India Simplifies Visa Forms to Boost Tourism
The Indian government is planning to simplify visa application forms to make the process easier for foreign tourists. A senior official told The Hindu that unnecessary questions and repeated information will be removed from the lengthy forms. The changes are expected to come into effect next year.
The travel and tourism industry has been asking the government to make visa applications simpler and more convenient. The main aim is to bring foreign tourist arrivals back to the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
India welcomed 1.093 crore foreign tourists in 2019. However, the number dropped to 91.5 lakh in 2025. According to the Ministry of Tourism, around 99 lakh foreign tourists visited India in 2024, compared with 95 lakh in 2023.
Officials said the visa application forms will be redesigned to remove unnecessary and repetitive questions. The number of fields in the forms is expected to be reduced by around 70 per cent, making applications shorter and easier to complete.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has held meetings to make the visa system more flexible. One proposed change is the removal of the “district” field, as this information may not have an equivalent in other countries. Foreign tourists may also be allowed to provide the address of their hotel or guesthouse instead of a local address.
Currently, Indian e-visa applications are nine pages long. Applicants are also asked questions about their involvement in activities such as cybercrime and terrorism. The tourism industry has requested a uniform 120-day application window for tourists from all countries. At present, some countries have a 30-day window, while others do not have the same facility. China is excluded from the proposed process.
Tourism officials have also asked the government to allow Chinese citizens to apply for e-visas to visit India. They have requested that Protected Area Permits (PAP) and Restricted Area Permits (RAP), which are required to visit certain sensitive regions, be issued along with visas whenever possible.
Another request is to make visa application forms available in foreign languages such as Spanish, German, and Italian. Officials believe these changes could make India more attractive to international visitors and encourage more people to travel to the country.
The proposed reforms aim to make the visa process simpler, reduce paperwork, and improve the overall experience for foreign tourists visiting India.