Visa requirements for Indian citizens

A (regular or ordinary) Indian passport since 2021

Visa requirements for Indian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of India.

As of 2024, Indian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 62 countries and territories, ranking the Indian passport 85th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.

As the index uses dense ranking, in certain cases, a rank is shared by multiple countries because these countries all have the same level of visa-free or visa-on-arrival access.

With visa-free entry to 32 countries and visa on arrival facility to 30 countries India is 85 out of 104 in Global Passport Power Rank.

The Indian passport has slipped one spot from 84th to 85th rank in February 2024.

Recent changes

Current Year Changes
2024 Kenya and Iran have announced visa free travel for Indian citizens from 2024.

New Zealand is offering e-visa for Indian citizens and Hong Kong SAR is visa free for Indians.

Previous Years

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements for Indian citizens holding ordinary passports
 Republic of India
 Visa not required
 Visa on arrival
 eVisa
 Visa available both on arrival or eVisa
 Visa required

Visa requirements

Dependent, disputed, or restricted territories

Unrecognized or partially recognized countries
Dependent and autonomous territories
Territory Conditions of access Notes
China
 Hong Kong Electronic Travel Authorization 14 days
 Macau Visa not required 30 days
Denmark
 Faroe Islands Visa required
 Greenland Visa required
France
 Clipperton Island Special permit required
 French Guiana Visa required
 French Polynesia Visa required
 Guadeloupe Visa required
 Martinique Visa required
 Saint Barthélemy Visa required
 Saint Martin Visa required
 Mayotte Visa required
 New Caledonia Visa required
 Réunion Organized trips 15 days if trip arranged through approved travel agencies
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon Visa required
 Wallis and Futuna Visa required
Netherlands
 Aruba
 Bonaire

 Curaçao
 Sint Eustatius
 Saba

Visa required
  • Visa not required if holding a valid multiple-entry visa or residence permit issued by Canada, UK, Ireland or US.
  • Visa not required if holding a multiple-entry short-stay Schengen visa, an authorization for temporary stay, or a residence permit of a Schengen country.
  • Visa not required if holding a residence permit of Overseas France.
 Sint Maarten Visa required
  • Visa not required if holding a valid multiple-entry visa or residence permit issued by Canada, UK, Ireland or US.
  • Visa not required if holding a multiple-entry short-stay Schengen visa, an authorization for temporary stay, or a residence permit for a Schengen country.
  • Visa not required if holding a residence permit or visa for Saint Martin (French part).
  • Visa not required if holding a residence permit of Overseas France.
New Zealand
 Cook Islands Visa not required 31 days
 Niue Visa not required 30 days
 Tokelau Permit required
Norway
Norway Jan Mayen Permit required Permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.
Norway Svalbard Visa not required Unlimited period under Svalbard Treaty but it is practically impossible to board a flight/ferry to Svalbard without entering Norway. Hence a double entry Schengen visa would be required to go and come back from Svalbard to mainland Norway.
United Kingdom
 Akrotiri and Dhekelia Visa required

The visa policy is the same as for Cyprus, which follows the visa policy of the Schengen Area.

 Anguilla Visa required Visa required, except for holders of a visa issued by the United Kingdom.
 Bermuda Visa required Visa required, except for a maximum stay of 3 months for holders of a multiple-entry visa issued by Canada, US or the UK, valid for at least 45 days beyond the period of intended stay in Bermuda.
 British Indian Ocean Territory Special permit required
 British Virgin Islands Visa not required 30 days
 Cayman Islands Visa required Visa not required for permanent residents or holders of visas issued by the US, Canada or the UK, arriving directly from that country, except that residents of Canada may arrive from the US or Canada.
 Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Visa required
 Gibraltar Visa required UK Visa (6 months or more), or Multiple entry Schengen visa covers entry. Neither a permanent nor a temporary Schengen Residence Permit qualify you for entry.
 Montserrat Visa not required 6 months
 Pitcairn Islands Visa not required 14 days visa-free and landing fee US$35 or tax of US$5 if not going ashore.
 Saint Helena eVisa
 Ascension Island eVisa 3 months within any year period.
 Tristan da Cunha Permission required Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands.
 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Permit required Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling).
 Turks and Caicos Islands Visa not required 90 days
United States
 American Samoa Entry permit required
 Guam Visa required
 Northern Mariana Islands Visa required
 Puerto Rico Visa required Visa not required if holding a valid multiple-entry visa issued by US.
 U.S. Virgin Islands Visa required
Antarctica and adjacent islands
Special permits required for  Bouvet Island,  British Antarctic Territory,  French Southern and Antarctic Lands,  Argentine Antarctica, Australia Australian Antarctic Territory, Antártica Chilena Province Chilean Antarctic Territory, Australia Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norway Peter I Island, Norway Queen Maud Land, New Zealand Ross Dependency.
Other territories

Reciprocity

The Indian Government has not drafted any laws to mandate reciprocity in visa agreements with other countries. While a very small number of bilateral agreements have concluded with reciprocity for visa arrangements, a large number of visa relationships continue to be highly skewed to one side or the other.

In 2015, Iran revoked visa-on-arrival for Indian citizens after it was included as one of the eight countries in India's Prior Reference Category, which would be excluded from India's visa liberalisation plans for foreign tourists. The other countries on the list at the time were Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nigeria and Sudan.

Full reciprocity

India has, by default, achieved full reciprocity in visa-free or e-Visa privileges with following countries or regions:

Partial reciprocity

India has achieved partial reciprocity with following countries, where Indian Immigration rules afford the citizens of the following countries slightly lesser visa privileges than what the following countries provide for Indian Citizens:

Non-visa restrictions

Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages. Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

Vaccination

Cover of the new International Certificate of Vaccination issued by the Bureau of Quarantine in the Philippines since 2021

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.

However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).

Some countries, such as Japan, Ireland and the United Kingdom, require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except the Republic of Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives and South Africa.

Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States, routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

Persona non grata

Entry Permit to Nagorno-Karabakh issued in Yerevan as a stand-alone document rather than a visa affixed in a passport

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning entry into that country. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.

For example, Azerbaijan bans visits by foreign citizens that have previously entered Azerbaijan through non-Azerbaijani controlled borders. This includes the illegal entry into the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh (the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh), its surrounding Armenian-occupied territories, and the Azerbaijani exclaves of Karki, Yuxarı Əskipara, Barxudarlı, and Sofulu which are de jure part of Azerbaijan but under the control of Armenia. Foreign citizens who enter these territories will be permanently banned from entering the Republic of Azerbaijan and will be included in their "list of personae non gratae". As of 2 September 2019, the list mentioned 852 people.

Israeli stamps

Israeli border control Entry Permit (issued as a stand-alone document rather than a stamp affixed in a passport)

Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.[citation needed]

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.

Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan, Argentina, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Japan, Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken), Malaysia upon entry and departure, Mongolia, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by domestic legislation), intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa. The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to greatly increase the biometric data it collects at US borders. In 2018, Singapore began trials of iris scanning at three land and maritime immigration checkpoints.

Visa Exemptions

(This section is under construction, please help update it.)

In some instances, a Visa Exemption permits entry in lieu of obtaining a Visa/ Entry Visa if in possession of the following Visas or Permanent Relationships; this is not limited to entitlements or provisions laid down by the country's law.
For example: Indian citizens holding valid US visa are permitted to enter Mexico on the basis of their US visa, without the need for a Mexican visa.

United States of America Indian Citizens in possession of a valid United States Multiple Entry Visa in their passport may enter the following country(ies) visa-free: Albania, Argentina (Indian passport holders with a valid US B2 visa can avail an electronic travel authorization for the purposes of tourism), Bermuda, Bolivia, Bahamas, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Montenegro, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Turkey (eVisa), UAE.

European Union European Union Family Member - Indian Citizens who are traveling with or joining their EU family members in the European Union in a Country other than where their family member is a citizen of does not require a Visa to enter and enjoy the same entry rights and stay, however, this would be difficult to prove and as a result, entry could be refused.
Visa should be applied for in advance which is usually with no or minimal requirements to meet if the applicant is a family member of an EU Citizen. For instance, a person who wants to travel with their spouse to France where their spouse is a Citizen of the Republic of Lithuania should apply for a Schengen Visa in advance or where a person wants to join their Lithuanian spouse who resides in France should also apply for a Schengen Visa in order to prove their right and avoid misconception. In most cases, airlines will not permit travel without a visa.
There is no time limit a family member can stay (indefinite stay), they must just enter before the Visa expires if joining their family or traveling at the same time. There are no costs involved either.
European Union citizens and their Indian family members will need to apply for settled or pre-settled status if they wish continue residing in the UK after 31 December 2020.
Settled Status can be granted when the applicant has resided in the UK for 5 years and is valid indefinitely. In order to maintain settled status, people must visit the UK every 5 years.
Pre-Settled status is granted when the applicant has resided in the UK for less than 5 years and is valid for 5 years.
In order to maintain pre-settled status, people must visit the UK every 2 years.
However, applicants would have to meet continuous residence until they reach 5 years if they want to qualify for settled status after 31 December 2020. It will not be possible to be granted another pre-settled Visa.

Schengen Visa (Long Stay) - Holders of a Valid Long Stay Category D Visa who arrive in the Schengen European country of their Visa and apply for a Residence Card shortly after arriving will be able to use their EU residence permit / card for travel within the Schengen States, if granted.

GCC visa Visa-free or Visa on Arrival to : Egypt, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Bahrain (GCC residents only, for Bahrain).

United Arab Emirates UAE now giving 1 month, 2 months and 3 months visit visas for Indian nationalities.

Foreign travel statistics

According to the statistics these are the numbers of Indian visitors to various countries in 2017 (unless otherwise noted)

Foreign travel statistics
Destination Number of visitors
 American Samoa 63
 Angola 9,170
 Antarctica 292
 Antigua and Barbuda 366
 Australia 302,200
 Austria 147,300
 Azerbaijan 6,012
 Barbados 900
 Belgium 44,898
 Bhutan 172,751
 Bolivia 1,338
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,700
 Botswana 17,413
 Brazil 16,916
 Cambodia 46,131
 Canada 261,801
 Cayman Islands 292
 Chile 4,468
 China 799,100
 Colombia 5,402
 Congo 2,373
 Costa Rica 7,415
 Croatia 55,745
 Cuba 2
 Dominica 97
 Dominican Republic 4,649
 Eswatini 6,867
 France 524,055
 French Polynesia 379
 Georgia 59,732
 Germany 231,244
 Guam 8
 Hong Kong 392,853
 Hungary 33,134
 Indonesia 422,045
 Israel 58,000
 Italy 225,000
 Jamaica 1,834
 Japan 103,084
 Jordan 57,720
 Kazakhstan 21,890
 Kyrgyzstan 19,600
 Laos 4,343
 Latvia 5,476
 Lebanon 15,610
 Macao 148,121
 Madagascar 2,234
 Malaysia 552,739
 Maldives 83,019
 Mali 1,500
 Mauritius 86,294
 Mexico 59,020
 Mongolia 1,888
 Montenegro 1,131
 Myanmar 34,628
   Nepal 75,124
 Netherlands 155,000
 New Zealand 61,440
 Oman 321,161
 Panama 6,748
 Papua New Guinea 4,293
 Peru 7,201
 Philippines 107,278
 Qatar 333,708
 Romania 16,753
 Russia 130,400
 Seychelles 13,518
 Singapore 1,272,069
 Slovakia 6,805
 South Africa 85,639
 South Korea 123,416
 Spain 141,122
 Sri Lanka 356,729
 Suriname 1,045
 Taiwan 40,846
 Tanzania 69,876
 Thailand 1,595,754
 Timor-Leste 799
 Turkey 86,996
 Ukraine 23,173
 United Arab Emirates 2,073,000
 United Kingdom 525,000
 United States 2,055,480
 Uzbekistan 18,100
 Zambia 25,517
 Zimbabwe 5,421
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Data for 2016
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au Data for 2017
  3. ^ a b c d e f Counting only guests in tourist accommodation establishments.
  4. ^ a b Data for arrivals by air only.
  5. ^ Data for 2012
  6. ^ a b c Data for 2014
  7. ^ a b Data for arrivals by air only.
  8. ^ Total number includes tourists, business travelers, students, exchange visitors, temporary workers and families, diplomats and other representatives and all other classes of nonimmigrant admissions (I-94).
  9. ^ Data for 2015

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-08 03:01 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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