India visa rules: main categories cut from 13 to 9, forms trimmed by up to 70%

India visa rules were simplified on Wednesday as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cut the main visa categories from 13 to nine and the sub-categories from 49 to 23, ANI reported. The ministry also reduced the fields required in application forms by 65 to 70 per cent across all 23 categories.

What the Ministry of Home Affairs changed

“The Government of India has simplified its visa regime by reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to 9 and the number of sub-categories from 49 to 23,” the ministry said in its statement. The MHA has updated its IT systems to carry out the changes. Visa issuance under the revised framework is expected to begin by the end of this year, The Statesman reported.

The Press Information Bureau published the official release on the rationalised visa regime on 11 November. It says the ministry made the same reduction known on 27 August. It follows an earlier round in October 2025, when main categories fell from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49.

Key numbers

• 9: main visa categories, down from 13, per ANI.
• 23: sub-categories, down from 49, per ANI.
• 65 to 70 per cent: the cut in required form fields across all 23 categories, per ANI.
• 13: sub-categories under which e-visas are processed through electronic travel authorisation, per india.com.
• 172: countries whose nationals can use the e-visa facility, per india.com.

The nine categories and the new Visitor Visa

The revised framework has Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous visas. The old Tourist Visa is now the Visitor Visa, which ANI said reflects a wider range of permitted purposes than tourism alone. Visitor Visas cover tourism, short-term activities including business meetings and medical consultations, wellness retreats, transit and mountaineering.

Medical Visas are for foreigners who come to India for intensive treatment, including AYUSH systems, along with their attendants. Student Visas span school and higher education, research, internships and exchange programmes, as well as yoga, Vedic culture, Indian music and dance, and Buddhist studies.

How the e-visa fits in

The ministry said e-visas are now handled through electronic travel authorisation under 13 sub-categories. Nationals of 172 countries can use the facility at present, according to india.com.

Visa decisions also drew attention this week when Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng said India had cancelled her visa, as our report on the Helle Lyng case noted. The reports on the reform do not link it to that case.

What happens next for India visa rules

Foreign applicants should see the shorter forms under the new India visa rules once issuance under the revised framework starts, which the ministry expects by the end of this year. The reports NIS read do not give a go-live date, any change in fees, or how existing visas will be converted.