- The current e-visa application runs to nine pages.
- The draft would remove the district field and allow a hotel or guest-house address for tourists.
- The review involves amendments to chapters and Appendices I and II of the Visa Manual, 2019.
India’s Union Home Ministry is reviewing the country’s visa framework, with a proposal to reduce the main visa categories from 13 to nine and remove about 70% of application-form fields. Officials described the plans on November 4, 2026.
The changes are not in force. The ministry has not set an implementation date, and it has not identified which existing categories would be consolidated or dropped.
The review covers chapters and Appendices I and II of the Visa Manual, 2019. Officials said a meeting in August considered ways to simplify the regime. The year of that meeting was not specified.
Foreign nationals applying for visas to India, including people travelling for tourism, business, study and professional work, are within the intended scope. The ministry has not said when applicants will see revised forms.
The form changes would reach applicants across visa types
Free toolDS-160 Form Filling Online Helper ToolOfficials have described a plan to remove overlapping, repeated and unnecessary fields. The aim is a shorter form, not a change to the checks applicants must meet.
Officials also said revisions would extend across all visa categories and sub-categories. The proposal calls for reducing the number of main categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. It does not specify which types would be combined or removed.
Some proposed form edits address details applicants provide. The district field would be taken out of address sections, since many countries do not use an equivalent administrative division. Tourists could also be allowed to give a hotel or guest-house address as their local address.
No proposed page count has been given for a redesigned version. The field reduction should not be read as a matching cut in pages, fees or processing times.
The ministry’s proposal is described as an administrative clean-up, not a relaxation of security or eligibility rules. Essential information for background checks would remain, as would the main security checks.
Tourism groups are seeking separate changes
Tourism industry representatives have raised other requests alongside the ministry’s review. These are requests, not confirmed parts of the government’s plan:
- Protected-area and restricted-area permits issued alongside visas, instead of through separate applications.
- Application forms in Spanish, German and Italian, in addition to English.
Foreign tourist arrivals fell from 99.52 lakh in 2024 to 91.5 lakh in 2025, an 8.07% decline. These figures provide context for the industry’s interest in making travel procedures easier, but they do not establish that the requested measures will be adopted.
Applicants must keep using current requirements
Until the revised framework is formally implemented, existing visa categories and application requirements continue to apply. Applicants should use the current forms and requirements rather than rely on proposed changes.
The ministry has not announced when the amendments will be completed or when new forms will be introduced. Sources indicated the revised procedures could be introduced early next year. Applicants will need to wait for an official notice before using a revised process.
