Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Centre has simplified India’s visa regime by reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also reduced the number of fields required in visa application forms by 65-70 per cent across all 23 sub-categories, aiming to make the process easier and faster for foreign nationals visiting India.
The revised framework is expected to benefit international tourists, medical visitors, students, researchers, investors and business professionals by reducing confusion caused by overlapping visa categories. The government aims to promote foreign tourist arrivals, medical value travel, international education and business engagements through the changes.
The nine categories under the revised system are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous visas. One of the key changes is the renaming of the Tourist Visa as the Visitor Visa, which now covers a wider range of activities beyond sightseeing.
The Visitor Visa has been divided into two sub-categories. V-1 allows short visits for tourism, business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats and short-term cultural or language courses, with a validity of 30 days and multiple entries. V-2 caters to longer visits, offering validity of one, five or 10 years, depending on eligibility.
The government has also reorganised medical, student and business visas to provide clearer options for applicants. Medical visas cover conventional and AYUSH treatments, while student visas distinguish between regular education and research, internships and exchange programmes.
According to the MHA, the reduction in application fields will minimise the time and effort required from applicants while improving administrative efficiency and scrutiny. The ministry said it studied visa systems in developed countries and global standards before introducing the changes.
The revised framework was approved on August 27, 2026. The ministry is currently updating its information technology systems, and visas under the new system are expected to be issued by the end of 2026.