India Regular Visa: Who Needs One and How to Apply

The regular visa, also called the paper or sticker visa, is the route for everyone the e-Visa does not cover. That includes nationalities missing from the e-Visa schedule, purposes outside the e-Visa categories, holders of diplomatic and official passports, and anyone who needs a visa longer than the e-Visa allows.

Who must use it: - Nationals of China, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq and other countries not on the e-Visa fee schedule - Anyone of Pakistani origin, whatever passport they hold, since the e-Visa and visa on arrival both exclude them - People coming to work for an Indian employer (Employment visa), study a full course (Student visa), do research (Research visa), report as journalists (Journalist visa), work as missionaries, take part in film shoots, or join long-term projects - People of Indian origin without an OCI card and foreign spouses of Indian citizens, who use the Entry (X) visa - Anyone whose e-Visa was refused and who wants a decision from a consular officer

How it works: The application starts at indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa. You fill in the form online, print it, sign it and submit the physical copy with your passport and supporting documents at an Indian Visa Application Centre or directly at the Indian mission on an appointment date. Most centres are run by outsourcing partners such as VFS Global and charge a service fee on top of the visa fee. You collect the passport from the centre or receive it by post. The Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines state that a foreigner should be within the jurisdiction of the mission when applying, and that an application made from a country other than your own is granted only after that mission consults the mission in your home country.

Fees: Regular visa fees are charged in local currency under instructions from the Ministry of External Affairs and are not refunded except where a visa is cancelled. They vary far more by nationality than e-Visa fees. Nigerian nationals pay a flat US$585 plus US$3 for the Indian Community Welfare Fund for every category and duration, payable in naira at the High Commission in Abuja or the Consulate General in Lagos. Maldivian nationals pay nothing. Most other missions publish a fee table on their own website and the visa application centre quotes the total including its service charge.

Processing: Missions do not publish a single standard. Straightforward tourist and business applications are often decided within a few working days, but any category that needs prior clearance from Delhi, and any applicant of Pakistani origin or from a country under referral, can wait weeks to months. The High Commission in Islamabad, for example, cites an average of 60 working days and a range of 15 to 90 days depending on clearance. Apply as early as your travel plans allow.

Categories: Tourist (T), Business (B), Employment (E), Student (S), Medical (MED) and Medical Attendant (MED X), Conference (C), Research (R), Journalist (J), Film (F), Intern (I), Project (P), Missionary (M), Mountaineering (MX), Transit (TR) and Entry (X). Validity of every visa runs from the date of issue, not the date of travel. A tourist visa cannot be converted to any other category inside India, with the single exception of conversion to an Entry (X-2) visa on marriage to an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder.

Two corridors to watch: India scaled back visa issuance in Bangladesh from August 2024; tourist visas were reported to resume from 28 June 2026 at the Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Sylhet and Khulna centres, with medical visas issued throughout, so confirm current acceptance with the centre before booking. India suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals on 24 April 2025, revoked existing visas from 27 April 2025 and withdrew the SAARC visa exemption; long-term visas already held by Pakistani Hindu nationals were not affected, and no resumption had been announced as of 7 September 2026.