After more than four years of pandemic-era restrictions, the Government of India has formally reinstated all long-duration regular (paper) tourist visas and has reopened the e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) system for foreign nationals. An embassy notice dated 9 July 2026 confirms that previously issued five-year and ten-year paper tourist visas are once again valid for travel, while Indian missions may resume issuing new multiple-entry tourist visas of similar duration. Equally significant is the revival of the e-Tourist Visa in its three familiar options—30-day, one-year and five-year validity. These products had been suspended since March 2020, when COVID-19 curbs first halted leisure arrivals. Eligible travellers can again submit online applications through the Indian e-Visa portal and receive electronic authorisation within the standard two-to-five-day processing window.
![India Restores Long-Duration Tourist Visas and Reopens e-Tourist Visa Portal]()
Travellers who prefer expert guidance can leverage VisaHQ’s dedicated India service, which provides personalised checklists, real-time application tracking and corporate account management for both e-Tourist and long-duration paper visas—helping ensure paperwork is accurate and trips stay on schedule.
Airlines have been instructed to accept e-Tourist Visa PDFs as proof of entry clearance, and Immigration Check Posts have re-enabled automated QR scanning to speed arrivals. The restoration eliminates one of the last remaining pandemic barriers to India’s inbound travel market, a sector that contributed nearly 5 percent to GDP pre-COVID. Tour operators and hospitality chains expect a sharp rebound, particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, whose citizens historically account for more than 40 percent of long-duration tourist visas. Corporations that manage incentive travel and regional off-sites also stand to benefit, as group visa processing can resume without ad-hoc exemptions. Practical implications for mobility managers are twofold. First, employees holding still-valid Indian tourist visas issued before March 2020 no longer need consular re-endorsement; the visas are active immediately. Second, companies planning meetings or site visits can return to the faster, fully online e-TV channel instead of the slower paper route. However, entry remains limited to designated airports and seaports; land crossings will reopen only after a separate Ministry of Home Affairs notification. Travellers must still observe health screening measures in force at the time of travel, though quarantine requirements were removed earlier this year. Stakeholders should update corporate travel policies to reflect the change, brief travellers on e-TV document-download requirements, and monitor forthcoming guidance on land-border re-activation—particularly for Nepal and Bhutan itineraries.
Travellers who prefer expert guidance can leverage VisaHQ’s dedicated India service, which provides personalised checklists, real-time application tracking and corporate account management for both e-Tourist and long-duration paper visas—helping ensure paperwork is accurate and trips stay on schedule.
Airlines have been instructed to accept e-Tourist Visa PDFs as proof of entry clearance, and Immigration Check Posts have re-enabled automated QR scanning to speed arrivals. The restoration eliminates one of the last remaining pandemic barriers to India’s inbound travel market, a sector that contributed nearly 5 percent to GDP pre-COVID. Tour operators and hospitality chains expect a sharp rebound, particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, whose citizens historically account for more than 40 percent of long-duration tourist visas. Corporations that manage incentive travel and regional off-sites also stand to benefit, as group visa processing can resume without ad-hoc exemptions. Practical implications for mobility managers are twofold. First, employees holding still-valid Indian tourist visas issued before March 2020 no longer need consular re-endorsement; the visas are active immediately. Second, companies planning meetings or site visits can return to the faster, fully online e-TV channel instead of the slower paper route. However, entry remains limited to designated airports and seaports; land crossings will reopen only after a separate Ministry of Home Affairs notification. Travellers must still observe health screening measures in force at the time of travel, though quarantine requirements were removed earlier this year. Stakeholders should update corporate travel policies to reflect the change, brief travellers on e-TV document-download requirements, and monitor forthcoming guidance on land-border re-activation—particularly for Nepal and Bhutan itineraries.
