What Is an E-Visa? – A Complete Guide

The development of technology is evident in almost every aspect of the business market. The visa business is no exception. Foreign nationals coming to India are also eligible to apply for an electronic visas, which store their personal information electronically. It enables them to visit and stay there for a considerable period.

Are you curious to know what an e-visa is? Then, keep reading this article.

Before making an e-visa application, you must find out the eligibility criteria and make sure that you meet them. Usually, these are as follows.

• The purpose of visiting a new country should include visiting friends and relatives, medical treatment, short-term business visits, or recreational activities.
• Applicants must possess a passport with at least six months of validity from the date of visa application.
• It should contain at least two blank pages for the Immigration Officer’s stamp.
• Applicants must have return tickets prepared for the date when their visa’s validity ends.
• If applicants bring children or infants, they need to have separate e-visas.

Now that you know what an e-visa in India is, you must be wondering about the ways to apply. The steps mentioned below will help you with an Indian e-visa application process.

Step 1: Visit the official website of the Indian Bureau of Immigration and go to the e-visa section. Under the “Advisory” section, you will find a list of e-visa types.

Step 2: Click on the appropriate visa type. Click on the “Apply here for e-visa” icon.

Step 3: Start filling out the application form in detail. Then, upload all the required documents.

Step 4: Pay the processing charges. Click on the final “Submit” button.

If you are curious to know the requirements for an e-visa, the following documents are necessary for this application process.

• A valid passport
• Passport size photographs

Furthermore, you might have to produce the following documents upon arrival in your concerned country.

• A printed copy of the e-visa
• Valid passport
• Invitation letter (optional)
• Medical insurance during the period of stay

The processing time of an e-visa is usually faster than a regular visa. It takes up to three business days for the Immigration experts to process your application and hopefully generate approval for it. Moreover, the application fees for the e-visa depend on the country of interest, and it also depends on your application and the kind of emergency.

Therefore, getting an e-visa is more straightforward than getting a regular visa. Apart from that, one should consider the following benefits of an e-visa.

• Applying for an e-visa is simple and entirely online. You can apply for it from anywhere.
• This process is hassle-free, and the processing time is less.
• Applicants do not have to wait at the airport after arrival with an e-visa.

While applying for an e-visa for Indian passport holders, some silly mistakes might cause its rejection. These are listed below.

• Strong criminal background: Applicants who have criminal backgrounds, and choose to hide these, might face rejection of visa applications. Usually, governments do not wish to welcome such citizens to stay in their country. Thus, try to avoid criminal records by abiding by the laws.
• Incomplete application: If applicants leave their applications incomplete or include insufficient information, their applications will seem suspicious. The immigration experts might reject it because of these reasons. Make sure to fill out your application form carefully and enter all the required information.
• Purpose and visa type: If applicants choose the wrong visa type which does not match their purpose of stay, the immigration experts might find discrepancies in their applications. As a result, they might reject such applications. Thus, check and analyse your purpose of visiting the country before selecting your visa type.
• Information mismatch: Immigration experts are likely to process the information according to the submitted documents with the information you entered in the application. If your documents or application information reveals discrepancies, they will not be able to verify these. As a result, your application can be rejected. Hence, include only valid documents.
• Passport requirements: As discussed in the eligibility section, applicants must have a valid passport for at least six months. Moreover, their passports should be ordinary ones and not Refugee, Diplomatic or Official passports. These can cause a rejection of a visa application. Hence, keep your passport updated.

Hopefully, now you know what an e-visa is. This article looked into the various aspects of an e-visa, including its eligibility and benefits. Getting an e-visa is more convenient than getting a regular visa. However, this process is usually tricky, and your purpose must be strong enough for the immigration experts to approve such visas.