India visa info

Fill out an online visa form and pay as part of the process

India has a mostly sensible tourist visa system although you must fill out the lengthy online form ahead of time. Start the process early as it is particular and bureaucratic and despite what it says on the web page, the system ONLY accepts PDF passports under a certain size. Be warned.

(If it is frustrating, channel the above banner photo!)

Visa "on arrival"

This system covers most countries and there are e-visa options for a:

30 day visa, valid from the day of entry; USD25

one year multiple entry USD40, maximum 90 day stay per entry

five year multiple entry (! only USD80) with a maximum of 90 days per visit

Some nationalities may be charged more, or less. An additional 2.5% processing fee is also added. For Americans, the max stay of the 5 year visa is 180 days.

First, you must fill out the e-visa form online more than 4 days prior to arrival, then you can get your e-visa, which is sometimes called the TVOA: Tourist Visa on Arrival, and is an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA; the system that is becoming common around the world). For the 1 year/5 year e-visa you can fill out the form up to 120 days prior to arrival, and we suggest you start early. For the 30 day e-visa you can only apply up to 30 days in advance.

Form instructions

Start here. The form works in a laptop Chrome browser, I can attest.

For ease of filling out the form, don't say you are going with a tour operator, then there will be less to fill in. Also don't list your occupation as "retired", for some reason this has caused issues.

Use the Hotel Omasila address below as a reference.

** You need a square passport-style photo with a light background less than 1mb, jpeg format. ** To squash a photo if you don't have a fancy program, search on Google for "online jpeg resize" or similar.

** You also need a PDF of your passport details page that is less than 1mb in size ** (It says 300kb but does accept larger). ONLY a PDF file is accepted for your passport. Again, there are online services that turn a photo into a PDF.

Note both your Temporary Application ID and your Application ID, once you get to that point. Also "Generate Application Form" (top right button) before paying.

Use the "PayPal" payment option to go to the next screen that offers a choice of credit/debit card or PayPal.

After you have paid and applied, wait a day or two for the email to confirm your TVOA has been issued. This Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) can take up to 72 hours to be issued. Print out your ETA, which is far easier than handing your phone over in Delhi immigration. Also print out your airline ticket out of the country.

Delhi arrival

When arriving at Delhi, go down the escalator then entering the immmigration area, go to the e-visa counters at the far end of the hall. Don't line up at the standard passport counters.

Addresses

Use the hotel address as a reference for the India visa application.

Phunii Nawang Tsering
Hotel Omasila
Changspa Rd
Tehsil: Leh
Leh, Ladakh 194101
tel: 01982252119

Backup address only: Stanzin Lhakpa
Zanskar Trek
Fort Road
Leh, Ladakh 194101 (or Jammu and Kashmir)
Tel: 84920 85348

And the best travel agent for you/us in Delhi:

Prakash Subba
Kipling India Travels
D1/5, 3rd Floor, Khasra No 29/20/1 Extn
Sector 7 Dwarka, Dwarka
New Delhi 110075
Tel: 11 2552 5312

Updated May 2025