To avoid confusion, the government has decided to change the name of the scheme ‘Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization’ to ‘e-Tourist Visa’ (eTV) from Wednesday (April 15, 2015). The scheme was launched in November, 2014 for tourists from 44 countries at nine airports to facilitate short duration international travellers.

It has been observed that the name of the scheme (TVoA-ETA) is creating confusion among tourists. Tourists presumed that a visa would be granted on arrival. However, in present system the pre-authorization of visa to foreigners is being given prior to travel.  Keeping in view the application process and purpose of the scheme, the committee had suggested e-Tourist Visa (eTV) as the appropriate new name for the scheme.

Ministry of Home Affairs had also received the requests of name change from some Indian embassies. A committee of officials was formed for formulation of new name for the scheme. A contest was also conducted on mygov.in inviting suggestions on the name of the scheme.

Since the launch of the scheme one lakh ten thousand (1,10,000) visas have been issued.

Visa on arrival facility is available for holders of passport of following countries:

Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand,Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands,Sri Lanka,Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam.

The visa facility is valid for entry through 9 designated Airports: 

Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai & Trivandrum .However, a foreigner can take exit from any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.

For any assistance call 24X7 Visa support center at +91-11-24300666 or send email to indiatvoa@gov.in

Eligibility
International Travellers whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation , sight-seeing , casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit.

Passport should have at least six months validity from the date of arrival in India. The passport should have at least two blank pages for stamping by the immigration officer.

International travellers should have return ticket or onward journey ticket, with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.

International travellers having Pakistani Passport or Pakistani origin may please apply for regular visa at Indian mission.

Not available to Diplomatic/Official passport holders.

Not available to individuals endorsed on parent’s/spouse’s passport i.e. each individual should have a separate passport.

Not available to International Travel Document Holders.

How to apply
Apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 30 days.

Recent front facing photograph with white background and photo page of Passport containing personal details like name, date of birth, nationality , expiry date etc. to be uploaded by the applicant. The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded document and photograph are not clear and as per specifications.

Tourist visa on arrival (TVoA) fee is US$ 60/- per passenger excluding interchange charge for credit/debit cards. The fee must be paid 4 days before the expected date of travel, otherwise application will not be processed.

The fee is non-refundable as the fee is for processing of the application and is not subject to either granting of or Rejection of visa.

Applicant should carry a copy of visa along with him/her at the time of travel.

Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at immigration on arrival in India.

The validity of visa will be 30 days from the date of arrival in India.

This facility is in addition to the existing visa services.

This visa is allowed for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year and once issued on arrival is only single entry , non-extendable , non-convertible & not valid for visiting protected/restricted and Cantonment Areas.

Applicants can track the status of their application online by clicking visa status.

While making payment of the visa if the number of unsuccessful attempts is more than three , then the application id would be blocked. The applicant would be required to apply afresh by filling the application form again and regenerating a new application id.

Before re-applying, the applicants are requested to wait for 4 hours for payment status updating, after final submission of the application form and payment of the fee. The payment status updating may take up to 4 hours.

Nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries must carry Yellow Fever Vaccination Card at the time of arrival, otherwise they may be quarantined for 6 days.