India operates an electronic visa system that British passport holders can apply for directly online, paying the Government of India in US dollars and receiving the e-Visa by email within 72 hours in most cases. Sticker visas (the traditional passport endorsement for longer stays, employment, or family categories) go through BLS International, the official Indian visa application centre in the UK. This guide explains both routes, the fee tiers, the document requirements, and why most UK leisure travellers do not need a third party expediter to apply for an Indian visa in 2026. It does not provide regulated immigration or legal advice.
TL;DR: The 60 Second Answer
- British passport holders apply for an India e-Visa online at indianvisaonline.gov.in.- e-Tourist 30 day: around $25 USD; one year multi entry: around $40; five year: around $80.
- Processing time is typically 24 to 72 hours; print the e-Visa and carry on arrival.
- Sticker visas (employment, long stay, family) go through BLS International, the official VAC.
- Third party expediters cannot bypass the e-Visa portal or BLS; they add markup over the official fees.
- Visa is required for every visit regardless of length; there is no visa free entry for British citizens.
Last reviewed: May 2026 · Sourced from GOV.UK
India e-Visa categories and validity in 2026
The Indian e-Visa system, launched in 2014 and progressively expanded, covers four main categories for British passport holders: e-Tourist Visa (for leisure travel and visiting friends and family), e-Business Visa (for commercial meetings, trade fairs, technical meetings), e-Medical Visa (for medical treatment in India), and e-Conference Visa (for conferences hosted by approved organisations). A separate e-Medical Attendant Visa accompanies the e-Medical category.
The e-Tourist Visa is available in three validity tiers: 30 day single or double entry, one year multi entry, and five year multi entry. All tiers permit stays of up to 90 days per visit for tourist purposes, with the one year and five year tiers allowing multiple entries within their validity period. The 30 day tier is the most commonly used by short stay UK travellers; the longer tiers suit frequent visitors and those with family in India.
The e-Business Visa offers one year multi entry validity with stays of up to 180 days per visit, designed for executives and consultants who travel to India for short term commercial engagements. It does not permit employment in India; that requires a sticker employment visa.
Not all India visa categories are available as e-Visas. Employment, journalist, student, missionary, research, and long term family categories require traditional sticker visas issued via BLS International. The Indian Bureau of Immigration publishes the current e-Visa eligibility list on its portal, and British nationals are eligible for all currently available e-Visa categories.
Who is eligible and what proof is required
British citizens, British nationals (overseas), British Overseas citizens, and British protected persons are all eligible for the India e-Visa subject to the same conditions: a passport with at least six months' validity from the date of intended arrival, at least two blank pages, and a valid email address for delivery of the electronic visa.
Dual nationals must apply on the passport they intend to use for travel. The Indian e-Visa system does not accept applications from people of Indian origin who hold a foreign passport; this group must instead apply for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, which functions as a lifetime visa for India. The OCI process is separate from the e-Visa system and is administered by the Indian High Commission in London or its consulates.
Required documents for the e-Tourist Visa are limited to a digital photograph (white background, JPEG format, 350 by 350 pixels minimum) and a scanned copy of the passport bio data page (PDF format). Business and Medical categories require additional documents: an invitation letter from the Indian host organisation, a business card, or hospital letters as appropriate. All documents are uploaded to the application portal during the online form.
The e-Visa is not valid for entry from all UK airports or seaports. The Bureau of Immigration publishes the list of designated airports and seaports authorised for e-Visa entry; this currently includes all major Indian international airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and others) and a selection of seaports for cruise arrivals. Land border entry on an e-Visa is not permitted.
Cost and what the fee includes
India e-Visa fees in 2026 are denominated in US dollars and payable directly to the Government of India through the application portal. The 30 day e-Tourist Visa costs around $25 USD (lower in shoulder season, higher in peak season as the Indian government applies seasonal pricing). The one year e-Tourist Visa is approximately $40, and the five year tier is approximately $80. The e-Business Visa is around $80 for one year multi entry. The e-Medical and Conference categories carry separate fee schedules published on the application portal.
Fees include the e-Visa itself and are non refundable regardless of application outcome. A small bank processing fee (typically 2.5 per cent of the visa fee) is added at the payment stage. UK card payments work without issue on the portal, though some UK banks flag the international USD transaction; this is a routine card security check, not an application problem.
The fee does not include any third party service: no expediter, no document preparation, no priority processing. The Indian government does not offer a priority or expedited e-Visa tier; all e-Visas process within the standard 72 hour service window.
Sticker visas issued via BLS International carry separate fees published on the BLS UK website. These typically run from £85 for a six month tourist sticker visa to £200 or more for employment categories, plus the £35 to £50 BLS service fee for handling and biometric capture.
e-Visa application step by step
Start at indianvisaonline.gov.in, the official Government of India portal. This is the only authoritative URL; numerous lookalike domains operated by third party expediters appear in search results and should be avoided unless you specifically want to pay an intermediary. Verify the .gov.in domain before entering any data.
The application form takes 20 to 40 minutes to complete and asks for personal details, passport data, travel itinerary (intended arrival airport and dates), and address details in India (a hotel booking is acceptable for tourist applications). Upload the passport bio data page PDF and the digital photograph in the format specified. Save the application reference number; you will need it to track status and to download the e-Visa.
Pay the fee at the end of the form using a credit or debit card. The portal accepts most international cards; payment failures most commonly occur where the cardholder name on the card does not match the application name exactly. After payment, the portal generates a confirmation page with the application reference and an estimated processing time.
The e-Visa typically arrives by email within 24 to 72 hours. Print two copies on plain white paper: one for presentation at the Indian immigration desk on arrival, one as a backup. Carry both alongside the passport used to apply. The e-Visa is endorsed in the passport on arrival at the Indian airport; you do not need to do anything further before travel.
When to use BLS International for a sticker visa
BLS International (UK) operates as the authorised Indian Visa Application Centre on behalf of the Indian High Commission in London. All sticker visa applications from the UK route through BLS, not through the High Commission directly. Categories handled by BLS include employment, student, journalist, research, missionary, long stay tourist (over 90 days), entry visa (for OCI cardholders' spouses), and family visas.
BLS operates application centres in London (Hounslow), Birmingham, and Edinburgh. The application is started online via the BLS UK website, which links to the Indian government's visa application form, and then submitted in person at a BLS centre with biometric capture. Documents are couriered to the High Commission for processing and returned to the BLS centre for collection.
Processing time for sticker visas via BLS is typically 10 to 15 working days for standard processing, with some categories taking longer where High Commission referral is required. BLS publishes current processing times on its UK website. There is no fast track tier in the standard sense; certain categories carry a "tatkal" priority option at higher fee.
Third party expediters cannot bypass BLS. BLS is the only authorised submission point for UK based sticker visa applications. An expediter offering to "speed up" a BLS sticker visa application is at best offering to courier documents to and from a BLS centre on the customer's behalf, which is a logistics service rather than a processing acceleration.
What expediters add (and what they do not) for India visas
For e-Visas, third party expediters add markup over the official fee for no underlying processing benefit. The Indian government's e-Visa portal accepts British passport holders directly, processes applications in 24 to 72 hours, and charges around $25 USD for a 30 day tourist visa. Expediters charging £40 to £80 for the same e-Visa are charging £20 to £60 over the official cost for form filling assistance and email forwarding of the resulting e-Visa.
The defence offered by expediters is that they handle the form complexity, verify the photo and passport scan meet the portal's requirements, and resubmit if rejected. Some applicants value this for the avoidance of upload errors, particularly for the photo specification, which is more demanding than typical passport photo requirements. For a 30 day tourist visa, this convenience adds limited value relative to its cost.
For sticker visas via BLS, the expediter value proposition is similarly narrow. BLS itself provides the document handling, biometric capture, and High Commission liaison as part of its £35 to £50 service fee. A third party expediter sitting on top of BLS adds another layer of cost without any additional service capacity, since BLS is the only authorised submission point regardless.
The exception is the combined passport plus visa scenario: a UK applicant who needs a new British passport and an Indian sticker visa in the same window. An expediter coordinating both can save the applicant the sequencing work. Outside this case, India visa expediter use is convenience cost rather than essential service.
Editorial Disclaimer
Content on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute regulated immigration, legal or financial advice. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and does not provide regulated immigration advice. Rules, fees and processing times change without notice. Verify current entry requirements directly with GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice, the Indian government visa portal, or the Indian High Commission in London before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do British citizens need a visa for India in 2026?
Yes. India requires a visa for British citizens for every visit regardless of length or purpose. There is no visa free entry or visa on arrival for general UK travellers. The e-Visa is the most common route for short stay tourism, business meetings, medical treatment, and conferences. Sticker visas via BLS International are required for employment, long stays over 90 days, study, journalism, and certain other categories. Plan visa application before booking non flexible travel.
How long does an Indian e-Visa take to process?
Typically 24 to 72 hours from successful payment. The Indian Bureau of Immigration publishes a four day standard service window on the e-Visa portal, but most applications complete faster. Apply at least four days before travel as a safety margin, and consider seven days where the travel date cannot slip. There is no expedited tier; the Indian government does not offer faster e-Visa processing for additional fee.
Can I apply for an Indian e-Visa from inside India?
No. The e-Visa must be applied for from outside India, before travel. The Indian government does not permit visa applications by visitors already in the country except in narrow emergency circumstances handled through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. If you arrive without a valid visa, you will be refused entry; airlines verify visa status before boarding.
What is the difference between an e-Visa and a sticker visa?
An e-Visa is issued electronically, applied for online through the Indian government portal, valid for the categories the e-Visa system covers (tourist, business, medical, conference), and printed for presentation at the airport. A sticker visa is a physical endorsement in the passport, applied for via BLS International with in person biometric capture, and required for categories the e-Visa system does not cover (employment, long stay, study, family). The sticker visa application process is longer and more expensive.
Can I extend my stay in India beyond the e-Visa validity?
The 30 day e-Tourist Visa cannot be extended in country. The one year and five year tiers permit multiple entries but each visit is capped at 90 days. For stays longer than the e-Visa permits, you must depart India and apply for a sticker visa via BLS International from your country of residence. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office handles extensions for sticker visa holders in country, but does not extend e-Visas.
Do I need to register with the police on arrival in India?
Most e-Visa holders do not. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) registration requirement applies to certain visa categories (notably employment, student, research) and to all visitors planning stays of 180 days or more on a single visa. Tourist e-Visa holders staying within the 90 day per visit limit are exempt. Hotel guest registration on check in is a separate, standard administrative step that all foreign visitors complete.
Which UK based service is the official Indian visa application centre?
BLS International (UK) operates the authorised Indian Visa Application Centres in London (Hounslow), Birmingham, and Edinburgh on behalf of the Indian High Commission. Other UK companies advertising "Indian visa services" are commercial intermediaries that themselves submit applications through BLS. For sticker visa categories, going directly to BLS via blsindia-uk.com is the official route.
How we verified this
Verification draws on the Indian Bureau of Immigration e-Visa portal at indianvisaonline.gov.in, the GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice page for India (entry requirements section), the BLS International UK website for sticker visa procedures, and the Indian High Commission in London public guidance. All fee references reflect the published rates as of May 2026 and are subject to change by the Government of India without notice. Verified May 2026.
Primary Sources
- Indian e-Visa Portal: official Government of India application system
- GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice India: entry requirements and visa categories
- BLS International UK: official Indian Visa Application Centre operator
- High Commission of India London: consular services overview
- Bureau of Immigration India: e-Visa eligibility and designated entry points
