India, a country known for its rich culture, delicious food, and remarkable attractions, is a must-visit on many travelers' bucket lists. However, before embarking on your journey, you must secure your Indian visa. You may wonder how long it takes to get an Indian visa. We're here to illuminate that question and offer some handy tips for your upcoming trip to this vibrant nation.
Obtaining an Indian visa is straightforward, especially if planning a short tourism trip. For such purposes, the Indian government offers an e-Visa service, which you can apply online. But how long does this process take?
India Visa General Processing Times
The India electronic visa application is easy to complete. The form can be completed quickly online if travelers have all the required information and documents.
If traveling for business or medical purposes, applicants can submit a visa request as early as 4 months before the date of arrival.
Regarding the Tourist Visa, applicants can apply up to 30 days before their trip. However, visitors should leave at least 4 days before the trip date to apply for a Visa to allow time for processing their application.
You won’t be able to board your flight unless you have a hard copy of your electronic visa stating that your visa was granted.
It's essential to understand that the processing times for Indian visas can vary depending on several factors, including the time of year, the specific type of visa, and the applicant's country. Generally, once an application is submitted, it's processed within 72 hours.
Please note that these timelines are approximate, and processing times may vary. Applying for your visa well before your planned travel dates is always a good idea to avoid delays or issues.
Apply for the India Visa here!
iVisa Recommendation: Don’t wait until the last minute to apply for an Indian Visa
Even though the processing times are fast, we recommend not waiting until the very last minute to apply.
It’s also common for applicants to make mistakes in the application form or upload blurry document scans, which creates setbacks in the process.
At the same time, don’t apply too much in advance because if you need to cancel your trip, your visa fee will not be refunded.
So, you don’t want to wait too long but don't leave it too late before applying for your visa. A good time to apply is within the 30 days before your flight to allow some time to adjust to any plans change.
Once your visa is granted, you only need to worry about what attraction you’ll visit first in India.
We recommend the Kailasa Temple. This unique structure was carved from solid rock in the year AD 760. It represents Mt Kailasa (Kailash), Shiva’s Himalayan abode. The impressive ability it took to carve the temple structure and the decorative panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata make this temple a mandatory stop.
