India overhauls its visa regime, reducing main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also simplifies visa application forms across the revised categories, cutting required information by about 65% to 70% to reduce time and effort for applicants while maintaining essential details for processing. MHA says the changes involve updating its IT systems and that revised visa issuance is expected to start by the end of the year.
Different outlets frame the overhaul around related goals. NDTV emphasises the scale of the cuts and highlights specific additions and routes under the new framework, including wider visitor visa provisions and simplified pathways for foreign students, investors, and business professionals. Bloomberg focuses on the broader purpose of attracting more categories of visitors—tourists, students, and medical travellers—while supporting business travel. Across coverage, the revised nine-category structure includes business, diplomatic, work, journalist, medical, official, student, visitor, and miscellaneous visas.
