India visa for UK citizens: e-visa fees, types and how to apply

Yes. A British passport holder needs a visa before travelling to India unless they hold a valid Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. For a holiday the simplest route is the online e-Tourist visa: US$25 (about £19) for 30 days if you arrive between July and March, US$40 (about £30) for one year, or US$484 (about £360) for five years.

This guide is for travellers leaving the UK on a British passport. It explains which visa fits which trip, what each costs in pounds, how to apply on the Indian government portal, what you must complete before landing and where the e-visa stops working. It does not sell a visa and files nothing for you: the Indian authorities set the rules and decide every application.

GOV.UK lists the main categories as tourist, business, work, journalist and medical, and warns that using the wrong one can lead to refusal, deportation or a future ban on entry. GOV.UK sends British applicants to the Indian Bureau of Immigration, where you choose between a regular visa and an e-visa. The e-visa is the quicker of the two, but it comes with limits on where you can enter the country.

The Indian e-Visa portal offers e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical, e-Medical Attendant, e-Student, e-Family, e-Transit, e-Conference and several other types. For most holidaymakers only the e-Tourist visa matters, and it comes in three lengths.

The e-Medical visa deserves a caution. The portal gives one validity in its table and another in its FAQ, so read the current wording on the portal before you rely on either figure. If a tourist visa holder is admitted to hospital, GOV.UK says they may be able to convert to a medical visa through the Bureau of Immigration.

For a British passport the 30-day e-Tourist visa costs US$25 (about £19) between July and March and US$10 (about £8) between April and June. The one-year visa is US$40 (about £30) and the five-year visa is US$484 (about £360). The five-year price is the only one where the British rate differs from the standard US$200 charged for most nationalities on the same schedule.

The portal adds a 3% bank charge on card payments, and the Indian Visa Online pages say fees are non-refundable. The fee has to be paid at least four days before you travel, or the application will not be processed. Because fees are set in US dollars, the pound figure moves with the exchange rate.

Not one of those lines includes a service charge from a third party. If a website quotes a higher total for the same visa, the difference is that website's own fee.

The United Kingdom is on the list of countries whose citizens may apply for an e-visa. Purposes covered include tourism, short courses, short voluntary work, medical treatment, business and attending conferences. A return or onward ticket and enough money for the stay are required.

• Pakistani passport or origin. The e-visa is not available to Pakistani passport holders or people of Pakistani origin. GOV.UK adds that British-Pakistani dual nationals must apply on their Pakistani passport and should expect much longer processing.
• Defence, military, security or police backgrounds. Serving and retired personnel are not eligible for the e-visa and need a regular visa.
• Children on a parent's passport. E-visas are not available to people endorsed on a parent's or spouse's passport, so each traveller needs a passport of their own.
• Overseas Citizen of India. A valid OCI card with your British passport lets you enter without a visa. GOV.UK says an electronic OCI was launched in June 2026, so a physical card is no longer required.

Apply only on the government portal. Have your passport, a digital photo and a card ready, and apply well inside the window described in the next section.

1. Open the official portal. Go to the Indian Visa Online e-Visa pages, choose the e-Tourist visa and start a new application.
2. Enter your passport details exactly as printed. The name and number must match the passport you will fly on.
3. Upload your photo and passport page. The portal sets format and size limits, listed below.
4. Pay the fee by card. Add the 3% bank charge to the fee in the table above.
5. Keep the authorisation. The portal says to carry a copy of your Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) when you travel.

Apply at least four days before you arrive. The portal says the application can be made up to 120 days ahead of your proposed date of travel, so there is a wide window. We suggest applying a few weeks out rather than at the minimum, because a request to re-upload a document comes by email, normally within 24 hours, and then needs a correction from you.

The 1-year and 5-year visas run from the date the authorisation is granted, not from your arrival. Applying very early therefore uses up validity before you have flown. The 30-day visa works the other way: it runs from your first arrival, which must fall between the date of issue and the expiry of the authorisation.

The passport must have at least six months of validity when you apply, and GOV.UK says at least six months after arrival with two blank pages. Check both dates before you pay, because a passport that expires in eight months leaves very little margin.

• Photo. JPEG, between 10 KB and 1 MB, equal height and width, front facing with eyes open and no spectacles, on a plain light or white background without shadows or borders.
• Passport page. The page with your photo and details, scanned as a PDF between 10 KB and 300 KB.
• Blank pages. At least two, according to GOV.UK and the portal FAQ.
• Lost or stolen passports. GOV.UK says entry is denied if your passport is reported lost or stolen.

An e-visa only works at designated points of entry. The portal lists 37 international airports and, for cruise passengers, 38 seaports on the page we read, and also lists land ports. Its FAQ gives different totals and says entry is through designated airports and seaports, so the lists disagree. Check the current list on the e-Visa portal against your route before you book flights, especially if you plan to arrive overland or at a smaller airport.

If your route does not fit, the regular visa is the alternative. GOV.UK describes it as a standard paper visa applied for through the Bureau of Immigration, and says the e-visa is the one that has restrictions on airports, land borders and seaports.

The visa is not the only form. GOV.UK lists two arrival steps for British travellers, both online and both free of any visa fee.

• E-arrival card. Complete it online up to 72 hours before arrival. It is arrival information, not a visa, and you must complete it before you reach immigration.
• Self-declaration form. Mandatory for all international arrivals. Submit it on the Air Suvidha portal up to 24 hours before arrival to avoid delays.
• Entry stamp. Make sure the border officer stamps your passport. You will need the stamp when you leave.
• Printed ETA. Carry a copy of your e-visa authorisation together with your return or onward ticket.

Yes, for certain areas. The e-visa is not valid for protected, restricted or cantonment areas, and prior permission from the civil authority is needed for them. GOV.UK says permits are required for some restricted or protected areas, that the rules can change, and that you should apply at least three months before arrival.

You can apply in the UK to the High Commission of India in London or another Indian consulate, or in India to the relevant state liaison office or the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. A trip that depends on a permit is the main case where a tour operator or the High Commission is worth asking before you book.

Stays of more than 180 days without an OCI card must be registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival. GOV.UK warns that failing to register could mean being denied permission to leave. A 1-year or 5-year e-Tourist visa is separately capped at 180 days in a calendar year.

Overstaying is illegal, and extensions are available only where the visa type allows them. The 30-day e-Tourist visa is expressly non-extendable and non-convertible.

If you arrive with a new passport and no entry stamp, GOV.UK says you must apply to the FRRO for a special exit permit from inside India. Straightforward cases take 5 to 15 working days, which is a good reason to keep your stamped passport safe.

The official e-visa application sits on the Indian government's indianvisaonline.gov.in domain, and the fees on it follow the published schedule: the table above plus 3% for card payments. Anything beyond that is a private service charge, not the government's. Reach the portal through the GOV.UK advice or the e-Visa pages rather than through an advert.

• A total above the schedule. The government fee for a British applicant is on the schedule, so a bigger figure includes someone else's margin.
• A different web address. The portal is on a gov.in domain.
• A paid fast track. The portal publishes no premium processing option in the pages we read.

GOV.UK tells visitors to declare any goods that may be prohibited, taxable or subject to duty, with the rules set by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. You must declare cash above US$5,000 (about £3,750) in notes, or above US$10,000 (about £7,500) in notes and travellers cheques combined.

Importing Indian rupees is restricted under Reserve Bank of India guidelines. Visitors may bring cash, travellers cheques in pounds or another foreign currency, or a bank card, and exchange money or withdraw rupees once they are in India.

Only in specific cases. GOV.UK says a yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from a country listed as a transmission risk, and a polio certificate if you arrive from a country affected by polio. It also notes that the World Health Organization has declared an Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, and that travellers from affected regions may face temperature checks or isolation.

Building a wider itinerary? Our entry requirements hub for British passport holders lists the rules destination by destination. Nearby, see the Sri Lanka ETA guide and the Nepal visa guide, which use different online systems and fees.

Every rule above was read on 30 October 2026 from the Indian e-Visa portal, its two fee schedules and the GOV.UK foreign travel advice for India. The tourist fee schedule is dated 8 September 2026. The business and medical schedule carries no date, and GOV.UK shows no update date on its entry requirements page. Amounts and conditions can change without notice, so look at the fee shown on the portal at the moment you pay.

In short: a British passport holder needs a visa for India, the e-Tourist visa is applied for online at least four days before arrival, and the 30-day version costs US$25 (about £19) from July to March.

• Do British citizens need a visa for India?

  Yes, unless they hold a valid Overseas Citizen of India card. Most holidaymakers use the online e-Tourist visa.

• How much is an India e-visa in pounds?

  The 30-day e-Tourist visa is US$25 (about £19) from July to March and US$10 (about £8) from April to June. The one-year visa is US$40 (about £30) and the five-year visa is US$484 (about £360), at the European Central Bank rate of 29 October 2026.

• How long before I travel should I apply?

  At least four days before arrival, and up to 120 days ahead according to the portal. We suggest a few weeks, to leave time to correct an upload.

• How long does the India e-visa take to be approved?

  We did not find a guaranteed approval time, so we do not state one. The portal says to apply at least four days before you arrive and allows applications up to 120 days ahead. If a document needs correcting, the portal asks for it by email, so apply a few weeks out rather than at the minimum.

• How long can I stay on the e-Tourist visa?

  The 30-day visa lasts 30 days from first arrival. The one-year and five-year visas cap your total stay at 180 days in a calendar year.

• Can I extend a 30-day e-visa?

  No. The portal states that the 30-day e-Tourist visa is non-extendable and non-convertible.

• Is the e-visa the same as the e-arrival card?

  No. GOV.UK says the e-arrival card is not a visa. You complete it online up to 72 hours before arrival, in addition to holding a visa.

• What is the Air Suvidha form?

  It is the self-declaration form that GOV.UK says is mandatory for all international arrivals. Submit it up to 24 hours before you arrive.

• How valid must my passport be?

  GOV.UK says it must be valid for at least six months after arrival, with two blank pages. The portal asks for six months of validity when you apply.

• Can I use the e-visa at any airport?

  No. It works only at designated airports and seaports, and the portal’s own lists are inconsistent, so check your arrival point on the portal before booking.

• Do I need a permit for restricted areas?

  Yes. The e-visa is not valid for protected, restricted or cantonment areas, and GOV.UK says to apply for a permit at least three months ahead.

• I am British-Pakistani. Can I get an e-visa?

  Not on the British passport. GOV.UK says British-Pakistani dual nationals must apply on their Pakistani passport and should expect longer processing.

• Does the visa fee include the card charge?

  No. The portal adds a 3% bank charge on card payments, and fees are non-refundable.