India Restores Long-Duration Tourist Visa for Schengen

Long-duration options are back in the application flow

The embassy update states that India has fully restored long-duration tourist visas, including 10-year paper visas and e-Tourist visa categories.

The reported components are:

• previously issued 10-year paper tourist visas that still carry validity have been reactivated;

• fresh long-duration paper tourist visas have resumed through consulates;

• one-month, one-year and five-year e-Tourist visa options are available through the online portal for eligible nationalities.

This matters for European nationals applying from Schengen cities such as Berlin, Paris or Amsterdam because visa duration again becomes a planning variable. A traveller making annual India trips can now check whether a longer e-Tourist visa category is available instead of repeating a short application cycle each time.

Do not assume eligibility from nationality alone without checking the live portal or the competent Indian mission. The source says the e-Tourist categories are available for eligible nationalities. It does not provide a country-by-country eligibility table.

Existing 10-year paper visas require date discipline

The update says holders of restored visas may enter India immediately without re-stamping, if the visa still carries validity.

That is useful, but it does not remove the basic compliance checks at the border. The same source says overstays attract penalties under India’s amended Foreigner Rules and advises travellers to check the exact entry and exit dates stamped in their passports.

For travellers using older paper visas, the operational sequence is:

1. Check the visa expiry date printed in the passport.

2. Check whether the visa has any conditions attached.

3. On arrival, verify the entry stamp and permitted stay.

4. Before departure planning, verify the exit deadline against the stamp, not against assumptions from past trips.

The update also states that all inbound travellers must complete the Air Suvidha declaration before travel. Treat that as a pre-departure formality to verify before boarding, especially if the airline asks for destination documentation at check-in.

Bangladesh resumption is separate, but relevant to regional routing

A separate report says India resumed issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi citizens from 28 June 2026, ending a nearly two-year suspension. The same report says India had continued issuing limited categories during the suspension, including medical-treatment visas.

This is not the same mechanism as the long-duration restoration for all nationalities. It is a bilateral reopening of tourist visa services for Bangladeshis. For foreign travellers, the relevance is narrow: if an itinerary includes Bangladesh and India, visa availability on both sides must be checked separately. Do not infer Indian entry permission from regional proximity or previous cross-border patterns.

Rajasthan also reported 61.99 million tourist visits in Q1 2026, according to a separate source. That figure is not a visa rule, but it signals pressure on major tourist circuits. Longer visa validity may reduce paperwork; it does not guarantee hotel availability, train inventory or easier peak-season movement.

Pre-application checklist

Before selecting a visa duration:

• confirm whether your nationality is eligible for the one-month, one-year or five-year e-Tourist visa;

• if using a paper visa, confirm whether the old 10-year visa is still valid;

• apply through the appropriate online portal or Indian consulate;

• complete required pre-travel declarations stated by the current rules;

• keep entry and exit dates aligned with the immigration stamp, not with the headline validity of the visa.

The headline change is administrative, not cosmetic. India has restored longer tourist-visa pathways. The burden now shifts back to the traveller: choose the correct category, preserve the entry record, and avoid an overstay.