Most India e-Visa rejections happen for stupid, preventable reasons. A blurry passport photo. A mismatched name. Applying on the wrong website. I’ve watched travelers lose $80 and a week of waiting because they rushed through a form that takes 20 minutes to do correctly.
The India e-Visa is not a lottery. It’s a documentation test. If you can follow instructions precisely, you get approved. This guide walks you through the exact steps and the specific failure points that trip people up.
Which e-Visa Type You Actually Need
India issues five e-Visa categories, and picking the wrong one is the first rejection trigger. The system does not let you change categories after payment.
| Visa Type | Duration | Entries | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| e-Tourist Visa (30 days) | 30 days | Double | Short holidays, city breaks |
| e-Tourist Visa (1 year) | 365 days | Multiple | Frequent visitors, long-term travel |
| e-Tourist Visa (5 years) | 5 years | Multiple | Regular business or family visits |
| e-Business Visa | 365 days | Multiple | Meetings, conferences, trade |
| e-Medical Visa | 60 days | Triple | Medical treatment at recognized hospitals |
The 30-day e-Tourist Visa is the most common choice. It’s also the most misunderstood. The 30-day clock starts on the day you arrive in India, not the day you apply. Many travelers think they need to time their application perfectly. They don’t. Apply anytime within 120 days of your intended arrival.
When the 1-Year Visa Makes More Sense
If you’re visiting India more than once in a 12-month period, the 1-year e-Tourist Visa costs $40 versus $25 for the 30-day version. Two separate 30-day visas cost $50 total. The math favors the 1-year option after just two trips.
But here’s the tradeoff: the 1-year visa requires the same documentation but asks more questions about your travel history. If you’ve never been to India and have a thin passport, the 30-day visa is easier to get approved.
The Application Form: Where People Screw Up
You apply at indianvisaonline.gov.in. That’s the only official website. Google “India e-Visa” and you’ll see dozens of sponsored ads for third-party agencies that charge $50-$100 extra for the same service. They don’t speed anything up. They just fill out the same form you can fill out yourself.
The form has 40+ fields. Here are the specific failure points:
- Name matching: Your name on the application must match your passport exactly. Middle names, hyphens, spaces, everything. If your passport says “James Robert Smith” and you write “James Smith,” you get rejected.
- Place of birth: Write the city exactly as it appears in your passport. If your passport says “NYC” and you write “New York City,” that’s a mismatch.
- Previous visa refusals: You must disclose any prior visa refusal from any country. Lying here is an automatic rejection and a potential ban.
- Visible identification marks: This is not optional. Write “NONE” if you have no visible marks. Leaving it blank triggers a rejection.
- Religion field: Some travelers find this invasive. It’s required. Answer honestly. There’s no “prefer not to say” option.
The Photo and Passport Scan Rules
This is where most applications die. The requirements are specific and non-negotiable:
- Photo must be JPEG, minimum 10KB, maximum 1MB, minimum 350×350 pixels
- Face must cover 70-80% of the frame
- White or light background, no shadows
- Passport scan must show the entire bio page, including the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) at the bottom
- Passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your arrival date
- Passport must have at least 2 blank pages
I recommend using your phone camera in good natural light for the photo. Stand against a white wall. Hold the phone at eye level. Crop tightly so your face fills most of the frame. Then check the file size — if it’s under 10KB, you compressed too much.
Fees, Payment, and Processing Times
The e-Tourist Visa (30 days) costs $25. The 1-year version costs $40. The 5-year version costs $80. Payment is by credit card or debit card only. PayPal is not accepted.
Processing takes 72 hours to 5 business days. But “processing” doesn’t start until you pay. If you submit the form on Friday evening India time, you’ve lost the weekend. Plan accordingly.
Here’s the timeline I recommend:
- Apply 2-3 weeks before your flight
- Don’t apply more than 120 days before arrival — the system won’t let you
- Don’t apply less than 4 days before departure — you’re gambling with processing delays
- Check the status daily at indianvisaonline.gov.in using your Application ID
What the Approval Email Looks Like
You get an email with a PDF attachment. Print two copies. Immigration officers at Indian airports want a physical copy, not a phone screen. The e-Visa is linked to your passport electronically, but the printed copy speeds up the process.
If your application status shows “Granted” but you don’t receive the email, log into the portal and download the PDF directly. Email delivery fails more often than you’d expect.
Common Rejection Reasons and How to Fix Them
Rejections are final. You don’t get an appeal. You reapply and pay the fee again. So let’s be clear about what gets you rejected:
1. Passport photo issues. Glare on the MRZ, cropped edges, blurry text. The most common rejection reason by far. Take the photo in bright, even light. Check the scan before uploading.
2. Name mismatches. Your application name doesn’t match your passport exactly. This includes middle names and suffix fields (Jr., Sr., III).
3. Criminal history omission. The form asks if you’ve ever been arrested or convicted. Answer truthfully. A minor arrest from 20 years ago doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but lying about it does.
4. Applying from an ineligible country. The e-Visa is available to citizens of 170+ countries. Citizens of Pakistan, China, and a few others are not eligible and must apply through embassies. Check eligibility before paying.
5. Passport validity issues. If your passport expires within 6 months of arrival, you’re rejected. Renew your passport first, then apply for the e-Visa.
What to Do If You’re Rejected
First, figure out why. The rejection email usually states the reason. If it’s a photo issue, fix the photo and reapply. If it’s a data mismatch, correct the field and reapply. If it’s a criminal history issue, you may need to apply through the embassy instead.
Second, don’t reapply on the same day. Wait 24 hours. The system sometimes flags rapid-fire applications as suspicious.
Third, consider using a different browser. The Indian visa portal is old and buggy. Chrome works best. Safari sometimes fails to upload documents properly.
Entry Rules at Indian Airports
Your e-Visa is approved. Now you land in Delhi or Mumbai. Here’s what happens:
You go through a dedicated e-Visa line at immigration. The officer scans your passport, pulls up your e-Visa, and asks basic questions: purpose of visit, duration of stay, accommodation address. Have your hotel name and address ready. “I don’t know yet” is not an acceptable answer.
You can enter through 28 designated airports and 5 seaports. All major airports are included. If you’re flying into a small regional airport, check the list first. Some domestic airports don’t process e-Visas.
You can exit through any authorized immigration checkpoint. The exit port doesn’t need to match your entry port.
One important note: the e-Visa is not extendable and cannot be converted to another visa type. If you overstay, you face fines starting at $50 per day and potential bans. Set a calendar reminder for your departure date.
What About the e-Visa for US and UK Passport Holders?
US citizens pay the same fees as everyone else. UK citizens do too. The process is identical. No special treatment, no additional requirements. The only difference is that US and UK passports tend to have longer validity periods, which makes the 6-month validity rule less of an issue.
If you hold dual citizenship, apply with the passport you’ll travel on. The e-Visa is tied to a specific passport number. Show up with a different passport and you’re denied entry.
For most travelers, the India e-Visa is straightforward. Follow the instructions exactly. Double-check every field against your passport. Upload clean documents. Apply early enough to absorb a rejection. Do those four things and your approval rate approaches 100%.
