Overview
- The Home Ministry on Wednesday published the revised framework that reduces main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub‑categories from 49 to 23 with new, specific definitions for each type.
- The ministry has cut required fields on visa application forms by about 65–70 percent to shorten application time and reduce paperwork for foreign travellers.
- The former Tourist Visa is now the Visitor Visa, split into V‑1 for short multiple‑entry stays of 30 days and V‑2 for longer or repeat visits with one‑, five‑ or ten‑year validity and a six‑month mountaineering option.
- Targeted pathways include S‑1/S‑2 student visas with e‑S1 linked to the Study in India portal for up to five years, M‑1/M‑3 medical visas that separate conventional and AYUSH treatment with attendant visas, and B‑1/B‑2 business visas that add a Production Investment Business Visa for technical specialists.
- The reform aims to boost medical travel, foreign student arrivals and predictable foreign technical deployment, but full implementation hinges on MHA IT upgrades and continued use of the e‑Visa/ETA platform for 172 eligible countries during the rollout.