The Ministry of Home Affairs quietly re-activated India’s five-year multiple-entry e-tourist visa on 9 July 2026, ending a suspension that had been in place since the country’s March 2020 pandemic border closure. According to an updated notice circulated to Indian missions overseas, including the Embassy of India in Brasília, nationals of 156 countries can once again apply online for the long-duration e-TV as well as for fresh five-year paper tourist visas. Visa processing parameters remain unchanged—travellers still submit a short digital form, passport scan and photograph, with approvals typically issued within 72 hours.
![India Restores Five-Year e-Tourist Visa for Visitors from 156 Countries]()
To simplify that process, applicants can turn to VisaHQ, whose platform and support team handle form completion, document checks and real-time status monitoring, making the revived five-year visa especially hassle-free for busy executives, event planners and frequent flyers.
However, entry is temporarily limited to designated international airports and seaports; land and riverine checkpoints will reopen later under a separate order. Afghan citizens continue to follow the bespoke e-Emergency X-Misc visa process. For the travel trade the decision is significant. The five-year product is preferred by frequent business visitors, MICE organisers and relatives of the Indian diaspora because it avoids annual renewals and allows cumulative stays of up to 180 days per calendar year. Hoteliers in Goa and Rajasthan told Global Mobility News they expect winter bookings from Europe to rise by “at least 20 %” once the restored visa appears on the government portal. Corporates should update internal policy documents and booking tools immediately. Travel managers must remind staff that the visa is valid only when printed and carried alongside the passport; digital copies on phones are not accepted at immigration counters. Companies planning incentive trips should build in extra time for biometrics at first entry, and verify that travellers use the official indianvisaonline.gov.in site to avoid fraud. In the medium term the restoration bolsters India’s target of 10 million foreign arrivals by 2027. It also aligns with calls from the tourism ministry and NITI Aayog to make India’s entry regime more competitive—neighbouring Sri Lanka and Thailand already offer comparable multi-year e-visas. Analysts say the move could add US $4 billion in visitor spending over the next three years if promoted aggressively.
To simplify that process, applicants can turn to VisaHQ, whose platform and support team handle form completion, document checks and real-time status monitoring, making the revived five-year visa especially hassle-free for busy executives, event planners and frequent flyers.
However, entry is temporarily limited to designated international airports and seaports; land and riverine checkpoints will reopen later under a separate order. Afghan citizens continue to follow the bespoke e-Emergency X-Misc visa process. For the travel trade the decision is significant. The five-year product is preferred by frequent business visitors, MICE organisers and relatives of the Indian diaspora because it avoids annual renewals and allows cumulative stays of up to 180 days per calendar year. Hoteliers in Goa and Rajasthan told Global Mobility News they expect winter bookings from Europe to rise by “at least 20 %” once the restored visa appears on the government portal. Corporates should update internal policy documents and booking tools immediately. Travel managers must remind staff that the visa is valid only when printed and carried alongside the passport; digital copies on phones are not accepted at immigration counters. Companies planning incentive trips should build in extra time for biometrics at first entry, and verify that travellers use the official indianvisaonline.gov.in site to avoid fraud. In the medium term the restoration bolsters India’s target of 10 million foreign arrivals by 2027. It also aligns with calls from the tourism ministry and NITI Aayog to make India’s entry regime more competitive—neighbouring Sri Lanka and Thailand already offer comparable multi-year e-visas. Analysts say the move could add US $4 billion in visitor spending over the next three years if promoted aggressively.
