Visa Types & Fees
| Visa | Validity | Entries | Govt fee | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e-Tourist Visa (30 days) | 30 days | Double | $25 USD* | Contact us for current processing times |
| e-Tourist Visa (1 year) | 1 year | Multiple | $40 USD | Contact us for current processing times |
| e-Tourist Visa (5 years) | 5 years | Multiple | $200 USD | Contact us for current processing times |
| e-Business Visa (1 year) | 1 year | Multiple | $215 USD* | Contact us for current processing times |
| e-Medical Visa (60 days) | 60 days | Triple | $80 USD | Contact us for current processing times |
* Seasonal: US$10 if applying April–June, US$25 July–March. A ~3% bank charge applies to all government fees.
* Australia sits in a higher fee band for the e-Business Visa than most Western countries — confirm the current amount on the official portal before you budget.
Tourist vs Business vs Medical e-Visa: Which One Do You Need?
India's e-visa categories are defined by the purpose of your trip, not your nationality — choosing the right one matters because each category permits different activities.
| Category | Best for | Not permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist e-visa | Sightseeing, visiting friends or family, short yoga/wellness retreats, casual travel | Any paid work or business activity in India |
| Business e-visa | Attending meetings, conferences, trade fairs, or exploring business/industrial ventures | Taking up employment or long-term paid work |
| Medical e-visa | Receiving medical treatment at a recognized Indian hospital, with supporting documentation from the hospital | Treatment not arranged through a recognized medical institution |
If you're unsure which category fits your trip, a mismatched purpose is one of the more common reasons an application gets flagged for manual review — when in doubt, choose the category that matches the majority purpose of your visit.
Documents Checklist
Gather these before you start — having everything ready in the right format is the single biggest factor in avoiding delays.
- ✓ Passport bio page scan — Australian passport, valid at least 6 months beyond arrival, with 2 blank pages.
- ✓ Recent passport-style photo — Plain white background, square (equal height and width), JPEG. Australian passport photos are not square — do not reuse yours without re-cropping.
- ✓ Renunciation or surrender certificate — Only if you previously held an Indian passport. India does not permit dual citizenship, so this is commonly requested from Australians of Indian origin.
- ✓ Return or onward travel details — Where applicable for the visa type.
- ✓ Proof of onward or return travel — required for some visa types; check what applies to your chosen category.
- ✓ A working email address you check regularly — your e-visa and any follow-up requests arrive by email.
Step-by-Step: How Australian Citizens Apply
- Confirm your visa type. Most travelers choose a tourist e-visa for sightseeing or visiting family, a business e-visa for meetings and conferences, or a medical e-visa for treatment (see the comparison below). Applying under the wrong category is one of the most common causes of delay.
- Gather your documents. You'll need your passport bio page, a recent passport-style digital photo, and your travel dates. Some visa types also ask for a return or onward ticket and proof of funds.
- Complete the online application. Enter your passport and personal details exactly as they appear on your passport — even small mismatches (a missing middle name, a different date format) can trigger manual review or rejection.
- Upload your documents. Your photo and passport scan must meet the government's format and size specifications; blurry, cropped, or non-compliant uploads are a leading cause of rejection.
- Review everything before you submit. Most e-visa problems come from data-entry mistakes, not eligibility issues — a careful second pass catches most of them.
- Pay the government fee. This is paid directly on the official portal and is separate from any service fee charged by a filing assistant.
- Receive your e-visa by email. Check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive. Carry both a printed copy and a digital copy when you travel.
Common Rejection Reasons — And How to Avoid Them
Most Indian e-visa rejections are avoidable. The most frequent causes we see are:
- Photo doesn’t meet specifications. Wrong background color, incorrect size, low resolution, or a photo that’s more than a few months old.
- Details don’t exactly match your passport. Names, date of birth, and passport number must be entered exactly as printed — including spelling and formatting.
- Wrong nationality or citizenship option selected. Some application forms list multiple similarly-worded options for the same country — choosing the wrong one can cause an automatic mismatch.
- Travelling without the passport the e-visa was issued on. An e-visa is tied to the exact passport number used at the time of application. If you renew your passport afterwards you can still be admitted on the new passport — but the official rules require you to carry the old passport bearing the ETA as well. Do not surrender or discard it before you travel.
- Blurry, cropped, or non-compliant document scans. Scans must be clear, uncropped, and show the full page. Poor-quality uploads are a common, avoidable rejection reason.
- Applying outside the eligible window. e-Visas have both a minimum lead time and a maximum advance-application window. Applying too early or too close to travel can both cause problems.
A tip worth repeating: avoid booking non-refundable flights or hotels until your e-visa is actually approved — approval is never guaranteed in advance, and the application fee itself is non-refundable whether or not the visa is granted.
Travel Notes for Australian Travelers
Popular flight routes
- SYD (Sydney) → DEL — direct services operate on this route
- MEL (Melbourne) → DEL — direct services operate on this route
- PER (Perth) → India — Australia’s shortest hop to the subcontinent, usually via a connection
- BNE (Brisbane) / ADL (Adelaide) → India — typically via a Southeast Asian or Gulf hub
Currency & fees: Government fees are set and charged in USD, not AUD. Your card issuer converts at its own rate, and a ~3% bank charge applies on top of the government fee — budget a little above the headline USD figure.
Payment: Australian credit and debit cards are accepted for our service fee, as is PayPal. Note that many Australian cards add a foreign transaction fee on the USD government payment made on the official portal.
Indian mission: High Commission of India, with Consulates General in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth (Canberra) — official site ↗
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Australian citizens need a visa to visit India?
Yes. Australian passport holders need a visa for every visit to India — there is no visa-free or visa-on-arrival arrangement. Most travellers use the e-Visa, applied for online before departure, rather than lodging a paper application at a consulate.
I was born in India and later became an Australian citizen. Can I just apply for an e-Visa?
Not straightforwardly. India does not permit dual citizenship, so Indian citizenship ceases automatically the moment you acquire Australian citizenship. Before you can be issued an Indian visa you normally need to have surrendered your Indian passport and obtained a renunciation or surrender certificate. This catches out a lot of Indian-Australians who assume their old Indian passport can simply be set aside. Sort this out well before you book travel — it is handled by the Indian mission, not by the e-Visa portal.
Should I get an OCI card instead of an e-Visa?
If you are of Indian origin and travel to India regularly, an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card is usually the better long-term option — it gives lifelong visa-free entry, so you stop paying for a visa every few years. It is not dual citizenship and it does not give you voting rights or an Indian passport. OCI is applied for through the Indian mission, not the e-Visa portal, and takes considerably longer than an e-Visa, so it is not a substitute if you are travelling soon.
Why is the Indian e-Business Visa more expensive for Australians?
Indian e-Visa fees are set per nationality, and Australia sits in a higher band for the e-Business Visa than the United States or Canada. The tourist fees are in line with most countries. Fees are set by the Government of India and change without much notice, so confirm the current figure on indianvisaonline.gov.in before budgeting.
Do I pay the Indian government fee in Australian dollars?
No. The government fee is denominated in USD on the official portal, and a bank charge of around 3% is added on top. Your Australian card issuer will convert at its own rate and may add a foreign transaction fee, so the amount that lands on your statement will be somewhat more than the published USD figure.
Can I use my Australian passport photo for the e-Visa application?
Usually not without re-cropping. The Indian e-Visa portal requires a square photo — equal height and width — on a plain light background, supplied as a JPEG. Australian passport photos are rectangular, so reusing one directly is a common cause of upload failure or rejection. Re-crop to square before you submit.
My flight to India connects through Singapore or Dubai. Does that affect my e-Visa?
No, connecting through a third country does not change your Indian e-Visa. What does matter is your arrival point in India: the e-Visa is only valid for entry at designated airports and seaports. All the airports Australians normally fly into — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru — are on the list. You will also need to complete the mandatory e-Arrival Card within 72 hours of arrival, separately from your visa.
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