India Visa for Korean Citizens – Updated 2021 COVID Rules

Indian government has restarted India e-Tourist visa for Korean citizens as of Nov 2019. This article explains the new guidelines as well as what are the changes to implement post COVID.

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.

India occupies 14th place among all countries applying for tourist visa from all foreign nationals.

India eVisa Statistics

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

Covid travel insurance

What are the types of India tourist visas for Korean nationals

India has taken a cautious approach by not making all the types of visas available for Korean nationals to apply. As of Nov 2019 they have only reopened India 30 days e-Tourist visa, that too single entry. But on the bright side, this visa is now free for the first 500,000 applicants.

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.

In usual circumstances, you will have many types of visas that you can apply for:

30 days India tourist visa, this is applicable for Korean passport holders who are 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.

60 days India tourist visa, (Not available as of Nov 2021) this is applicable for the Koreans who are visiting India for a short duration of 60 days. This visa allows double entry which means you can exit & enter India twice. Further details such as expiry date, validity will be endorsed in your visa copy.

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. This visa is popular among asian backpackers who want to explore Nepal and Sri Lanka along with India. So you can take a short break to any of these countries and then reset the number of days you can stay in India.

Get India e-Tourist visa for Korean nationals


We also take care of procuring your mandatory self declaration form for all foreigners visiting India.

Documents required for applying India e-Tourist visa for Korean nationals

Being an online visa, Indian visa application is fairly simple to fill, but it is highly data centric so be prepared to spend at least 3 hours on your application. There are over 300 fields to fill and you need to not only enter your travel data but also enter the details of your parents & spouse and these are required to prove that they are indeed of Korean origin

The documents needed for your visa would be:

  1. Passport front and back scanned copy.
  2. A passport size photo soft copy in a white background
  3. Parents (both mom and dad) information
  4. Spouse’s information
  5. Port of entry in India
  6. Work related information
  7. 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

Covid travel insurance

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 online visa ?

The regular,India Visa fees for the Koreans are as mentioned in the below table. 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 30,000 KRW !!.

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 TypeFee for Korean CitizensRemarks
e-Tourist Visa 30 Days$25 (30000 KRW)30 Days – Double Entry
e-Tourist Visa 1 Year$40 (47000 KRW)365 Days – Multiple Entry
e-Business Visa$100 (116040 KRW)365 Days – Multiple Entry
e-Conference Visa$100 (116040 KRW)30 Days – Single Entry
e-Medical Visa$100 (116040 KRW)60 Days – Triple Entry
e-Medical Attendant Visa$100 (116040 KRW)60 Days – Triple Entry

India E-Tourist visa fee for Korean citizens is $25 (KRW 30000). 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  KRW 14000 to KRW 28000 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 visa is around 3 working days once you submit your visa application. But the consular who is processing your visa may ask for further clarification or documentation which could further delay your processing. So in this case it is better to have a buffer of 7 working days when you are applying for India visa.

You need to also account for Indian holidays since your visa processing time is affected by that too.

You can submit your visa application maximum of 120 days before your departure if you want the extra peace of mind and do not want to scramble at the last minute. But due to the current COVID-19 pandemic in India, we suggest to apply for your visa 1 week before departure and also book fully refundable flights for extra caution.

Do European citizens need a visa to visit India?

Yes. All European nationals need to get a visa before visiting India without exception. Though the French had a colony in India called Pondicherry, they too need to apply for India visa online. But the visa process is simple and transparent unlike getting a France visa for Indians.

Is it possible for to get a visa on arrival in India for the Koreans?

Yes. India has scrapped the visa on arrival policy for most of the 180 countries and replaced it with Online visa called India e-Tourist visa. This is a better option than VOA since this allows you to skip the extra queue at the airport and makes the whole process seamless and simple.

How long will it take for approval of my Indian E-Tourist visa?

It can take anywhere from 2 to 4 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.

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