India’s Visa Rationalisation: Nine Main Categories, Visitor Visas and Streamlined Applications

The news

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday (November 11, 2026) announced a simplified visa regime that reduces the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. The Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa, and application forms across all categories have been shortened by 65 to 70 per cent, the ministry said in a statement.

The Visitor Visa is divided into two sub-categories. V-1 covers short-term activities such as business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-duration medical treatment and short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft; it is granted for 30 days with multiple entries. V-2 is intended for longer visits with a validity of one, five or 10 years and also covers mountaineering, for which a six-month multiple-entry visa will be issued. The Medical Visa retains separate provisions: M-1 for conventional treatment and M-3 for AYUSH systems, each granted for one year as a default with multiple entries, along with corresponding attendant visas M-2 and M-4. The Student Visa has been consolidated into S-1 (school, graduate and post-graduate education) and S-2 (PhD, research scholars, visiting faculty, internships and other academic activities); eligible students enrolled through the Study in India portal may receive an e-S1 visa for up to five years or the course duration, whichever is less. The Business Visa is now split into B-1 for long-term licence-based activities and B-2 for short-term contract-based activities, including a new Production Investment Business visa for foreign technical specialists engaged by Indian companies.

The rationalisation follows an earlier round in October 2025, when main categories were reduced from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49. The ministry said it studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards before making the changes. The e-visa facility, processed through electronic travel authorisation, is currently available to nationals of 172 countries under 13 sub-categories. The MHA is updating its IT systems to implement the new framework, and visas are expected to be granted under the rationalised categories by the end of 2026.

How does the new visa framework work?

The consolidation groups similar travel purposes under fewer categories to make selection clearer. The Visitor Visa’s V-1 and V-2 sub-categories allow applicants to choose based on the nature and duration of their visit. The Medical Visa framework keeps separate tracks for conventional and AYUSH treatment, each with a default one-year multiple-entry validity, which the ministry said gives patients greater predictability for multi-stage care. The Student Visa’s S-1 and S-2 split distinguishes regular academic programmes from research and short-term academic activities, and the e-S1 visa linked to the Study in India portal can cover the entire course duration. The Business Visa’s B-1 and B-2 division separates long-term investment from short-term contractual work, and the Production Investment Business visa is designed to facilitate the deployment of foreign technical specialists for installation, commissioning, quality checks, training and technology transfer.

What has the rationalisation achieved and what remains?

The two-stage rationalisation has cut main visa categories from 22 to nine and sub-categories from 63 to 23, and application form fields have been reduced by 65 to 70 per cent. The ministry said this will reduce the time and effort required to complete applications and enhance administrative efficiency by enabling more focused scrutiny. However, the changes depend on updating the MHA’s IT systems, and the new framework is targeted for implementation only by the end of 2026. Clear guidance on eligibility, validity and multiple-entry conditions will be necessary for applicants to select the correct visa, and consistent processing will be needed to realise the intended benefits for education, medical travel, technical services and investment.