What this IVC Visas guide is covering:
- Whether Irish passport holders need an India e-Visa
- Which of the nine official categories suits your trip?
- Exactly what to upload and prepare before applying
- How to apply through IVC Visas? standard and express services
- Every rule that applies from the moment your ETA is approved to the moment you clear immigration in India
Irish Passport, India Bound? Here's the Route!
Ireland has one of the world's strongest passports. It opens doors to over 180 countries without a visa queue in sight. India is not among them. The subcontinent demands a proper introduction. A visa application that asks who you are, why you're coming, and how long you plan to stay. For Irish travelers, that introduction comes through the India e-Visa: an entirely online process that requires no embassy visit and no stamp until you land.
No visa on arrival, no visa-free window. Your India e-Visa must be applied for, approved and must in your inbox as your Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before you board for India.
Before you begin, two exemptions to be aware of:
OCI cardholders holding an Irish passport are fully exempt from the India visa requirement. The OCI card grants lifelong, multiple-entry visa-free access to India regardless of which passport you carry alongside it.
Diplomatic and official passport holders are not eligible for an India e-Visa and must apply through the Embassy of India in Dublin.
Nine Categories, One Right Answer- Choosing Your India e-Visa
The official Indian e-Visa portal lists nine categories. Apply under the wrong one and your application fails, with no refund. Here are the three most relevant to Irish travelers, plus a note on the others:
India e-Tourist Visa: For holidays, sightseeing, visiting friends or family, short yoga program, Ayurveda retreats, or recreational short-term courses not exceeding six months. Available in three durations:
- 30 days e-Tourist Visa: double entry, valid from your first arrival date. Apply up to 30 days in advance.
- 1 year e-Tourist Visa: multiple entry, valid from ETA grant date. Total India stay cannot exceed 180 days within any single calendar year.
- 5 years e-Tourist Visa: multiple entry, valid from ETA grant date. Same 180-day annual cap applies.
India e-Business Visa: For trade visits, business meetings, or commercial activity of any kind. Valid for one year from ETA grant, multiple entries, with continuous stay per visit not exceeding 180 days. Conference attendance falls under this category too, as a 30-day, single-entry sub-type requiring specific government clearances.
India e-Medical Visa: For treatment at a recognized Indian hospital, including Ayurvedic and traditional medicine. Valid for 60 days from first arrival with triple entry. A letter from the treating hospital on official Indian letterhead is required. Up to two companions may accompany the patient on e-Medical Attendant Visas under identical conditions.
The remaining categories includes e-Student, e-Family, e-Transit, e-Miscellaneous, and e-Production Investment which are available to Irish nationals for specific purposes. If any apply to your trip, confirm category requirements through IVC Visas before submitting.
What to Prepare Before You Indian e-Visa Application Starts?
✔️ Valid ordinary Irish passport with minimum 6 months validity from your India arrival date, at least 2 blank pages for immigration stamps. If your passport was issued within the last 6 months, carry your previous one to India as well.
✔️ Scanned passport bio page in colored PDF, clearly showing name, date of birth, nationality, and expiry date. The upload check verifies size and format, it does not verify legibility. A dark, blurry, or cropped scan passes the automated check and fails the human review that follows. Rescan if in any doubt.
✔️ Recent passport photograph in JPEG format, plain white background, no glasses, taken within the last six months. The height and width must be equal. No digital editing, background removal, or retouching is permitted. File name in plain alphabets only, no numbers, spaces, or special characters.
✔️ Supporting documents if applicable. A business card and invitation letter from an Indian company (e-Business); a hospital letter on Indian hospital letterhead (e-Medical). All supporting documents must be in English. Documents in Irish or any other language are liable for rejection regardless of their content.
✔️ Valid email address as your approved ETA is delivered here and nowhere else. Double-check before submitting.
✔️ For Payment method, use a credit or debit. A 3% bank transaction charge applies additionally on the applicable India e-Visa fee (4% for PayPal). Check current pricing for Irish nationals before applying. Fees are non-refundable once submitted.
Applying Through IVC Visas | Get your ETA Effortlessly
Step 1 | Choose your service
IVC Visas offers two service levels:
Standard service: Your India e-Visa application is processed within the standard government processing window (currently averaging 8–10 business days in real-world timelines).
Express / Rush service: For Irish travelers with tighter departure windows. Your application is prioritized and submitted ahead of standard queue applications. Recommended if you are applying within 2 weeks of travel. Keep in mind that official India visa portal doesn't provide any such service.
Choose how involved you want to be:
Option A: IVC Visas completes and submits the full application on your behalf.
Option B: You fill in the form yourself and our team reviews it for errors, document compliance, and photo specifications before submission.
Step 2 | Complete your IVC application
Nationality, visa category, intended travel dates, passport details. Every name, date of birth, and passport number must match your Irish passport character for character. A single discrepancy between your form and your passport is grounds for rejection.
Step 3 | Upload your documents
Passport bio page scan and photograph are must. For business or medical applications, upload the supporting document. Documents are permitted in English language only with plain alphabet file names only. No photographs taken as selfies, no digitally edited images.
Step 4 | Pay the India e-Visa fee
Visa fees are nationality and category specific. A 3% bank transaction charge applies. Check current pricing before paying. All fees are non-refundable once submitted, which is precisely why the pre-submission review matters.
Step 5 | Receive your ETA and travel
Your approved India e-Visa, that is ETA arrives by email as a PDF. Print a physical copy; do not rely on a digital version alone. Before you leave for the airport, confirm your status reads 'GRANTED' on the official portal.
Track your application through IVC Visas at any stage after submission.
Apply at least 2–3 weeks before travel on standard service. If your departure is sooner, choose express service.
Before You Land in India | Rules That Apply From Here On
📌 Authorized ports of entry
Your India e-Visa is only valid for entry through India's designated international airports, seaports, or land ports. Not every airport or sea crossing in India is an authorized India e-Visa entry point. Confirm your specific arrival location against the authorized India entry and exit ports list before booking. You may exit India from any authorized Immigration Check Post.
📌 An approved India e-Visa is an authorization to travel, not a guarantee of entry
Immigration officers at the arrival port retain full discretion. Carry your printed ETA, a confirmed return or onward journey ticket, proof of accommodation in India, and evidence of sufficient funds for your stay. These are not formalities but requirements.
📌 Complete the e-Arrival Card before you board — not after you land
Since April 2026, all foreign nationals entering India must complete a digital e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before arrival — via the official portal at indianvisaonline.gov.in or through the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. This is a separate, mandatory requirement from your India e-Visa. Complete it before you board your flight from Ireland. On arrival, your biometrics will be captured and your passport will be stamped at immigration. Check the stamp is affixed before leaving the counter, if it is missing, raise it with the officer immediately.
📌 Your India e-Visa category defines what you can do in India
Conducting any business activity on an India e-Tourist Visa, or engaging in tourism on an India e-Business Visa, constitutes a violation of visa conditions. The consequences range from denial of entry to deportation. The category you apply for must match your actual, declared purpose of travel.
📌 India e-Visas cannot be extended or converted
If you need to stay beyond your visa's validity, you must exit India before it expires and reapply from outside the country. In genuine emergencies, medical or otherwise, you may apply for an extension at indianfrro.gov.in before expiry. Remaining in India beyond visa validity without approved extension is an illegal overstay under the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025. For long-term purposes such as employment, research, or full-time study, exit India and apply for the appropriate visa type through the Embassy of India in Dublin.
📌 Other conditions that apply to all India e-Visa holders
- Individuals with a defence, military, security, or police background, serving or retired, are not eligible for an India e-Visa. Attempting to enter India by suppressing this information may result in denial of entry and deportation.
- Religious preaching, distributing religious material, or any conversion-related activity is prohibited on all India visa types without exception.
- If you have transited through or departed from a Yellow Fever endemic country within six days of your India arrival, you must carry a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate in original, failure to produce it may result in quarantine on arrival.
- Certain regions including parts of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh require a Protected Area Permit in addition to your India e-Visa — apply for this separately and well in advance.
- Irish nationals whose parents or grandparents were born in or were permanently resident in Pakistan are not eligible for an India e-Visa — a regular visa applied through the Indian Mission is required.
- Travel on the exact passport used to apply; if you have renewed your passport since applying, carry both old and new passports to immigration.
Your Pre-Departure Checklist
Before you apply:
- Ordinary Irish passport confirmed, not diplomatic or official
- Passport valid 6+ months from India arrival date with 2 blank pages minimum
- Correct India e-Visa category confirmed for your purpose of travel
- Supporting documents in English prepared if applying for business or medical
Before you submit:
- Passport bio page scan with colour, clear, all details legible
- Photograph with JPEG, white background, no glasses, within 6 months, plain alphabet file name
- Arrival port confirmed as authorized for India e-Visa entry
Before you board:
- Status reads 'GRANTED' on the India Visa portal ETA printed and in your bag
- e-Arrival Card completed within 72 hours of arrival
- Return or onward ticket accessible at check-in and immigration
- Same passport used to apply — carry previous one too if recently renewed
Dublin to Delhi | India e-visa is all you need!
Ireland and India sit on opposite ends of Eurasia, temperamentally, climatically, and geographically. That distance is exactly what draws Irish travelers there in significant numbers each year. The chaos and color of Old Delhi after Dublin's Georgian quiet. Rajasthan's sun-bleached forts after the Wild Atlantic grey. Kerala's backwaters after the River Liffey. Rishikesh at dawn after a Dublin winter morning. The contrast delivers on itself entirely.
October to March is the recommended travel window from Ireland to India and The India e-Visa is the only administrative step between your Irish passport and everything India offers. Get it right the first time.
At IVC Visas, every India e-Visa application is reviewed before it reaches the portal. Photo compliance, document accuracy, category selection, name matching against your Irish passport, we catch what the portal's automated check doesn't. And if your departure is close, our express service exists for exactly that.
Don't hesitate to contact if you got any queries.
Disclaimer: IVC Visas is an independent visa service provider. We assist with application preparation and submission to official government portals. Final visa approval decisions are made solely by Indian immigration authorities. All information is based on current regulations as prescribed by the Government of India, which may change. Always verify the latest requirements before travel.