In a quiet but welcome website update dated 23 June 2026, Indian embassies worldwide confirmed that the government has reinstated all categories of long-duration tourist visas that were suspended at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The move completes a phased normalisation that began with short-stay e-Tourist visas in late 2024. Key points of the restoration include: 1) re-activation of previously issued ten-year paper visas that still carry validity; 2) resumption of fresh long-duration paper visas at Indian consulates; and 3) availability of one-month, one-year and five-year e-Tourist visas on the online portal for eligible nationalities. Holders of restored visas may enter India immediately without re-stamping. Tourism stakeholders say the decision plugs the last gap in India’s inbound policy and gives travel wholesalers confidence to market winter-sun packages to Europe and North America. The timing is significant: foreign tourist arrivals were still 14 per cent below pre-pandemic levels in April, and competitors such as Vietnam and Malaysia have rolled out aggressive visa waivers. For multinational firms, the headline benefit is flexibility. Expatriate families based in Asia can again make spontaneous leisure trips to India without the uncertainty of single-entry paperwork, while conference organisers can lock in events secure in the knowledge that delegates can obtain five-year multiple-entry e-visas. Immigration lawyers caution that all travellers must still complete the Air Suvidha declaration and that overstays attract hefty penalties under India’s amended Foreigner Rules. Nevertheless, the restoration marks the final step in reopening the world’s second-largest emerging travel market.
