit lengths and purposes.

V-1 will allow multiple entries over 30 days. Eligible activities include business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short periods of medical treatment and short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft. Short yoga programmes are also covered.

For someone combining a holiday with a medical consultation or a brief cultural course, the revised category brings those permitted activities under one clearly named route. Multiple entries allow a holder to leave and return during the visa's validity, subject to the applicable conditions.

V-2 will have validity of one, five or 10 years, depending on the specified eligibility rules. It covers the activities allowed under V-1 as well as mountaineering. Visitors travelling for mountaineering will receive a visa valid for six months with multiple entries.

Visa validity describes the period during which a visa can be used. Travellers will also need to follow the conditions governing each stay. The longer V-2 options are intended to provide continuity for eligible people making repeated visits.

Medical patients get a year for repeat visits

Medical visas retain separate routes for treatment outside AYUSH systems and treatment within them. AYUSH refers to systems that include Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathy.

M-1 covers treatment outside AYUSH, while M-3 covers AYUSH treatment. Both categories, including their electronic versions, will ordinarily be issued for one year with multiple entries.

Patients whose care involves an initial consultation, a procedure and later appointments could use that period for repeated journeys. The ministry links this arrangement to the government's Heal in India vision, which seeks to attract people travelling for medical care.

The Ministry of Home Affairs explained the intended benefit for patients:

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.

Accompanying attendants have corresponding categories. M-2 is for attendants of M-1 holders, and M-4 is for attendants of M-3 holders. This gives patients and the people supporting them identifiable routes linked to the treatment category.

The Visitor Visa also permits medical consultations and short periods of treatment. The revised framework therefore provides both a route for eligible brief visits and dedicated medical categories for patients travelling for more extensive care.

Students and researchers move into two broad groups

Student visas have been consolidated into S-1 and S-2. S-1 covers school education, undergraduate degrees and postgraduate study. S-2 covers research and other specified academic activities.

The S-2 group includes PhD scholars, research scholars at Indian universities, visiting faculty and foreign students coming to India for research. It also includes scientific and anthropological expeditions, internships and student exchanges. Anthropology is the study of people, their societies and cultures.

Eligible foreign students enrolled at Indian educational institutions through the Study in India portal may receive an e-S1 visa valid for up to five years or the duration of their course, whichever is shorter. The visa will permit multiple entries.

A student on a course lasting three years could therefore receive a visa linked to those three years, while the stated maximum for a longer course is five years. The provision ties visa duration to study plans and allows eligible students to travel outside India and return during that period.

The broader Student Visa framework also includes specified studies in yoga, Vedic culture, Indian music and dance, Buddhist studies, Indian languages and Indian knowledge systems. Applicants will need to select the route matching the actual programme or academic activity.

Business visas separate ventures from specific assignments

Business visas are being reorganised into B-1 and B-2. B-1 covers business activities requiring licences over a longer period, including establishing industrial or commercial ventures in India.

B-2 covers activities carried out under contracts over shorter periods. The listed purposes include production investment, conferences, sports, performing arts and films, including documentaries and advertising films.

Foreign specialists, engineers and technical personnel hired by Indian companies may qualify for a Production Investment Business Visa under B-2 through the electronic visa platform. This replaces the earlier e-B4 name.

The permitted assignments include installing and commissioning equipment, quality checks, essential maintenance, production, training, supply chain development, plant design, senior management and technical support. Commissioning means checking that newly installed machinery or a plant is ready to operate as intended.

Information technology and enterprise resource planning work are also listed. Enterprise resource planning, often shortened to ERP, uses software to bring business functions such as purchasing, production and stock management into a connected system. The provision also covers transferring expertise, technology and services.

For Indian companies, the revised labels identify a route for bringing in specialists for defined tasks. A foreign engineer arriving to start up machinery, for example, fits the listed technical activities, while a person establishing a business venture falls within the longer B-1 structure.

The nine categories retain specialised routes

The revised main categories are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous. Several retain specific purposes outside ordinary travel, study or commerce.

The Work Visa covers employment over a longer period with Indian companies or organisations, work with nongovernmental organisations and missionary activities. The Journalist Visa covers journalists accredited in India.

Diplomatic visas serve diplomats, including United Nations diplomats assigned to or visiting India, and their dependents. Official visas cover officials without diplomatic status, including relevant United Nations officials, and their dependents.

The Miscellaneous category brings together several other eligible groups. They include people of Indian origin and their spouses and children, people joining specified institutions such as the Auroville Foundation, and dependents of foreign nationals holding visas of longer duration.

It also covers stay visas for Afghan nationals, visas for longer stays for certain categories of nationals from neighbouring countries, and purposes outside the other categories. These provisions preserve routes for family, institutional and specified residence needs within the smaller framework.

Electronic applications await the system update

India currently provides electronic visa facilities to nationals of 172 countries, with applications processed through electronic travel authorisation under 13 electronic subcategories. The government is updating its information technology systems to support the revised arrangements.

The 13 existing electronic subcategories sit within the wider visa system. The new total of 23 subcategories describes the revised framework across visa routes, including the electronic options specified for eligible students, medical travellers and production investment specialists.

The government's immediate task is to make those categories and shorter forms work together in the application system. Its stated goal is to reduce confusion over which visa to choose, lower the effort needed to apply and support legitimate arrivals for tourism, treatment, education and business.

Key Points

• India has reduced its main visa categories from 13 to nine and subcategories from 49 to 23.
• Application forms require 65 to 70 per cent fewer fields, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The Visitor Visa replaces the Tourist Visa and includes several permitted activities beyond holidays.
• M-1 and M-3 medical visas will ordinarily last one year with multiple entries, with corresponding visas for attendants.
• Eligible students enrolling through Study in India may receive an e-S1 visa for up to five years or their course duration, whichever is shorter.
• Business routes are divided into B-1 and B-2, with specified technical assignments covered under B-2.
• Visas under the revised framework are expected to be issued by the end of 2026 after technology updates.