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Indian e-Visa Passport Requirements

Updated on Jan 25, 2024 | Online Indian Visa

Read about the various Passport requirements for Indian e-Visa in this comprehensive guide.

Indian e-Visa Application requires an Ordinary Passport. Learn about every detail for your Passport to enter India for Indian Tourist e-Visa, Indian Medical e-Visa or Indian Business e-Visa. Every detail is covered here comprehensively.

If you are applying for the Online Indian Visa (e-Visa India) for your trip to India you can now do so online as the Government of India has made available an electronic or e-Visa for India. In order to apply for the same you need to meet certain Indian e-Visa Document Requirements and also provide soft copies of these documents before your application is accepted. Some of these required documents are specific to the purpose of your visit to the India and consequently the kind of Visa you are applying for, that is, Tourist e-Visa for the purposes of tourism, recreation or sightseeing, Business e-Visa for the purposes of business of trade, Medical e-Visa and Medical Attendant e-Visa for the purposes of medical treatment and accompanying the patient getting the treatment. But there are also certain documents that are required for all of these Visas. One of these documents, and the most important of them all, is a soft copy of your Passport. What follows below is a complete guide to help you with all of the Indian Visa Passport Requirements. If you follow these guidelines and meet all the other requirements you can apply for the Indian e-Visa online without needing to visit your local Indian Consulate or Embassy.

Indian Immigration has made the entire Indian e-Visa Application process online - from research, application filing, payment, documentation upload scan copies of passport and face photograph, payment by credit/debit card and receipt of Indian e-Visa dispatch to the application by Email.

What are the India Visa Passport Requirements?

In order to be eligible for the Indian e-Visa, no matter which kind of e-Visa you are applying for, you need to upload an electronic or scanned copy of your Passport. According to the Indian Visa Passport Requirements this has to be an Ordinary or Reguar Passport, not Official Passport or Diplomatic Passport or Refugee Passport or Travel Documents of any other kind. Before uploading a copy of it you must ensure that your Passport will remain valid for at least 6 months from the date of your entry into India.. If you don’t meet the India Visa Passport Validity condition, which is at least 6 months from the visitor’s date of entry into India, you would need to renew your passport before sending in your application. You should also ensure that your Passport has two blank pages, which wouldn’t be seen online, but the border officers at the airport would need the two blank pages to stamp entry/exit on.

If you already have an Indian e-Visa that is still valid but your Passport has expired then you can apply for a new Passport and travel on your Indian Visa (e-Visa India) carrying both the old and the new Passports with you. Alternatively, you can also apply for a new Indian Visa (e-Visa India) on the new Passport.

What all must be visible on the Passport to meet the India e-Visa Passport Requirements?

To meet the Indian Visa Passport Requirements, the scan copy of your Passport that you upload on your Indian Visa application needs to be of the first (biographical) page of your Passport. It needs to be clear and legible with all four corners of the Passport visible and the following details on your Passport should be visible:

  • Given name
  • Middle name
  • Data of birth
  • Gender
  • Place of birth
  • Passport place of issue
  • Passport number
  • Passport issue date
  • Passport expiry date
  • MRZ (Two strips at the bottom of passport known as Magnetic Readable Zone which would be by passport readers, machines at the time of airport entry and exit. Everything above these two strips in the passport is called the Visual Inspection Zone (VIZ) which is looked at by the Immigration Officers at the Government of India offices, Border Officers, Immigration Checkpoint officers.)
Indian Visa Online Passport Requirements

All of these details on your Passport should also match exactly with what you fill out on your application form. You should fill in the application form with the exact same information as mentioned in your Passport as the details you fill in will be matched by Immigration Officers with what is shown on your Passport.

Important Notes to Remember for the Indian Visa Passport

Place of Birth

  • When completing the Indian Visa application form, accurately input the information from your Passport as it appears, without adding additional details.
  • If your passport states your place of birth as "New Delhi," enter only "New Delhi" and avoid specifying the town or suburb.
  • If changes have occurred, such as your place of birth being absorbed into another town or having acquired a different name, adhere to the details exactly as indicated on your passport.

Place of Issue

  • The India Visa Passport place of issue often causes confusion. You should fill in the issuing authority of your passport, as indicated on the passport itself.
  • If you are from the USA, this would typically be the United States Department of State, abbreviated as USDOS due to limited space on the application form.
  • For other countries, simply write the designated place of issue stated in your passport.

The image on your passport may differ from the passport-style photograph of your face that you upload for your Indian Visa application.

Passport Scan Specifications for India Visa Passport Requirements

Government of India has certain requirements, kindly read through these details to avoid rejection of your Indian Visa (e-Visa India) application.

The scanned copy of your Passport that you upload on your application for the Indian Visa Online (e-Visa India) needs to be in accordance with certain specifications that meet the Indian Visa Passport Requirements. These are:

  • You can upload a scan or electronic copy of your Passport that can be taken with a phone camera.
  • It is not necessary to take Scan or Photograph of your Passport with a professional scanner.
  • Passport photo/scan must be clear and of good quality and high resolution.
  • You can upload your Passport scan in the following file formats: PDF, PNG, and JPG.
  • The scan should be large enough that it is clear and all the details on it are legible. This is not mandated by the Government of India but you should make sure that it is at least 600 pixels by 800 pixels in height and width so that it is a good quality image that is clear and legible.
  • The default size for the scan of your Passport required by the Indian Visa application is 1 Mb or 1 Megabyte. It shouldn’t be larger than this. You can check the size of the scan by right-clicking on the file on your PC and clicking on Properties and you’ll be able to see the size in the General tab in the window that opens up.
  • If you are not able to upload your Passport Photo attachment via an email to us provided on the home page of Indian Visa Online website
  • The Passport scan shouldn’t be blurred.
  • Passport scan should be in colour, not black and white or Mono.
  • The contrast of the image should be even and it shouldn’t be too dark or too light.
  • The image shouldn’t be dirty or smudged. It should not be noisy or of low quality or too small. It should be in Landscape mode, not Portrait. The image should be straight, not skewed. Make sure there is no flash on the image.
  • The MRZ (the two strips at the bottom of the Passport) should be clearly visible.

To easily apply for an Indian e-Visa, follow these guidelines, ensure you have all necessary documents, meet eligibility conditions, and apply 4-7 days before your travel. The application process is straightforward, but for clarifications, contact the Indian e-Visa Help Desk.


There are over 166 nationalities eligible for Indian e-Visa Online. Citizens from Canada, United States, Italy, United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia amongst other nationalities are eligible to apply for Online Indian Visa.