How many Indian visa categories are there?
Ten, in the High Commission's official document: tourist, transit, business, medical, student, muktijoddha, entry, defence and police, conference and employment.
In detail
The High Commission's “VISA DOCUMENTS: CATEGORY-WISE” document lists ten. Most people know of three — tourist, medical and business — but if one of the others fits your case, it can mean considerably less paperwork.
The less familiar but useful ones:
- Muktijoddha — a separate category for recognised freedom fighters, adding only the Muktijoddha certificate
- Entry — for spouses and children of Indian nationals, and for artists and academics at non-commercial events
- Conference — for attending a conference, with far less paperwork than a business visa
- Transit — for travelling onward to a third country through India
One point to note: the medical attendant (MX) visa has no section of its own; it is referenced inside the Medical Visa section.
Working out which category fits saves a good deal of effort gathering documents you do not need.