India has overhauled its visa regime, cutting the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and the sub-categories from 49 to 23, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Wednesday, November 11. The ministry has also simplified the application forms for all 23 sub-categories, reducing the number of fields applicants must fill by 65 to 70 per cent.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs via Power Corridors

The nine main categories under the revised framework are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous. The most visible change for ordinary travellers is that the Tourist Visa has been replaced by a broader Visitor Visa, with V-1 and V-2 sub-categories covering tourism as well as short-term business meetings, medical consultations, wellness programmes and cultural courses.

Second round of rationalisation in a year

The latest exercise follows an earlier rationalisation in October 2025, when the government had cut the main categories from 22 to 13 and the sub-categories from 63 to 49. The government said it examined visa systems in developed countries and international standards before finalising the revised framework, which is aimed at making it easier for foreign nationals to travel to India for tourism, healthcare, education, research and business.

The Daily Jagran, reporting the same announcement, said the changes were approved on August 27, 2026, and that the simplified forms are intended to make the process easier, faster and more applicant-friendly. The Economic Times live blog also recorded the announcement on Wednesday evening, noting the cut from 13 main categories to nine and from 49 sub-categories to 23.

Source: The Daily Jagran

New system expected by end of 2026

The Home Ministry is upgrading its information technology systems to run the revised framework, and visas under the new system are expected to be issued by the end of 2026. Until the new system goes live, applicants should continue to use the existing categories and forms.