🇷🇺Russian Federation🇮🇳IndiaRU-IN Russian Federation to India visa requirements
Russian ordinary passport holders need an e-Visa for India. The 30-day e-Tourist Visa is applied for online in advance at indianvisaonline.gov.in. Since 1 January 2026, India has waived the visa fee for Russian citizens on the 30-day e-Tourist and 30-day group tourist visa, so the e-Tourist Visa is now effectively free for Russians, though it must still be applied for and approved before travel. There is no visa-free or visa-on-arrival channel for Russian ordinary passport holders visiting India for tourism. The standard route is the Indian e-Tourist Visa (an electronic travel authorization, or ETA), applied for entirely online at the official portal indianvisaonline.gov.in before departure. The most relevant option for a short visit is the 30-day e-Tourist Visa: valid for 30 days from the date of first arrival, double entry, non-extendable and non-convertible. Applications must be lodged at least 4 days before arrival; routine processing is typically a few business days (officials cite up to 72 hours, though the new Russia-specific scheme references processing of up to 30 days during ramp-up). A major recent change: following the 5 December 2025 announcement by PM Modi and President Putin, India waived the processing fee on the 30-day e-Tourist visa and the 30-day group tourist visa for Russian citizens, effective 1 January 2026, making the e-Tourist Visa free for Russians (the previous fee was roughly USD 10-25). The fee waiver does not remove the requirement to apply: a valid passport (minimum 6 months validity from arrival, two blank pages), a recent photo and the passport bio page are still needed, and the approved ETA must be carried (printed) on travel. India is NOT part of the Schengen area, so the Schengen 90/180 short-stay rule and ETIAS do not apply to this route. For longer or multi-purpose tourism, 1-year and 5-year multiple-entry e-Tourist visas also exist (carrying their own fees and a 180-days-per-calendar-year cap), but the fee waiver applies only to the 30-day categories.
VISA REQUIREDTOURISMDOUBLE ENTRYLast verified 2026-05-30
For guidance only — visa rules change with little notice. Always confirm directly with the destination's embassy or foreign ministry before booking non-refundable travel. Information here applies to ordinary (non-diplomatic) passports unless noted.
Policy alertWatch this route for rule changesSave this passport and destination for email summaries and optional browser notifications.Subscribe →