Do Nigerian passport holders need a visa for India?
By Ananya Sethi · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes. Nigerian passport holders need an Indian visa, and for most trips that means an e-Visa applied for online at evisa.india.gov.in before travelling. There is no visa on arrival. The decision that matters more than the paperwork is which category you apply under: India issues separate e-Tourist, e-Business and e-Medical visas, and a large share of Nigerian travel to India is for treatment, where the tourist visa is the wrong document.
Quick facts
Travel authorisation- Visa required
- Yes, an Indian e-Visa obtained before travel
- Where to apply
- evisa.india.gov.in, the official portal
- Visa on arrival
- Not available to Nigerian passport holders
- Processing
- Typically about 72 hours, allow up to 4 working days
- Categories
- e-Tourist, e-Business and e-Medical are separate
- Medical trips
- Need a hospital letter, and attendants apply separately
- Passport validity
- At least six months beyond arrival, with two blank pages
Entry requirements
- A Nigerian passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival, with at least two blank pages.
- An approved e-Visa in the correct category, obtained before you fly. Airlines check it at boarding.
- A recent passport photograph and a scan of the passport bio-data page, uploaded during the application.
- For an e-Medical visa, a letter from the Indian hospital that will treat you.
- Proof of onward or return travel and of funds for the stay.
How to apply for an Indian e-Visa from Nigeria
Choose the category before you start, because it is not something you can change later without applying again. e-Tourist covers sightseeing and visiting family; e-Business covers meetings and trade; e-Medical covers treatment and requires an invitation from the treating hospital.
Apply at evisa.india.gov.in. It is the official government portal and the only one that issues the visa. Agencies charging a service fee on top rank prominently in search results and add nothing to the application itself.
Upload the photograph and passport page, pay by card, and wait. Approvals usually arrive by email within about 72 hours, but allow up to four working days and do not book non-refundable travel against the lower figure.
Fees depend on nationality and category and are revised from time to time, so read the amount on the portal at the moment you apply rather than trusting a figure quoted elsewhere, including in naira.
Carry a printed copy of the approval. It is checked at the airline desk before boarding and again at immigration on arrival.
Good to know
- Getting the category wrong is the expensive mistake on this route, and it is a common one. India runs e-Medical as a distinct visa requiring a letter from the treating hospital, and Nigeria is one of the largest sources of medical travel to India. Arriving for treatment on an e-Tourist visa is presenting the wrong document for the purpose of your trip: hospitals ask for the correct visa at admission, and the position is not something an immigration officer can fix at the airport. Decide what the trip is actually for before you choose the form.
- Family travelling with a patient need their own category, not a copy of yours. India provides a separate attendant route for relatives accompanying someone on a medical visa, with its own application and its own limits on how many people it covers. Booking the whole family onto tourist visas alongside a medical one is the version of this that goes wrong at the hospital rather than at the border.
- An e-Visa is not a visa on arrival and the difference is the flight you are not allowed to board. It has to be approved before departure, and the airline verifies it at check-in in Lagos or Abuja. There is no counter in Delhi or Mumbai that will sell you one, and nothing to be resolved on landing.
- Do not plan around a fee you read somewhere. Indian e-Visa pricing varies by nationality and category and is adjusted periodically, and the naira figures circulating on agency sites go stale quickly with the exchange rate on top. The portal shows the current amount at the point of payment, which is the only number worth budgeting from.
Frequently asked questions
Do Nigerian citizens need a visa for India?
Yes. An Indian e-Visa must be applied for and approved online before you travel. There is no visa on arrival for Nigerian passport holders.
Where do Nigerians apply for the Indian e-Visa?
At evisa.india.gov.in, the official government portal. Agency sites charge a markup for the same application.
Which visa do I need for medical treatment in India?
An e-Medical visa, not a tourist visa. It requires a letter from the Indian hospital treating you, and relatives travelling with you apply under a separate attendant route.
How long does the Indian e-Visa take?
Usually around 72 hours, but allow up to four working days. Apply well before you intend to fly.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the category and is revised periodically, so check the amount shown on evisa.india.gov.in when you apply rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- Government of India official e-Visa portal, evisa.india.gov.in — the only issuing route; e-Tourist, e-Business and e-Medical are separate categories with separate requirements (evisa.india.gov.in)
- Wikipedia, Visa requirements for Nigerian citizens — India: e-Visa available, no visa on arrival (en.wikipedia.org)
- Indian e-Medical visa guidance — a letter from the treating hospital is required, and accompanying relatives apply under a separate attendant route. Fees vary by nationality and category and are revised periodically, so no figure is quoted here (evisa.india.gov.in)
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
