TGWhich Indian visa to choose: 30 days, one year or five
How long a visa is valid and how long you may stay are two different things. Which option fits which traveller.
India's electronic tourist visa comes in three versions: 30 days, 1 year and 5 years. The choice looks obvious — take the longest one — but longer is not always better, and it almost never means you may stay longer.
The main confusion: validity is not length of stay
Validity is the period during which the visa can be used. Length of stay is how many days in a row you may remain in the country. They are two different numbers, and for the one-year and five-year visas they differ a lot.
30 days — for a single trip
- A stay of up to 30 days, counted from the first entry
- Two entries — you can visit a neighbouring country and come back
- Entry must happen within 120 days of the date of issue
- For Russian citizens the consular fee for this one has been dropped
This is the default for an ordinary holiday: a couple of weeks in Goa, Kerala, a run around the Golden Triangle. If it is one trip and it fits into a month, there is no reason to take anything else.
One year and five years — for regular travellers
- Multiple entries throughout the validity period
- Up to 90 days per visit for most nationalities — 180 for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan
- No more than 180 days in a calendar year in total
- A consular fee applies, and its size depends on your citizenship
The point of these visas is not the length of one trip but not having to apply again before each one. They suit people who winter in Goa season after season, travel for work, or have family in India.
How to choose in a minute
- One trip of up to a month — 30 days
- Two or three trips within a year — the one-year visa
- Every season, and you expect to keep going — the five-year visa
- A single stay longer than 90 days — an electronic visa will not do; you need a regular consular visa
What does not depend on the visa type
The form is equally long in all three cases, and the photo requirements are the same. A refusal over inaccurate details has nothing to do with the term you applied for: the portal is just as particular about a one-month visa as about a five-year one.
If you are torn between the options, look at the next twelve months and count the trips you will realistically make. We will advise what works out better in your case, fill in the form and file it for you.
