India was one of the top visited countries by foreign nationals before COVID lockdown. Now that the vaccinations in all countries are in full swing, Indian government has re-opened its borders and as of Nov 2021 it is possible to get Indian e-Tourist visa for Canadian citizens if you follow the new updates after reopening of Indian tourism.
This article covers all one needs to know to get India visa and the new updated COVID guidelines introduced in 2021 and what are the rule changes for Canadian nationals
Apply for India Visa Online
India government as waived off India visa fee for the first 500,000 applications. Apply now to get your India visa at just processing fee cost of $25 with us.
We also take care of procuring your mandatory self declaration form for all foreigners visiting India.
Note: The duration of stay will be limited to 30 till Feb 2022.
Canadians has consistently occupied the top 10 foreign visitors to India, this is not uncommon since we have a huge diaspora of Indian origin in Canada. In fact , 5% of the total foreign visits to India are Canadians
It is now mandatory to get COVID related travel insurance for visa application. Get your travel insurance at just $1 per day with visitorscoverage.com
What are the India visa options available to Canadian passport holders ?
Generally, there would be many types of India visa to suit every need and requirement. But since COVID has it the number of visas available to the tourists has been limited to just 1 type. Only 30 days single entry visa can be applied. Regular Indian visas, for which you need to visit the embassy has been embargoed until further notice.
Note: As of Nov 2021, only 30 days single entry visa can be applied for all foreign tourists to India. This article will be updated once we have an official government circular for the availability of other visas.
Also note that you must have filled a self declaration form before you enter India and need to be submitted. Also vaccination certificate will be needed.
30 days India tourist visa, this is applicable for Canadians for the purpose of visiting India for a short duration of 30 days Single entry which means you can enter India only once. Once your visa is approved you will need to make use of this visa within 120 days. Check your visa approval copy to know the exact expiry date of your visa.
60 days India tourist visa, (Not available as of Nov 2021)this is applicable for Canadian nationals who are visiting India for a short duration of 60 days. This visa allows double entry which means you can exit & enter India twice.
1 year India tourist e-visa (Not available as of Nov 2021), this is for anyone one who want to explore the whole country or in general stay for one full year but you can stay for continuous 180 days only after which you need to exit the country and re-enter.
5 years tourist e-visa (Not available as of Nov 2021), gives you 5 years of validity and it is multiple entry visa. With this visa you can stay for a maximum period of 90 days at a time as long as your visa is valid. The stay period is extended to 180 days for UK passport holders only.
Other than these visas, you can also apply for medical visa or business visas for which the process would be slightly different
Get India e-Tourist visa for Canadian nationals
We also take care of procuring your mandatory self declaration form for all foreigners visiting India.
Although you can get India visa online yourself, most of you would not like to go through the hassle of dealing with the Indian government portal which is not so user-friendly, has long forms to fill and frequently crashes out.
If you don’t like to spend 3 hours of your life filling forms, then get it done by a professional travel agent. You can get your Indian visa done via www.travelvisabookings.com.
Requirements for Canadian citizens to apply for India Tourist Visa
The requirements for India tourist visa, particularly for Canadians is pretty simple and straight forward, atleast on paper, you need to fill a form and submit some basic documents & within 74 hours your visa will be sent to you via email.
But in reality, when it comes to online visas, Indian government website has it’s own challenges such as frequent server crashes, several problems with payment not going through, lack of customer support. On the whole it is not a smooth process.
So we recommend that you allocate a focussed 3 hours time to apply for India e-Tourist visa, also keep all the documents handy and if you have crashes or payment related issues, do not pursue and seek help since if your payment cancels 3 times, then you cannot apply for e-Tourist visa .
Please be careful while making payment for e-VISA fee. If your payment fails 3 times, then your application Id will be blocked and you cannot make further payments and apply for a fresh application with all the forms filled.
Documents needed for India e-Tourist visa for Canadians are:
- Passport front and back scanned copy.
- A passport size photo soft copy in a white background
- Parents (both mom and dad) information
- Spouse’s information
- Port of entry in India
- Work related information
- A valid COVID Insurance. (You can apply below)
It is now mandatory to get COVID related travel insurance for visa application. Get your travel insurance at just $1 per day with visitorscoverage.com
Beware of India visa scams
There have been a lot of sites which are designed just like India visa and have been charging exorbitant processing fees of $100 or more with false claims of express or emergency visas. These are not possible and are fake.
Government of India has not authorized any agent or intermediary to charge any fee for facilitation of emergency / express Visa/eVisa.
India government advisory
So if someone is charging you more or if someone is promising you fast or express India visas, do not fall for the trap. It is fine taking consultation for a reasonable fee.
Also once you get your visa make sure you are double checking your visa online with your applicationID to see if your visa is genuine. You can verify your visa authenticity on the government website.
What is the fee for India e-Tourist visa for Canadian nationals ?
The regular, India Visa fees for Canadian Citizens are mentioned below. But as mentioned earlier, Indian government has announced free visa for the first 500,000 applicants, so you can apply for your India visa with us at get it just at processing fee cost of 31 CAD!!.
Also note that as of Nov 2021, only e-Tourist visa of 30 days can be applied. Others are not available due to COVID
| India visa Type | Fee for Canadian Citizens | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| e-Tourist Visa 30 Days | $25 (20 CAD) | 30 Days – Double Entry |
| e-Tourist Visa 1 Year | $40 (50 CAD) | 365 Days – Multiple Entry |
| e-Business Visa | $100 (125 CAD) | 365 Days – Multiple Entry |
| e-Conference Visa | $100 (125 CAD) | 30 Days – Single Entry |
| e-Medical Visa | $100 (125 CAD) | 60 Days – Triple Entry |
| e-Medical Attendant Visa | $100 (125 CAD) | 60 Days – Triple Entry |
India E-Tourist visa fee for US citizens is $25 (31 CAD). Banks charge an additional 2.5% of the above amount as their service charge. If you sought the service of a travel agent, then expect to pay anywhere between 12 CAD to 25 CAD extra as a service fee.
Apply for India Visa Online
India government as waived off India visa fee for the first 500,000 applications. Apply now to get your India visa at just processing fee cost of $25 with us.
We also take care of procuring your mandatory self declaration form for all foreigners visiting India.
Note: The duration of stay will be limited to 30 till Feb 2022.
What is the processing time for India visa ?
The processing time for India e-Tourist visa is 72 working hours also account Indian holidays. So make sure to apply for your visa at least 1 week before your intended travel. Also keeping the fragile nature of travel due to the pandemic in mind, book fully refundable flights & hotel bookings.
Is visa on Arrival available for Canadians Citizens to visit India ?
No, visa on arrival has been stopped for all nationals since 2015 and replaced by India e-Tourist visa for Canadian citizens. You need to get a pre-authorised visa before entering India . Also note that you will need to fill out a self declaration form before you enter the country in regards to COVID protocol.
Do Canadian citizens need a visa for travel to India?
All Canadian citizens need a valid passport and valid Indian visa to enter and exit India for any tourism or any other purpose. If you want a short-stay tourist visa or India business visa, then you can get an online India visa from the government via a competent travel agent or you can try for it yourself.
Canadians whose sole purpose is tourism and who wish to stay in India up to a period of not longer than 60 days can apply for an electronic travel authorization at least 4 days prior to their arrival in India.
Apart from these documents, you may also need to keep details of your parents and your work-related information and passport details of your spouse handy.
It is now mandatory to get COVID related travel insurance for visa application. Get your travel insurance at just $1 per day with visitorscoverage.com
The India visa agent we apply through accept photographs of any format and size. They even accept photographs that are taken on your iPhone.They themselves edit it to the required specification and process the application. See if your agent provides this facility to get indian visa for Canadian citizens.
If you are planning to apply by yourself, keep all the documents and photographs in the required format and specification before you start filling in the application.
How long will it take for approval of my Indian E-Tourist visa?
It can take anywhere from two to four days to get your Indian E-Tourist visa approved. Provided all the information and supporting documents you furnished are correct and the Indian Embassy does not ask you for any additional documents.