Quick answer
Dozens of countries let Indians apply for a visa online. The most used are Vietnam (USD 25, about three working days), the UAE (₹6,500–9,000 through airlines or agents), Sri Lanka (free ETA), Singapore (through authorised agents), Japan (eVISA lodged at VFS), Azerbaijan, Georgia, Egypt, Kenya and Russia. Apply only on the official portal or through an authorised agent, and leave a week's buffer.
Key takeaways
- Apply only on the official government portal or through an authorised agent; lookalike sites charge two or three times the fee for the same visa.
- Processing ranges from instant (Hong Kong's free pre-registration) to about two weeks (Georgia, Tanzania), so apply two to three weeks before flying.
- Names and passport numbers must match the passport exactly; a mistake usually means a fresh application and a second fee.
- Some online visas are open to Indians only with a qualifying US, UK or Schengen visa, such as Turkey's e-visa and Saudi Arabia's eVisa.
- Print the approval and carry it; airline staff in India ask for it at check-in.
What counts as an e-visa?
An e-visa is applied for and issued online. You upload a passport scan and a photo, pay by card and receive the approval as a PDF, with nothing stamped in advance. The label varies: Sri Lanka and Kenya call theirs an Electronic Travel Authorisation, Indonesia sells an e-VOA, Japan issues an eVISA after you lodge papers at VFS, and Singapore and the UAE route applications through authorised agents or airlines. For a traveller the result is the same: a decision before you fly.
Asia
| Country | Where to apply | Fee | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | evisa.gov.vn | USD 25 (₹2,200) single, USD 50 (₹4,400) multiple | About 3 working days |
| Cambodia | evisa.gov.kh | USD 30–36 (₹2,650–3,150) | About 3 working days |
| Laos | laoevisa.gov.la | USD 40–50 (₹3,500–4,400) | About 3 working days |
| Indonesia (e-VOA) | evisa.imigrasi.go.id | IDR 500,000 (₹2,700) | Usually quick |
| Sri Lanka (ETA) | eta.gov.lk | Free for Indians since 25 May 2026 | 1–2 days |
| Singapore | Authorised agents under ICA rules | About ₹3,100–3,400 all-in | 3–5 working days |
| Japan (eVISA) | Lodged through VFS Global | ₹500 plus a VFS charge of about ₹800–1,000 | About 5 working days |
| Hong Kong (pre-arrival registration) | immd.gov.hk | Free | Instant |
Country detail: Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Japan.
Middle East and Central Asia
| Country | Where to apply | Fee | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | icp.gov.ae, airlines or registered agents | ₹6,500–9,000 for 30 days | 2–4 working days |
| Oman | evisa.rop.gov.om | OMR 5–20 (₹1,150–4,600) | 1–3 working days |
| Qatar (Hayya) | Hayya platform | QAR 100 (₹2,400) | 2–5 working days |
| Bahrain | evisa.gov.bh | BHD 9–14 (₹2,100–3,300) for two weeks | 3–5 working days |
| Azerbaijan | evisa.gov.az | About USD 26 (₹2,300) | Within 3 working days; urgent in hours |
| Georgia | evisa.gov.ge | About USD 20 plus charges (₹2,000–3,500 in all) | 5–10 working days |
| Armenia | evisa.mfa.am | About AMD 3,000 (₹700) for 21 days | Up to 3 working days |
| Uzbekistan | e-visa.gov.uz | About USD 20 (₹1,800) | 2–3 working days |
| Kyrgyzstan | evisa.e-gov.kg | USD 30–55 (₹2,600–4,800) | 3–5 working days |
Armenia asks Indian applicants for travel insurance plus either a qualifying US, UK or Schengen visa or an invitation and proof of funds. For the Gulf, the UAE visa guide covers airline and agent options in detail.
Africa, Russia and Oceania
| Country | Where to apply | Fee | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | visa2egypt.gov.eg | USD 25–30 (₹2,200–2,700) | Within a week; apply 7 days ahead |
| Kenya (eTA) | etakenya.go.ke | About USD 30 plus charges (₹2,700–3,100) | About 3 working days |
| Tanzania | visa.immigration.go.tz | USD 50 (₹4,400) | Up to about 10 working days |
| Morocco | acces-maroc.ma | About MAD 770 (₹6,500–7,000) | A few working days; allow two weeks |
| Russia | electronic-visa.kdmid.ru | About USD 50 (₹4,400–4,800) | About 4 calendar days |
| Australia | ImmiAccount | AUD 250 (₹14,500) from 1 July 2026 | Often a few weeks |
| New Zealand | Immigration New Zealand | NZD 441 (₹22,900) including the visitor levy | Most within about 2 weeks |
Australia and New Zealand are online applications with full financial scrutiny, closer to a Schengen file than to a Vietnam e-visa. Prepare bank statements, ITRs and a leave letter.
Which online visas need a US, UK or Schengen visa first?
- Turkey: a 30-day e-visa of about USD 43 (₹3,800) is open to Indians holding a valid US, UK, Irish or Schengen visa or residence permit. Everyone else applies for a sticker visa through VFS.
- Saudi Arabia: the eVisa is for Indians with a US, UK or Schengen visa used at least once, or residence in the US, UK, EU or a GCC country.
- Taiwan: a free online Travel Authorization Certificate for holders of qualifying visas or residence.
The full picture is in our guide to countries that are easier with a US, UK or Schengen visa.
How do you apply safely?
- Find the official portal through the country's embassy website or our visa pages, not through a search advert.
- Scan the passport photo page in colour, with all four corners and the machine-readable lines visible.
- Enter names exactly as printed. If your passport shows only a given name and no surname, follow the portal's instructions for a blank surname rather than inventing one.
- Pay with a card enabled for international transactions; most portals charge in US dollars.
- Save the application number, check status daily and download the approval as soon as it appears.
- Print two copies and keep the PDF on your phone.
What usually goes wrong?
- Lookalike websites. They copy the government design, charge a large markup and sometimes never file the application.
- Old passport numbers. An e-visa is tied to one passport. If you renew, apply again.
- Entry points. Laos e-visas work only at listed crossings, and Russia's at designated checkpoints. Check before planning an overland route.
- Validity windows. The time you have to enter is not the same as the length of stay. A UAE visa must usually be used within about 60 days of issue.
- Last-minute applications. A request for a clearer photo can add two days that you no longer have.
How should families and groups apply?
Each traveller needs a separate e-visa, infants included, even where the portal lets one person file for everyone. Use one email address you check daily, name each file clearly, and pay for the whole family in one sitting so approvals arrive together. Children's photos are rejected more often than adults', so take them against a plain white wall in daylight. For groups of friends, one organiser should file all applications with the same hotel address and dates; mismatched answers within a group are a common reason for extra questions at the airport.
Card payments on government portals attract your bank's foreign-currency markup and GST on the conversion. A forex card loaded in US dollars usually costs less.
Apply once flights are booked, two to three weeks before departure. Earlier is fine for most portals, but some approvals start counting validity from the day of issue.
If an application is stuck or rejected, our visa assistance desk can refile it through the correct channel.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries offer e-visas to Indians?
How long does an e-visa take for Indians?
Is an e-visa the same as a visa on arrival?
What if I made a mistake on my e-visa application?
Do I need to print my e-visa?
Are third-party e-visa websites legal?
How we checked this page
Last reviewed
Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.
