Do US citizens need a visa for India?
This is one of the most searched questions in the vertical and the answer is short. India runs no visa waiver for American passports. What it runs instead is an electronic visa that removes the consulate visit without removing the visa.
Which route applies to you
| Trip | Route |
|---|---|
| Tourism, short stay | e-Visa, online |
| Business meetings | e-Visa, business category |
| Medical treatment | e-Visa, medical category |
| Conference | e-Visa, conference category |
| Employment, study, journalism, missionary work | Paper visa through VFS |
| Person of Indian origin travelling often | Consider an OCI card instead |
What an OCI changes
An OCI holder does not apply for a visa at all. Entry is on the OCI plus the foreign passport, for any length of stay and any number of trips. The card is not citizenship and gives no vote, but for travel it ends the question permanently.
The Pakistan and Bangladesh rule
Anyone who has ever held Pakistani or Bangladeshi citizenship is not eligible for an OCI card, and that rule extends to their descendants through that line. It is absolute and the consulates state it plainly.
- Short tourist or business trip: e-Visa
- Paid work or study: paper visa, and start early
- Indian parents or grandparents: check OCI first
- Ever held a Pakistani or Bangladeshi passport: OCI is closed to you
- Diplomatic or official passport: the consulate, not the portal
The one-year gap, and other rules that move
India has changed the rules on re-entry within short periods more than once, and the restrictions have been imposed and lifted again. The consulates publish notices when they do, and an answer from a travel forum two years old is not worth acting on.
Check the official portal for the current position rather than a summary of it, including ours.
Children and the passport each of them needs
Every traveller needs their own passport and their own visa, including infants. There is no endorsement on a parent's document any more, and the e-Visa refuses those applications outright.