Rationalized Indian Visa Regime

About Rationalized Indian Visa Regime

• The Rationalized Indian Visa Regime is a government initiative to simplify India’s visa system by consolidating similar categories and making visa procedures easier for foreign nationals.
• Nodal ministry:Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• Key Highlights:
  • Reduction in Visa Categories: The number of main visa categories has been reduced from 13 to 9, while sub-categories have decreased from 49 to 23.
    • This follows the earlier rationalisation in October 2025.
  • Consolidation of Visa Categories: The revised framework includes nine main categories: Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous.
  • Visitor Visa: The erstwhile Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa and divided into two sub-categories – V-1 (Short-term Visitor Visa) and V-2 (Longer-duration Visitor Visa).
    • V-1 allows 30-day multiple-entry visits for activities such as business meetings and medical consultations, while V-2 offers validity of 1, 5 or 10 years.
  • Medical Visa: The Medical Visa has four sub-categories: M-1 (Conventional Medical Treatment Visa), M-2 (Medical Attendant Visa for M-1 holders), M-3 (AYUSH Treatment Visa) and M-4 (Medical Attendant Visa for M-3 holders).
    • M-1 and M-3 generally offer one-year multiple-entry validity.
  • Student Visa: The Student Visa has two sub-categories: S-1 (School, Graduate and Postgraduate Education Visa) and S-2 (Research and Other Academic Activities Visa), covering PhD scholars, visiting faculty, internships and exchange programmes.
  • Business Visa: The Business Visa has two sub-categories: B-1 (Long-term, Licence-based Business Visa) and B-2 (Short-term, Contract-based Business Visa).
  • E-Visa Facility: E-visas are available to nationals of 172 countries through electronic travel authorisation.