India eVisa for US Citizens: India eVisa Processing Time, and Costs

While US passport holders (like myself) greatly benefit from visa waivers for international travel worldwide, we will still need a valid visa to enter India. Luckily, US citizens can apply for the Indian e-Visa.

I had a great time in India and made it back a week later! So, I'm sharing my experience to help others looking to visit India.

Here's what you need to know:

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Applying for an e-Visa for India from USA can seem stressful and like a lot of work, but that's why Atlys is here to help you. Applying for your visa through Atlys is super easy. All you need to do is download Atlys on your phone, enter your travel details, and the rest will be taken care of for you.

You'll have your visa to travel in no time!

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You probably have many questions about the e-Visa for India, which is understandable. You need to know a few things before applying for the India Visa online, so in this blog section, I will explain all the details.

Next, you'll find the basics of the e-Visa for India from the USA:

• What Is The E-Visa For India?
• Do I Need A Visa To Visit India?
• Where Must I Apply For The India e-Visa?
• What Are The Different Types Of India e-Visas?
• What Type Of Visa Do I Need To Apply For?
• How Long Do Indian E-Visas Take To Process?
• How Long Is The Indian E-Visa Valid For?
• What Is The Cost Of An E-Visa To India From USA?
• When Should I Apply For A Visa To India From The USA?

What Is The E-Visa For India?

To enter India, you need a visitor's entry visa. The e-Visa for India is exactly that. It's an electronic visa that allows travel to India for numerous purposes such as tourism, business, etc. Unlike traditional visas, the e-Visa for India from the USA is completed online, hence the "e," which stands for electronic.

Applying for an India Visa online is much easier than applying at the embassy. It eliminates travel time and uncertainty and is relatively easy to do.

When you travel to India and arrive at the border, authorities will check your e-Visa for India from the USA before allowing you to enter the country. Therefore, think of your India e-Visa as an entry permit.

Do I Need A Visa To Visit India?

Yes. Most foreign nationals must apply for a visa to travel to India.

No matter how short your trip is, you must get a visa to visit India unless you possess an OCI card. The type of visa depends on the purpose and duration. Please remember that citizens with an NRI/PIO card must apply for their OCI Card before the end of 2022.

Suppose you have not renounced your Indian Citizenship. In that case, you must apply for your OCI Card before applying for your Indian E Visa. Please check out our guide on how to get your OCI Card in the USA.

All tourists, including children, must obtain a visa before arrival. The Government of India does not grant visas on arrival.

"Do US citizens need a visa to travel to India"

Yes. All US citizens need a valid passport alongside a valid e-Visa for India when traveling to India for any travel purposes. In this guide, you'll discuss the exact steps you need to take when applying for an India e-Visa to travel to India. Alternatively, US citizens can apply for the 10 year India Visa before traveling to India.

For more detailed information on the India Visa, please check our guide on the India Visa for US citizens.

Where Must I Apply For The India e-Visa?

You must complete the e-Visa for India from the USA online through the official government website. Although the website does an excellent job of explaining the application process, it can sometimes have issues loading correctly.

Therefore, to avoid unnecessary issues, the easiest way to apply for your Visa to India from the USA is through Atlys.

Nonetheless, I will explain the Indian e-Visa application process later in this post.

What Are The Different Types Of India e-Visas

Currently, India has 6 different types of e-visas available. You may wonder which visa you should apply for; the type of e-Visa you need depends on the purpose of your trip. The names of the visas in the list below are pretty self-explanatory but later in the post, I'll briefly explain the main categories of the India e-Visas.

• e-Tourist Visa
• e-Business Visa
• e-Conference Visa
• e-Medical Visa
• e-Medical Attendant Visa
• e-Emergency X-Misc

What Type Of Visa Do I Need To Apply For?

This mainly depends on the duration of your trip. Typically, you need to apply for an Indian e-Visa. However, suppose you're visiting for more than 60 days. In that case, you'll need to apply for a regular consular visa at an Indian mission near you. Furthermore, the type of e-Visa/Visa you apply for needs to align with the purpose of your trip.

Suppose you plan to visit India for tourism purposes. In that case, you must apply for the India e-Tourist Visa and not the e-Medical or e- Conference Visa.

How Long Do Indian E-Visas Take To Process?

The India e-Visa processing time is about 4 business days. Therefore, I recommend starting your application as early as possible before departure to India.

This ensures that you leave enough time for authorities to process your application. Keep in mind that the India e-Visa processing time can be longer. Different factors can delay your India e-Visa processing time. These include:

• Incorrect documents
• An incomplete application form
• A global pandemic
• Visa policy changes
• Problems with the website/e-visa online portal

How Long Is The Indian E-Visa Valid For?

The visa for India from the USA is valid for 4 months from the date of issue for a single entry.

Therefore although your visa is valid for 4 months, you will only be able to stay in India for 30 days max. However, as a US citizen, you can stay in India for a maximum of 180 days but cannot exceed that.

E-Visa holders will have to contact the authorities if they stay for more than 30 days.

If your trip is extended, you must apply for another visa. Similarly, suppose you're going for more than 30 days. In that case, it's best you apply for a traditional Indian visa - it takes 15 business days to be processed, is more expensive, and can be applied at an Indian consulate near you.

What Is The Cost Of An E-Visa To India From USA?

You are required to pay a visa fee for every application you make. However, before I explain the Indian E-Visa fee, you must know that the Indian Visa cost depends on your visa type. Here is a list of the different India Visa costs that you must be aware of:

• For the Indian e-Tourist Visa cost (30 days - double entry): $25
• For the Indian e-Business Visa cost (365 days - multiple entries): $80
• For the Indian e-Medical Visa cost (60 days - triple entry): $80
• For the Indian e-Medical Attendant Visa cost (60 days - triple entry): $80

Keep in mind that the India Visa fees may change at any time. The above amounts are the current India e-Visa costs.

When Should I Apply For A Visa To India From The USA?

You should apply for any Indian Visa online a minimum of 4 days before the arrival date. Also, you can apply for your Indian Visa online 120 days before your intended arrival date in the country.

For the e-Tourist Visa, you can only start the application as early as 30 days before the date you plan to travel.

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Before you start the application, make sure to have these documents ready:

• Scanned bio page of your passport/travel document showing your photograph and passport details: The passport validity has to be more than 6 months. If your passport expires within 6 months, you will not be allowed to submit your Indian e-Visa application.
• A recent digital photo of yourself, taken against a white background: You can upload the photo in a jpeg format - you can use this free tool to convert your photos to JPEG.
• Address and contact details of your reference in India
• Sufficient funds to cover the India Visa cost
• Your personal details
• A Yellow Fever Vaccination Card

This is only applicable if you have previously traveled to a country where yellow fever is present. Without a Yellow Fever Vaccination Card, you will be required to be quarantined for 6 days after you arrive in India.

Atlys has a variety of free tools which you can use to check your passport photo, flight itinerary, and hotel itinerary.

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Once your documents are ready, you can start completing the application form for the India visa online.

The online application process is split into 8 steps:

• Step 1: Create An Account
• Step 2: Applicant Details
• Step 3: Passport Details
• Step 4: Address Details
• Step 5: Family Details
• Step 6: Occupation Details
• Step 7: References
• Step 8: Upload Your Documents And Submit

Step 1: Create An Account

To apply for your e-Visa for India from the USA, you must head to the official website and apply there. You'll be greeted by a simple page showing an infographic. It explains how to apply for your new e-Visa.

Tap on Apply Online and create an online account. You've to select what type of visa you require while creating the account. I was going to visit my family, so I selected tourist, the most common use case. The date of arrival doesn't have to be the exact date; you can provide a rough date within 45 days, more or less.

Keep in mind to apply for the right kind of visa.

Step 2: Applicant Details

The first step involves entering basic personal information. Some questions, however, can be confusing:

• Visible Identification marks: you can simply put "NA" here.
• Educational Qualification: there are many options, and you can select the one that best matches your qualifications. Evidence is not required, but we recommend being honest.
• Birth or Naturalization: If you were not born in the country you're applying from, you have been naturalized. For instance, ex-pats (ex-Indian nationals) from India should select the latter.

Step 3: Passport Details

After filling out your personal information, you must complete the section that requires your passport details. Here you will enter your passport number, date of issuance, and expiry date. During this step, you must also fill in the country where your passport was issued.

Step 4: Address Details

This refers to your home address in the country where you currently live, not where you'll stay in India. The Indian government or immigration will not ask you for proof of address. If you're a nomad, you can put your most recent address.

Step 5: Family Details

India requires details about your parents. While you're not required to submit proof of their identity, you must provide their names and citizenship status. This is easy but make sure you provide the correct legal names of your parents.

Step 6: Occupation Details

This section can be confusing, and I spent a reasonable amount of time figuring out which category I fall under - they didn't have digital nomad as an option. I recommend choosing your occupation as OTHERS. If self-employed, put your business address. If unemployed, select that and put 'NA' in other fields.

Students are required to put in the name of their educational institute.

Step 7: References

This is someone you know in India and someone you know in your home country. If you don't know anyone in India, provide your hotel or Airbnb details.

Step 8: Upload Your Documents And Submit

India requires 2 documents: your passport and your recent photo.

Photo

Take a photo against a white background. Transfer it to your computer and convert it to JPEG. Many people face problems with the Indian eVisa system here - it's best to use Atlys' free passport photo tool to get around this.

The photo has to be 350x350 px and not more than 1MB.

Finally, you have to upload a photo of your passport bio page. The copy of our passport bio page has to be of a specific size and in PDF format. Because of so many requirements, I recommend using Atlys instead.

Once you have successfully uploaded your photo, you can finally submit your application for it to be processed. That's it! Now you've applied for your India Visa online.

Your thumb or anything else should not be in the picture.

Passport

Your passport needs to have a validity of at least 6 months, with blank pages available for entry and exit stamps.

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This was a pain. I'd advise doing the above steps right to avoid this. But if you need to contact the helpline: email mailto:indiatvoa@gov.in usually works better. Their phone line (+91-11-24300666) doesn't work mostly, but I found that they've available operators between 1 pm and 3 pm IST.

Have your Passport number, Application ID, Date of Birth, and Full Name ready before contacting.

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It takes 4 business days for your visa's outcome to be determined. You might also get an email requesting clearer documents (like I did) or further information. The approval email looks like this:

Important: This is not the ETA or e-Visa. You will not be allowed entry based on this email. To retrieve your actual e-visa, you must visit the official portal and select Check Visa Status.

After inputting your details, select Print Status to print your e-Visa for India from the USA.

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Once your India e-Visa has been approved, the first thing you need to do is ensure you download a copy thereof. Remember, without the e-Visa for India, border authorities will not allow you to enter the country.

Once you arrive in India, you must follow the general entry protocols. Generally, you'll find a lane within the airport dedicated to "foreign arrivals". Here, you'll approach border authorities, who will ask you to present your valid passport and your e-Visa for India. After authorities check your travel documents, your passport will be stamped, and you'll be allowed to enter the country.

Just as a heads up: Border authorities have the right to ask for additional documents should they feel it's necessary. Typically, they want to see documents that prove the purpose of your trip and if you have sufficient funds to support yourself. As such, I recommend you have the following documents in hand upon arrival (alongside your Indian e-Visa):

• Hotel reservations
• An invitation letter (if applicable)
• A flight itinerary
• Recent bank statements that prove you have sufficient funds.

I highly recommend having an additional copy of your e-Visa for India, just in case. Rather be safe than sorry.

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Before we end this blog post, we must first discuss other types of Indian E-Visas.

Here are the different Indian E-Visas and their purposes:

• The Indian E-Business Visa
• The Indian E-Medical Visa
• The Indian E-Medical Attendant Visa

The Indian E-Business Visa

The e-Business Visa will allow you to travel to India for business purposes. As with the tourist e-Visa, you can apply for your Indian e-Business Visa a minimum of 4 days before your intended departure date to India.

For the Indian e-Business Visa, you'll need to submit the following documents:

• Scanned Bio Page of your passport showing your photograph and your passport details
• Copy of Business Card
• Any letter of invitation, if applicable, from Indian parties who have invited you to conduct business in India (optional)

Your next question is probably "What classifies as a business card?". According to the official website, a business card is a card provided to you by the company you are working for. Suppose you can't provide a business card for whatever reason. In that case, you can upload an invitation letter from the inviting company in India. The information that must be included in the invitation letter includes:

• The inviting company's information
• The inviting company's address
• The company's Indian phone number

You can apply for an Indian e-Business visa if the reason for your trip includes the following:

• For trade. This includes sales and purchases of goods.
• To attend business meetings
• To start a new business venture
• To conduct tours
• To recruit new employees
• To participate in exhibitions or business/trade fairs
• To deliver a lecture(s) under Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN)

The Indian E-Medical Visa

The Indian e-Medical Visa is only granted to those seeking or needing medical treatment in India. Note that family members who plan to support your medical procedures in India won't be able to apply for an e-Medical Visa to travel alongside you. Instead, they'll need to apply for a different type of Indian e-Visa (the Indian e-Medical Attendant Visa).

You'll need to provide the following documents when you apply for your Indian e-Medical Visa:

• Scanned Bio Page of your passport showing your photograph and your passport details
• A letter from the Hospital in India. The letter must include the date on which admission has been suggested.

With your e-Medical Visa, you'll be allowed to enter India a maximum of 3 times. Your visa will be valid for 60 days. Note that you can only enter India 3 times within 60 days.

The Indian E-Medical Attendant Visa

The e-Medical Attendant Visa will allow you to enter India to support a friend or family member during medical treatment or medical procedures. To apply for this visa, you must be a blood relative of the person who applied for an Indian e-Medical Visa.

There is only one document you need to submit with your application:

• Scanned Bio Page of your passport showing your photograph and your passport details

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You're now an expert in the India e-visa. Once you've successfully applied, you can travel to India to enjoy all the country offers. After reading through this in-depth guide, you should understand the India e-visa processing time, cost, and application process well.