India Streamlines Visa Framework, Cuts Main Categories and Application Fields

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has implemented a restructuring of India's visa framework, reducing the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. According to official statements, the changes are designed to make the visa regime more compact, coherent, and responsive to the requirements of foreign nationals visiting the country.

This latest adjustment follows an earlier rationalisation in October 2025, when main categories were cut from 22 to 13. The MHA stated that the consolidation of travel purposes was developed after studying the visa systems of developed countries and global standards to provide greater clarity and facilitate legitimate foreign arrivals.

Under the revised framework, the visa regime comprises nine main categories: Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor, and Miscellaneous visas. E-visas are currently processed under 13 sub-categories and remain available to nationals of 172 countries.

The erstwhile Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa and consolidated into two sub-categories, V-1 and V-2. The V-1 visa covers short-term activities such as business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-duration medical treatment, and short-term courses in Indian languages, music, art, and craft, granted for 30 days with multiple entries. The V-2 visa applies to longer-duration visits of one, five, or 10 years, covering activities permissible under V-1 as well as mountaineering.

The Medical Visa framework maintains separate provisions for conventional and AYUSH systems. The M-1 and M-3 visas cover non-AYUSH and AYUSH treatments respectively, while M-2 and M-4 visas are designated for their respective medical attendants. These default to one-year validity with multiple entries to support medical value tourism.

For academia, the Student Visa category is consolidated into S-1 for school, graduate, and postgraduate education, and S-2 for PhD, research scholars, visiting faculty, and internships. Foreign students via the Study in India portal may receive an e-S1 visa for up to five years.

The Business Visa is divided into B-1 for long-term, licence-based ventures, and B-2 for short-term, contract-based activities, conferences, sports, and films. Technical personnel and subject-matter specialists engaged by Indian companies for installation, maintenance, or IT ramp-up can obtain a Production Investment Business Visa under the B-2 category via the e-visa platform.

Alongside structural changes, the MHA has reduced the required fields and columns in visa application forms by 65 to 70 percent across all 23 categories and sub-categories. The update aims to minimize the information required from foreign nationals while retaining essential details for processing. The MHA is currently updating its IT systems, and visas will be granted under the revised framework by the end of the year.

"Simplifying regulatory processes and visa frameworks is a positive step for international business mobility, foreign investment, and cross-border collaboration. By reducing application form fields by up to 70 percent and streamlining categories for business, medical, and student travel, the government is addressing administrative friction. For startups and enterprises looking to engage foreign talent, technical specialists, or international partners, these structural updates will improve predictability and ease of operations." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes