Do British passport holders need a visa for India?

By Aditya Rawat · Destinations Writer, Tripmojo · Updated September 1, 2026 · Reviewed by Simran Raheja

Yes, and a British passport is the most expensive nationality on India’s e-Visa fee schedule. The five-year e-Tourist Visa costs a British applicant 484 US dollars where the common rate is 200, and it buys no more time in India than the one-year visa at 40, because both are capped at 180 days in a calendar year. The cheap route is the one most British travellers skip.

Quick facts

Travel authorisation

Visa required: Yes, e-Visa before travel
30-day e-Tourist Visa: USD 10 April to June, USD 25 July to March
1-year e-Tourist Visa: USD 40
5-year e-Tourist Visa: USD 484
Common 5-year rate elsewhere: USD 200
Days allowed per calendar year: 180, on both the 1-year and 5-year visa

Entry requirements

A passport with at least six months of validity at the time the e-Visa application is made, which is measured from the application rather than from arrival, and at least two blank pages for the immigration officer to stamp.
An e-Visa in the category that matches the trip, applied for at least four days before the expected date of arrival, with the fee paid in the same window or the application will not be processed.
A printed copy of the Electronic Travel Authorization carried at the time of travel.
A return or onward ticket and sufficient money for the stay, which the portal states as a condition rather than a suggestion.

Four prices, and the expensive one buys the least

India publishes its e-Visa prices country by country and states that the fee is country and territory specific. On the tourist schedule dated 9 July 2026 the United Kingdom reads 10 US dollars for a 30-day visa between April and June, 25 for a 30-day visa between July and March, 40 for one year, and 484 for five years. Most of the schedule reads 200 in that last column.

The 484 band is not arbitrary. Exactly five of the 175 rows carry it, and they are the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, which is to say the United Kingdom and the four jurisdictions whose passports are British. No other row on the schedule reaches that figure.

The one-year and the five-year visa carry the same limit on time. The portal states that maximum stay in India during one calendar year should not exceed 180 days on both the one-year and the five-year tourist visa, and both are multiple entry. What the extra 444 dollars buys is validity, not days: the ability to keep using the same authorisation rather than applying again.

Good to know

The five-year visa does not buy more time in India, and that is the whole calculation. Both the one-year and the five-year e-Tourist Visa are multiple entry, and the portal caps stay on both at 180 days in a calendar year. So the 484 dollars is buying the convenience of not reapplying, not extra access. Five successive one-year visas at 40 dollars each come to 200 on the published schedule, less than half the five-year price, for the same 180 days a year. Anyone who is not certain they will visit India across all five years is paying a premium for an option they may not use.
The expensive band is a British band rather than a random one. Five rows out of 175 on the tourist schedule carry the 484 five-year fee, and they are the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. A Guernsey or Manx passport holder who assumes they will be priced like a European is priced like a Briton instead. The other direction also holds: nobody outside that group pays it, so a price you were quoted by a British friend is not a price anyone else pays.
Business and medical travel is priced steeply too, and by a different schedule. The second schedule, dated 15 April 2026, puts the United Kingdom at 242 US dollars for the e-Business Visa and 129 for the e-Medical and e-Medical Attendant visas, where 103 of its 176 rows read 120, 80 and 80. The same five British jurisdictions share the 242. Only the United Arab Emirates pays more for business, at 415. A British applicant should price the exact category before assuming a business trip costs roughly what a holiday does.
Fifteen dollars separates the rigid visa from the flexible one for most of the year. Between July and March the 30-day e-Tourist Visa is 25 US dollars and the one-year is 40. The 30-day version is explicitly non-extendable and non-convertible, so a hospital stay, a cancelled flight or a delayed hop to Nepal that pushes you past day 30 turns into an overstay rather than a phone call. The one-year visa costs 15 dollars more, allows up to 180 days in the calendar year, and covers a second trip if one comes up. For a short holiday the cheap visa is the one with no margin in it.
Two things attach to whatever number you end up paying. Both schedules carry a note that a bank charge of 3 per cent is added on top of the applicable fee, so 484 is not what leaves the account. And the portal states the fee is non-refundable, because it pays for processing and does not depend on whether the authorisation is granted or refused; on the five-year visa that makes a refused application an expensive one. The schedules are dated 9 July 2026 and 15 April 2026, so a figure quoted in an older article is quoting a superseded document.

Frequently asked questions

Do British citizens need a visa for India?

Yes. The United Kingdom is on India’s e-Visa eligibility list, so the application is made online before travel. There is no visa on arrival for British passport holders.

How much does an Indian e-Visa cost for a British passport holder?

On the schedule dated 9 July 2026: 10 US dollars for a 30-day visa between April and June, 25 for a 30-day visa between July and March, 40 for one year and 484 for five years. A bank charge of 3 per cent is added to the applicable fee.

Why is the five-year Indian e-Visa 484 dollars for Britons?

India prices the e-Visa by country and territory. Exactly five rows on the schedule carry the 484 figure: the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. The common rate elsewhere is 200.

Is the five-year visa better value than the one-year?

Only if you will use it across most of the five years. Both allow a maximum stay of 180 days in a calendar year, and five successive one-year visas cost 200 US dollars against 484 for the five-year.

How long can a British visitor stay in India on an e-Tourist Visa?

Up to 180 days in a calendar year on the one-year and five-year visas. The 30-day visa is limited to its own 30 days and is non-extendable and non-convertible.

How far in advance does India need the application?

At least four days before the expected date of arrival, with the fee paid inside that window, or the application is not processed.

Other passports for India

Other destinations for United Kingdom passport holders

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 1 September 2026.

Government of India, Bureau of Immigration e-Visa portal, "Country/Territory Wise e-Tourist Visa Fee (in US $)", schedule dated 09-July-2026: 175 rows; the United Kingdom (Sl. 166) reads 10 / 25 / 40 / 484 for the 30-day April-June, 30-day July-March, one-year and five-year e-Tourist Visa; exactly five rows carry 484 in the five-year column, being Gibraltar (Sl. 59), Guernsey (Sl. 63), Isle of Man (Sl. 72), Jersey (Sl. 77) and the United Kingdom, and no other row reaches that figure; the common line on the schedule is 10 / 25 / 40 / 200. Note on the schedule: "Bank charge of 3% will be charged additional on applicable e-Visa fees." Counted across both schedules, the United States is the sole holder of its figure in four columns (five-year tourist 160, e-Business 140, e-Medical 100, e-Medical Attendant 100), Russia in three and Ukraine in two; no other row is the sole holder of more than one. Read 2026-08-31. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
Same portal, "Country/Territory Wise e-Visa Fee (e-Business, e-Medical, e-Medical Attendant and e-Conference Visa)", schedule dated 15-April-2026: 176 rows; the United Kingdom (Sl. 167) reads 242 / 129 / 129, a figure shared with Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey; 105 rows read 120 in the e-Business column and 103 of those also read 80 in both the e-Medical and e-Medical Attendant columns; the United Arab Emirates (Sl. 166) reads 415 for e-Business, the only figure above 242 in that column. Read 2026-08-31. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
Same portal, e-Tourist Visa category description: the One Month e-Tourist Visa is 30 days, multiple entry, non-extendable and non-convertible; the One Year e-Tourist Visa runs 365 days from the date of grant of the ETA, multiple entry; the Five Years e-Tourist Visa runs five years from the date of grant, multiple entry; and "Maximum stay in India during one Calender Year should not exceed 180 days for 1 year and 5 year Tourist Visa." Read 2026-08-31. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
Same portal, e-Visa instructions and FAQ: the passport must have at least six months validity at the time of making the application and at least two blank pages for stamping; the traveller must have a return or onward ticket and sufficient money for the stay; the application must be made at least 4 days in advance of the date of arrival and the fee paid at least 4 days before the expected date of travel or the application will not be processed; the fee is non-refundable whether the Electronic Travel Authorization is granted or rejected; a copy of the ETA must be carried at the time of travel; and the visa on arrival facility is only for nationals of Japan, South Korea and the UAE, so it is not open to British passport holders. Read 2026-08-31. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

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