The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced a major rationalization of India’s visa framework on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, streamlining main visa categories from 13 to nine and consolidating sub-categories from 49 down to 23.
Parallel to the structural consolidation, the government is slashing application form fields by 65% to 70% across all 23 sub-categories to eliminate category overlap, reduce administrative bottlenecks, and boost foreign tourist arrivals, medical value travel, and international student enrollment.
Tourist Visa Renamed to Visitor Visa (V-1 and V-2)
Under the restructured framework, the former Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa to accommodate combined travel purposes across two distinct sub-categories:
- V-1 Visa (Short-Term / 30 Days): Granted for 30 days with multiple entries. It covers short business meetings, medical consultations, wellness retreats, short-term medical treatment, and short courses in Indian languages, music, art, crafts, or yoga.
- V-2 Visa (Long-Term / 1, 5, or 10 Years): Designed for eligible repeat visitors requiring validity of 1, 5, or 10 years. It encompasses all V-1 activities while adding specific provisions for mountaineering expeditions (granted for six months with multiple entries).
Consolidated Business Visa Structure (B-1 and B-2)
The Business Visa category has been streamlined into two main operational tracks to provide regulatory clarity for corporate investors and short-term contractors:
- B-1 Visa (Long-Term Ventures): Covers long-term, license-based commercial operations, including foreign nationals establishing industrial manufacturing or corporate ventures in India.
- B-2 Visa (Short-Term & Production Investment): Covers short-term contract-based assignments, conferences, sports, performing arts, film production, and the Production Investment Business Visa (formerly e-B4) for foreign technical specialists, engineers, IT ramp-up experts, and plant commission personnel.