India Expands E-Visa Program with 11 New Ports
The Indian government has expanded its e-Visa program by notifying 11 additional international ports for entry, bringing the total number of such ports to 88. The newly added ports include nine land ports and two airports: Agartala, Darranga, Gede, Ghojadanga, Haridaspur, Jaigaon, Dawki, Moreh, and Attari (Road) as well as Bhopal and Tirupati airports.
The e-Visa program was introduced in 2014 for nationals of 43 countries and is now available to citizens of 172 countries. Approximately 95% of e-Visa applications are processed within 72 hours, according to the government.
The initiative aims to liberalize, streamline, and simplify the visa regime while strengthening technological infrastructure for internal security. The e-Visa facility currently offers 17 sub-categories, including tourist and mountaineering visas.