First trip to India: e-visa, arrival and the basics

A first trip to India rewards preparation more than almost any other destination. The country is generous, varied and often easier than its reputation suggests, but a few things done in the right order, mainly the visa, the arrival paperwork and a realistic pace, decide whether the first week feels smooth or exhausting. This guide is for two kinds of readers: foreign visitors coming for the first time, and overseas Indians who grew up elsewhere and are bringing a spouse, children or friends.

Rules change often. Everything below that depends on a government rule should be checked again on the official portal before you apply or fly.

Do you need a visa at all?

Most foreign nationals do. Citizens of many countries can apply online for an electronic visa, known as the e-Visa, instead of visiting an embassy. The only official site is https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/ and you do not need an agent or intermediary to use it.

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders are in a different position. The OCI card works as a long-term, multiple-entry travel document for India, so cardholders do not apply for a tourist visa for each trip and are not asked to register with the local police for stays in India. It is still not the same as citizenship: some activities such as journalism, research or visiting restricted areas can need separate permission. The Ministry of Home Affairs (mha.gov.in) and the Bureau of Immigration (boi.gov.in) publish the current OCI rules. Carry the OCI card together with the passport it is linked to, and remember that children's cards may need to be renewed when the passport is, so check the card before booking tickets.

The tourist e-Visa

The official portal currently describes tourist e-Visas of 30 days, one year and five years, all allowing multiple entries. Some points worth knowing before you start:

• The 30-day visa counts from your first arrival in India, and it cannot be extended or converted into another visa type.
• The one-year and five-year visas count from the date the authorisation is granted, not from your first entry. Stay in a calendar year is capped, and the cap can depend on nationality, so read the conditions for your passport.
• The portal says to apply at least four days before you arrive and allows applications well ahead of travel, up to 120 days for tourist visas. Applying a few weeks early leaves room if you are asked to re-upload a photo or document.
• Fees depend on your nationality and the visa type, and card or PayPal payments carry extra processing charges. Fees are not refundable, so check the fee table on the portal rather than trusting a blog, including this one.
• Photo and passport scans must meet strict size and format rules. A clear, plain-background photo and a clean scan of the passport page save most of the delays.
• Your passport needs enough validity and blank pages. The exact numbers are on the portal and can change.
• Only certain airports and seaports accept e-Visa arrivals, so check that your entry point is on the current list.

### Beware of look-alike sites

Search results are crowded with sites that look official, use the word India and the national emblem, and charge a service fee on top of the real one. The official portal states that no agent is needed, that there is no express or emergency e-Visa for an extra fee, and that nothing beyond the online fee is payable at the airport. If a website promises faster approval for money, close it. Type the address yourself, and check that it ends in gov.in.

The e-Arrival card

India has been replacing the paper arrival form with an online e-Arrival card for foreign passport holders and OCI cardholders. It is submitted shortly before you land, within about 72 hours, through the Bureau of Immigration site, the visa portal or the government's Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app, and it produces a QR code to show at immigration. It is not a visa and has no fee. Reports say it became compulsory in 2026, but confirm the current position on boi.gov.in before you fly, and keep a screenshot of the QR code in case the airport network is slow.

Arrival and immigration

At the airport you will queue at the foreign passport or e-Visa counter. Officers will check your passport, visa authorisation and the e-Arrival details, and take fingerprints and a photograph. Keep a printed copy of the visa approval, your hotel booking and your onward ticket in hand luggage. Queues can be long when several international flights land together, so do not book a connecting domestic flight less than three hours after landing.

Money

India is a card and digital-payment country, but cash still matters for small purchases, tips and auto-rickshaws.

• Withdraw a modest amount from an ATM inside the airport or a bank branch, and tell your bank you are travelling.
• Larger hotels, restaurants and shops accept Visa and Mastercard. Smaller places often want cash or UPI.
• UPI, the instant-payment system that Indians use for nearly everything, is not yet open to most visitors in the same way. A limited pilot through a prepaid wallet from authorised issuers has been run for foreign visitors, but treat it as a bonus, not a plan. Carry a card and some cash.
• Exchange only at authorised outlets or banks, and keep receipts.

SIM and eSIM

A working phone data connection helps with maps, cab apps and train bookings. Airport kiosks sell tourist SIMs, but a SIM bought by a foreigner needs identity checks and can take time to activate, so a global eSIM bought before you leave is often simpler if your phone supports it. Keep WhatsApp, Google Maps and a cab app installed before you land.

Getting around

• From the airport, use the official pre-paid taxi counter or a licensed cab app booked inside the terminal. Ignore touts in the arrivals hall.
• App cabs are the easiest way to cross a city, because the fare and route are shown in advance.
• For longer journeys, trains booked through IRCTC (irctc.co.in) are an experience in themselves. Foreign tourists can register on the site, and the quota and payment rules are different from those for residents, so allow time. Chair car and AC classes suit most first-time visitors.
• Hiring a car with a driver for a multi-city route such as Delhi, Agra and Jaipur is common and often the least stressful choice. See our guide to the [Golden Triangle](/explore/golden-triangle).

Health basics

• Drink sealed bottled water, and avoid ice unless the restaurant is reliable. Eat food that is cooked and served hot.
• Carry oral rehydration salts, basic stomach medicine and your regular prescriptions in original packaging.
• Heat is the real hazard between April and June. October to March is much kinder.
• Buy travel insurance that covers medical treatment and evacuation. Private hospitals in the large cities are good, but they will ask for payment or insurance details at the start.
• Ask your doctor or travel clinic about vaccinations well before you leave.

Dress and temple etiquette

Dress modestly in religious places: covered shoulders and knees for everyone, and a scarf to cover the head at gurdwaras. You will remove your shoes at temples, mosques and some homes, so wear socks and shoes that slip off easily. Ask before photographing people or the inside of shrines, and expect to leave leather items at the entrance to some temples. A light cotton wardrobe works across most of the year.

How to pace a first trip

The most common mistake is trying to see too much. India is large, and journeys take longer than the map suggests.

• Keep to two or three bases in the first ten days instead of five.
• Plan a rest afternoon after every long travel day.
• Build in a slow first day to adjust to the time zone and the noise.
• Start a day early at popular monuments to beat the heat and crowds.

Explore our [destinations](/destinations) to see where to begin. If you are travelling with older family members, read [Plan for parents](/plan-for-parents), and if you are organising the trip from another country, [Plan from abroad](/plan-from-abroad) explains how Raahzo can help.

Before you fly: a short checklist

• Passport with enough validity, and your e-Visa approval or OCI card.
• The e-Arrival card QR code, if it applies to you.
• Travel insurance papers and prescriptions.
• Hotel for the first night, and a plan for getting there.
• Some cash, a card, and an offline copy of key bookings.