India cuts visa categories from 13 to 9 and sub-categories from 49 to 23
In one line: India has merged its visa types into nine categories and 23 sub-categories, renamed the Tourist visa as the Visitor visa and cut application forms by up to 70%.
Published 12 November 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has rationalised India's visa regime, the government said in a release on 11 November 2026. The changes were made on 27 August 2026. Main visa categories fall from 13 to 9 and sub-categories from 49 to 23. This is the second round: in October 2025 the regime had been cut from 22 categories and 63 sub-categories to 13 and 49. The nine categories now are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous. The number of fields an applicant must fill across the 23 sub-categories has been cut by 65% to 70%. MHA is updating its IT systems, and visas are to be issued under the new framework by the end of the year.
The Tourist visa has been renamed the Visitor visa. V-1 is valid for 30 days with multiple entries and covers tourism, business meetings, medical consultation, wellness retreats, short medical treatment and short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft. V-2 is for longer stays of 1, 5 or 10 years and also covers mountaineering. Medical visas are M-1 (treatment other than AYUSH) and M-3 (AYUSH treatment), with M-2 and M-4 for attendants; M-1 and M-3 are granted for one year with multiple entries by default. Student visas are S-1 and S-2, plus e-S1 for students enrolled through the Study in India portal, valid up to five years or the course length. Business visas are B-1 (long-term, licence-based) and B-2 (short-term, contract-based), which now includes the Production Investment Business visa formerly called e-B4.
The government says the aim is a compact and coherent regime modelled on global practice, with less overlap, faster applications and more focused scrutiny by officials. It expects more tourist arrivals, medical value travel and foreign students, in line with the 'Heal in India' vision. e-Visas are available to nationals of 172 countries through electronic travel authorisation under 13 sub-categories. The reform sits on the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which came into force on 1 September 2025 and replaced four older laws on passports, registration of foreigners and carriers' liability. The test will be whether simpler forms come with faster, more predictable decisions at missions and ports of entry.
Prelims facts
- MHA's changes of 27 August 2026 cut main visa categories from 13 to 9 and sub-categories from 49 to 23; a 2025 round had cut them from 22 and 63.
- The Tourist visa is renamed Visitor visa: V-1 (30 days, multiple entry) and V-2 (1, 5 or 10 years, also covering mountaineering).
- Medical visas M-1 (non-AYUSH) and M-3 (AYUSH) are granted for one year with multiple entries by default; M-2 and M-4 are for attendants.
- Application fields across the 23 sub-categories have been cut by 65% to 70%; e-Visa is available to nationals of 172 countries.
- The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, in force from 1 September 2025, replaced the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000.
Quick recall
- Visa categories before and after the August 2026 changes?
- 13 main categories and 49 sub-categories, cut to 9 and 23.
- What was the Tourist visa renamed?
- Visitor visa.
- Validity of a V-1 visa?
- 30 days, multiple entries.
- Which medical visa is for AYUSH treatment?
- M-3 (M-4 is for its attendant).
- Which student visa is for Study in India portal students?
- e-S1, valid up to five years or the course length, whichever is shorter.
- By how much were application form fields cut?
- 65% to 70% across the 23 sub-categories.
- How many countries' nationals can use India's e-Visa?
- 172.
- When did the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 come into force?
- 1 September 2025.
Prelims practice question
Under India's rationalised visa regime announced in November 2026, the 'V-1' visa refers to:
- A one-year medical visa for AYUSH treatment
- A 30-day multiple-entry Visitor visa covering tourism and short visits
- A long-term business visa for setting up industrial ventures
- A visa for students enrolled through the Study in India portal
Show answer
Answer: (b) A 30-day multiple-entry Visitor visa covering tourism and short visits. V-1 is the Visitor visa (formerly Tourist visa) valid for 30 days with multiple entries. AYUSH treatment is M-3, long-term licence-based business is B-1, and Study in India students get e-S1.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Citizen-centric governance and service exports through visa policy
- How to use this
Cite the 2026 visa reform as e-governance that redesigns forms around information actually used, not just digitises them.
- India cut application fields by 65% to 70% across 23 visa sub-categories so that officials can focus scrutiny.
- e-Visa through electronic travel authorisation is available to nationals of 172 countries under 13 sub-categories.
- How to use this
Use the visa reform as an example of policy aimed at service-sector growth through tourism, medical value travel and education.
- Visitor visa V-1 (30 days) and V-2 (1, 5 or 10 years) bundle tourism, business meetings, medical consultation and short courses.
- One-year multiple-entry M-1 and M-3 visas support the 'Heal in India' push for medical value travel.
Mains practice question
India has cut its visa categories from 13 to 9 and simplified application forms. Discuss how visa policy can support tourism, medical value travel and education, and the security safeguards it must retain. (150 words)
Model answer
On 11 November 2026 the government announced that MHA had cut main visa categories from 13 to 9 and sub-categories from 49 to 23, and trimmed form fields by 65% to 70%.
How visa policy supports growth
- Tourism: the Visitor visa (V-1, 30 days; V-2, up to 10 years) bundles tourism, meetings and short courses.
- Medical value travel: M-1 and M-3 (AYUSH) visas are granted for one year with multiple entries, backing 'Heal in India'.
- Education: e-S1 for Study in India students runs up to five years.
- Investment: B-2 covers foreign technicians for Indian firms through e-Visa.
Safeguards to retain
- Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 penalties for forged visas and passports.
- Reporting of foreigners by hotels, universities and hospitals.
- Focused scrutiny, which leaner forms are meant to enable.
Simpler categories help most when paired with fast, predictable decisions and firm checks at entry.
The basics
Why this matters
A visa is a country's front door. How many kinds of visa there are, how long they last and how long the form takes all shape whether tourists, patients, students and engineers choose India. The November 2026 rationalisation is a governance reform with economic goals.
What a visa is
A visa is permission from a country to a foreign national to seek entry for a stated purpose and period. In India, visas are issued by missions abroad or electronically, and admission at the border is still decided by immigration officers under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
The nine categories
- 1VisitorRenamed Tourist visa; V-1 for 30 days, V-2 for 1, 5 or 10 years
- 2MedicalM-1 non-AYUSH, M-3 AYUSH, M-2 and M-4 attendants
- 3StudentS-1, S-2 and e-S1 for Study in India
- 4BusinessB-1 long-term, B-2 short-term contract work
- 5OthersDiplomatic, Official, Work, Journalist, Miscellaneous
Why fewer categories
Many old categories overlapped. A traveller who wanted to see a doctor, attend a meeting and tour a city might need to choose between visas. Consolidating purposes into a single Visitor visa reduces confusion. Trimming form fields by 65% to 70% is meant to cut applicant effort and let officials focus on what matters, a classic e-Visa and digital service delivery gain.
- Tourist visa for leisure
- Separate routes for short business or medical consultation
- Longer forms
- Visitor visa V-1 covers tourism, meetings, medical consultation, short courses
- V-2 adds long validity and mountaineering
- Form fields cut by 65% to 70%
What it is meant to achieve
The government links the reform to tourism, foreign students and Medical value travel and Heal in India. Visa design is also part of a country's Visa policy as soft power: easier entry builds people-to-people ties, while security checks remain under the 2025 Act.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
It is a governance reform (GS2: policies and e-governance) with economic aims (tourism, medical value travel, education exports) and a security frame (the 2025 immigration law). Prelims can ask about V-1, M-3, e-S1 or the laws repealed in 2025.
The core idea
The visa regime is run by the Home Ministry under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Consolidating purposes and trimming forms is a form of e-Visa and digital service delivery reform. The government ties it to Medical value travel and Heal in India and to student and tourist inflows, all of which are part of Visa policy as soft power.
Numbers and dates to remember
- Changes made: 27 August 2026; announced: 11 November 2026
- Categories: 22 to 13 (October 2025), 13 to 9 (2026)
- Sub-categories: 63 to 49 to 23
- Form fields cut: 65% to 70%
- e-Visa: 172 countries; Act in force: 1 September 2025
Where to go next
- Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025: the law behind entry and stay of foreigners
- e-Visa and digital service delivery: how simpler forms change public service delivery
- Medical value travel and Heal in India: why medical visas got longer validity
- Visa policy as soft power: how entry rules shape a country's global appeal
Go deeper: simplification versus scrutiny
What the reform does well
- It reduces overlap: one Visitor visa now covers tourism, business meetings, medical consultation and short courses.
- It cuts compliance cost: 65% to 70% fewer form fields across 23 sub-categories.
- It gives longer, multiple-entry validity to patients and their attendants, supporting Medical value travel and Heal in India.
- It links students on the Study in India portal to an e-S1 visa of up to five years, a step towards internationalising higher education.
What remains to be seen
- Simpler forms help only if processing times at missions are also short and predictable; the new framework is to be issued by year-end after IT upgrades.
- Broad categories can blur purposes, so officials need risk-based checks, not more paperwork.
- Entry is still at the discretion of immigration officers, and the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 carries penalties of 2 to 7 years and fines of ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh for forged travel documents.
Comparisons The government says it studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards before consolidating similar travel purposes. The direction is fewer, broader routes with shorter forms, the model implied by e-Visa and digital service delivery.
Exam angle Use this as an example of citizen-centric (here, visitor-centric) administration and of Visa policy as soft power, while noting that security and ease of entry must be balanced.
Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025
The law behind entry and stay of foreigners
In one line: A single law, in force from 1 September 2025, that governs the entry, stay and exit of foreigners in India, replacing four older Acts.
What it replaced
The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000.
Key features
- Statutory backing for the Bureau of Immigration.
- Using or supplying forged passports or visas: 2 to 7 years in prison and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
- Hotels, universities, other educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes must report foreigners who stay or visit.
- Airlines and shipping companies must share passenger and crew data before arrival.
Why it matters now
The visa rationalisation simplifies the front end, while this Act keeps the enforcement tools.
Where to go next
Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025: every story that connects to it (2)
e-Visa and digital service delivery
How simpler forms change public service delivery
In one line: An e-Visa is applied for and granted online through electronic travel authorisation, and India offers it to nationals of 172 countries.
Why digital delivery matters
Moving a service online helps only if the process is also redesigned. Cutting 65% to 70% of form fields, as in the 2026 reform, reduces the time applicants spend and the data officials must process, which lets scrutiny focus on real risks.
How it links to e-governance
E-governance is not just putting a paper form on a website. It is about collecting only the information that is used. The visa reform is a test of that idea: fewer questions, better use of the answers.
In the new regime
e-Visas are processed under 13 sub-categories, including the Production Investment Business visa (formerly e-B4) and e-S1 for Study in India students.
Where to go next
Medical value travel and Heal in India
Why medical visas got longer validity
In one line: Medical value travel means foreigners coming to India for treatment, and 'Heal in India' is the government's push to make India a preferred destination for it, including for AYUSH systems.
Why India attracts patients
Lower costs than many countries, skilled doctors and traditional systems such as Ayurveda and yoga draw patients from neighbouring countries, West Asia and Africa.
What the visa reform changes
- M-1 for treatment other than AYUSH, M-3 for AYUSH.
- M-2 and M-4 for attendants.
- M-1 and M-3, including e-Visa versions, are granted for one year with multiple entries by default.
- The Visitor visa V-1 also covers medical consultation and short medical treatment.
Why it matters
Treatment often needs follow-up visits, so multiple-entry, longer visas remove a practical barrier.
Where to go next
Visa policy as soft power
How entry rules shape a country's global appeal
In one line: Soft power is the ability to attract others through culture, values and opportunity, and how easily people can visit, study and work in a country is part of it.
How visas feed soft power
Tourists, students and professionals who come to India build personal and business ties. Easier entry for students (e-S1 up to five years), for patients (one-year medical visas) and for short courses in Indian languages, music, art and craft under V-1 can widen that circle.
The balance
Openness must sit with security. India keeps penalties and reporting duties under the 2025 Act and retains officials' discretion at entry.
Why it is in the news
The government says the reform is meant to make the regime compact, coherent and responsive to foreign visitors' needs.
Where to go next
Take the 12 November 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers