Planning a family trip to India comes with enough to organize - flights, hotels, itineraries, vaccinations. The India visa process adds one more layer, and it's a layer parents frequently misjudge.
The most common assumption: that children can travel to India on a parent's visa, or that a child endorsed in a parent's passport doesn't need their own application. Both are wrong.
Every child travelling to India, regardless of age, including infants, requires their own individual India e-Visa and their own individual passport. There are no exceptions, no workarounds, and no family visa category. Here is everything you need to know.
The Fundamental Rule | One Child, One Passport, One Visa
The official Indian e-Visa portal states clearly that the India e-Visa is not available to individuals endorsed on a parent's or spouse's passport. Each individual must have a separate passport. This applies to every eligible nationality including Russia, Belgium, South Africa — a newborn travelling to India for the first time needs their own passport and their own India e-Visa, applied for in exactly the same way as an adult.
Equally, a child cannot travel on a parent's India e-Visa. The visa is tied to the specific passport and the specific individual named on the application. A family of four needs four India e-Visas: one per person, one per passport.
What Visa Category Does a Child Need?
There is no special India e-Visa category for children or minors. Children apply for the same categories available to adults, based on the purpose of travel:
- India e-Tourist Visa: For most family holidays, sightseeing trips, and visits to relatives. Available in 30 days, 1 year, and 5 years; the same duration options as for adults.
- India e-Medical Visa: If the child is travelling for medical treatment at a recognized Indian hospital.
- India e-Medical Attendant Visa: If the child is accompanying a parent or guardian who holds an e-Medical Visa.
For a standard family holiday to India, every child in the family applies for the India e-Tourist Visa.
Parents must confirm eligibility for their child's nationality before starting with their India e-visa application.
How to Apply for a Minor's India e-Visa; When Applying on your Own
This is the section most generic content gets wrong. When completing the India e-Visa application on behalf of a child, the critical principle is: the form is filled with the child's information, not the parent's.
Here is exactly what goes where:
Fill Applicant details of the Child:
- First name and surname: the child's legal name exactly as it appears on their passport
- Date of birth: the child's date of birth
- Passport number: the child's own passport number
- Nationality: the child's nationality
- Place of birth: the child's place of birth
- Passport issue and expiry date: from the child's passport
Do not enter the parent's name, date of birth, or passport number in the applicant fields.
➤ Other important details like visa category, date and port of arrival can be the same as in the parents' application if they are traveling with them. The system processes the application against the child's passport. Any mismatch between the form and the child's passport is grounds for rejection, and the fee is non-refundable.
➤ Contact details (of the parent's): The email address field is where the approved ETA will be delivered. Since a child does not have their own email address, enter the parent's or guardian's email here. This is correct and expected as the portal's contact fields are designed to capture a reachable contact, and for a minor, that is the parent.
➤ The reference contact fields should also contain the parent's or guardian's details: name, phone number, and address. There is no separate "guardian" field; these contact sections are where the parent's information belongs.
➤ In the employment section, select 'student' and add details of father's company, company address, designation and phone number.
If the procedure still feels heavy, follow IVC and learn about common mistakes in India Visa application, so you can avoid rejection!
Payment:
The parent pays the India visa fee on the child's application using their own credit or debit card. A 3% bank transaction charge applies additionally. Check the current fee for the child's nationality before submitting; India Visa fee is nationality and category-specific.
The Child's Photograph
The photograph requirements for a child's India e-Visa are identical to those for adults, along with some practical considerations for younger children and infants.
The photo must be: JPEG format, 10 KB–1 MB, plain white background, full face front view, eyes open, no glasses, taken within the last 6 months. The height and width must be equal. No digital editing or retouching permitted.
For infants and toddlers, achieving a front-facing photo on a white background without shadows takes patience.
➤ Practical approach: Lay a white sheet on a flat surface, place the infant on it, and photograph from directly above, this naturally achieves the white background and front-facing requirements. Do not hold the child against a white wall, as your arms will appear in the frame and shadows are difficult to avoid.
➤ For older children: The same rules as adults apply. Neutral expression, eyes open, no glasses, white background, no shadows. School photographs are usually not compliant; take a fresh photo specifically for the application.
File name must be in plain alphabets or numbers only; no symbols, spaces, or special characters.
Documents Required for a Minor's Application
✅️ Mandatory:
- A colored PDF scan of the child's passport bio page (10 KB–300 KB), showing the child's name, date of birth, nationality, and expiry date. Not the parent's passport.
- The child's compliant JPEG passport photograph.
❌ Not required for e-Tourist Visa:
Birth certificates, parental consent letters, and custody documents are not required for the India e-Visa application; the portal does not ask for them and does not accept them as uploads. These may be required separately by your airline if a child is travelling with only one parent or with a third party, check your airline's policy independently.
Applying Through IVC Visas - Standard and Express Service
Step 1 | Open a separate application for each child
Each child requires their own individual application. Do not attempt to include multiple children on a single form.
Step 2 | Complete the form with the child's details
As outlined above — every personal detail is the child's. The contact email and phone are the parent's. Choose:
Option A: IVC completes the full application or
Option B Parent fills the form and IVC reviews before submission.
Both include a pre-submission photo and document check, particularly important for children's applications where photo compliance is a frequent issue.
IVC Visas offers standard and express service. If travel is within two weeks, choose express for prioritized preparation and submission.
Step 3 | Upload the child's passport bio page scan and photograph
Upload the child's passport and the child's photo in plain alphabet file names only.
Step 4 | Pay the visa fee
Parent pays using their own card. Visa Fee is per application and non-refundable once submitted.
Step 5 | Receive the child's ETA
The approved ETA arrives to the parent's email address. Print a physical copy for the child to carry. Confirm status reads 'GRANTED' on the official portal before travel. Track the application through IVC Visas at any stage.
Apply at least 2–3 weeks before travel on standard service. Process in the same window as the adults in the travelling party.
Guidelines that Applies to Children at the Border
Every rule that applies to adult India e-Visa holders applies equally to children:
📌 Authorized entry only: The child's India e-Visa is valid only at designated airports, seaports, and four authorized land ports. Confirm the family's arrival point against the authorized ports list before booking, as the official list changes.
📌 Biometrics on arrival: Biometric data including fingerprints and photograph is captured for all travelers on arrival in India, including children. There is no age exemption stated on the official portal.
📌 E-Arrival Card: Since April 2026, the mandatory digital e-Arrival Card must be completed for every traveler within 72 hours before arrival via the official portal or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. Complete a separate e-Arrival Card submission for each child; one per person, one per arrival.
📌 Same passport rule: The child must travel on the exact passport used for the application. If the child's passport has been renewed after the ETA was issued, carry both the old and new passports to Indian immigration.
📌 Visa validity: The child's India e-Visa has the same validity conditions as the adults' in the same category. For the 30-day e-Tourist Visa, the clock starts from the child's first arrival in India. For the 1-year and 5-year variants, validity starts from the ETA grant date and the 180-day annual cap applies.
📌 Extension and Conversion: India e-visa is non-extendable and non-convertible, except only in emergencies or few cases where you can apply at eFRRO portal or visit FRRO for visa extension, or conversion before your visa expires.
📌 India e-Visa Exempt: In case your child possess an OCI card, he/she is exempt from applying for an India Visa.
📌 Regular India Visa: If your child has parents, grandparents from Pakistan, he/she is not eligible for an India e-visa. A regular visa, applied from the Indian Mission in their respective country is needed.
One Last Thing Before You Apply
The most common application mistake on children's applications, by some margin, is a non-compliant photograph. Parents underestimate how specific the requirements are, particularly for young children. A photograph taken on a phone against a cream or off-white wall, with a parent partially in frame, will fail manual review after the fee has been paid.
If you're unsure, apply through IVC Visas. Our team checks every child's photo against the official specification before anything reaches the portal, protecting the non-refundable fee that would otherwise be lost on a preventable rejection.
Start your child's India e-Visa application →
India is one of the most rewarding family destinations in the world. Getting the children's visas right is the only step standing between the planning and the journey.
✅ Standard and express service available
✅ Pre-submission review on every application — including children's
✅ 24/7 support via Chat, WhatsApp, and Email
✅ Transparent pricing; no hidden fees
Don't hesitate to contact our team 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.