New Delhi: The Indian government has introduced major reforms to its visa system, making it easier for foreign nationals to visit the country for tourism, education, medical treatment and business purposes. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Home Affairs, aims to simplify procedures, reduce unnecessary paperwork and align India's visa framework with international standards.

One of the biggest changes is the reduction in the number of major visa categories from 13 to 9. The government has also reduced the number of visa subcategories from 49 to 23, making the overall system simpler and more accessible for applicants.

Another significant reform involves shorter visa application forms. The information requirements and the number of fields across all 23 visa subcategories have reportedly been reduced by approximately 65 to 70 per cent. Unnecessary questions, including details about applicants' home-country districts, have also been removed to speed up the application process.

Medical visa procedures have also been simplified. Separate provisions continue for traditional medical treatment under the M-1 visa and AYUSH treatment under the M-3 visa. Both categories, along with their e-visa options, are now reportedly available with multiple-entry facilities for one year.

Medical attendants accompanying patients can continue to apply under the M-2 and M-4 visa categories.

The government has also relaxed local address requirements for foreign tourists. Instead of providing complicated local address details, visitors can now reportedly submit the address of the hotel or guesthouse where they are staying in India.

The reforms are expected to strengthen India's tourism sector, promote medical tourism and make the country more attractive to international students, researchers and investors.

This latest initiative follows an earlier round of visa reforms in October 2025, when the number of visa categories was reduced from 22 to 13.

In addition, changes introduced under the 2026 rules have reportedly eased certain passport and travel-related requirements for people travelling between India, Nepal and Bhutan, as well as specific refugee communities.

With these measures, India is seeking to make its visa system more efficient, accessible and foreign-visitor friendly while supporting tourism, healthcare and international engagement.