The Centre has notified 11 more international ports, including nine land ports and two airports, for entry of foreign nationals holding valid e-Visas, taking the total number of such entry points across the country to 88.
The move is aimed at making India’s electronic visa facility more accessible and convenient for international travellers while further simplifying the country’s visa regime.
The newly added airports are Bhopal and Tirupati, while the nine newly notified land ports are Agartala, Darranga, Gede, Ghojadanga, Haridaspur, Jaigaon, Dawki, Moreh and Attari (Road).
With the latest additions, e-Visa holders can now enter India through 37 airports, 38 seaports and 13 land ports.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the expansion was part of its efforts to liberalise and streamline the visa regime, facilitate legitimate foreign travel and strengthen technological infrastructure for enhanced internal security.
India currently processes around 95 per cent of e-Visa applications within 72 hours, according to the government.
E-Visa available to nationals of 172 countries
India introduced the e-Visa facility, along with Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), in 2014 for nationals of 43 countries. The facility has since been expanded and is now available to citizens of 172 countries.
The e-Visa facility currently covers 17 sub-categories, including tourist, mountaineering, business, medical, student and transit visas. It also includes miscellaneous visas and group visitor visas for cruise travellers.
The MHA said the introduction and subsequent expansion of e-Visa has been one of the significant measures taken to liberalise and simplify India’s visa regime, particularly for tourists.
India now issues roughly 78 per cent of its visas electronically, reflecting the growing adoption of the digital visa system.
Wider access through land borders
The inclusion of nine additional land ports is expected to particularly benefit foreign travellers entering India through land borders and improve connectivity with neighbouring countries.
The newly notified land entry points include Agartala, which provides access to Tripura, as well as Darranga in Assam, Gede and Ghojadanga in West Bengal, Haridaspur in Odisha, Jaigaon in West Bengal, Dawki in Meghalaya, Moreh in Manipur and Attari Road in Punjab.
The expansion of designated entry points is expected to improve the utility of e-Visas for travellers who do not enter the country through major international airports.
The government has undertaken several measures in recent years to simplify visa procedures while maintaining security safeguards. The latest expansion of designated international ports is part of this broader effort to make travel to India more seamless and accessible.
With 88 entry points now available to e-Visa holders, the Ministry expects the facility to further support international tourism, business travel and other legitimate forms of foreign travel to India.
