India Introduces e-Visa Transfer Service for Foreigners With New Passports
- India introduced a dedicated transfer service on its official e-Visa portal to help foreigners with newly issued passports
- The facility covers long-term one-year and five-year e-Visas across tourist and business categories, excluding short-term permits
- Applicants must meet strict eligibility conditions and upload fresh documentation for manual processing by Indian immigration authorities
PAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
India has introduced a new service on its official electronic visa portal for foreigners who need to transfer an existing electronic visa (e-Visa) or Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to a newly issued passport.
The new facility, titled “Transfer of eVisa/ETA on New Passport”, is designed for travellers who have an active long-term Indian electronic travel authorisation but no longer have access to the passport linked to it.
Source: Getty Images
The development could be important for foreigners who lose, have their passport stolen or are unable to return their old passport after obtaining a new travel document.
India limits new transfer service to long-term authorisations
The new transfer facility applies only to certain long-term electronic travel authorisations.
The service covers:
- One-year e-Visas and ETAs
- Five-year e-Visas and ETAs
- e-Tourist visas
- e-Business visas
Shorter-term authorisations, including three-month tourist e-Visas, are not covered by the transfer facility.
India lists 3 situations for passport transfer requests
Applicants cannot use the new service for every type of passport replacement.
The portal currently provides three grounds for requesting a transfer:
- Loss of passport
- Theft of passport
- Non-return of old passport
This means foreigners who simply renew their passports while still retaining the old one may not need to use the new transfer facility.
Foreigners must submit new passport details
Applicants seeking to transfer their existing authorisation must provide details linked to both their old and new passports.
The online process requires applicants to enter:
- Original passport number
- Existing ETA code
- Date of birth
- New passport number
- New passport expiry date
Travellers must also upload a fresh digital photograph and a scan of the biographical page of their new passport.
The submitted application is then subject to processing by the Indian authorities rather than an immediate automatic transfer.
Existing rule allows travellers to carry old and new passports
Foreigners who renew their passports but still have their old passport may continue to use the existing arrangement when travelling to India.
Under the existing guidance, travellers with a valid Indian e-Visa can present both their old and new passports at immigration.
This means a traveller does not necessarily need to request a digital transfer if the old passport linked to the e-Visa is still available.
India yet to provide some details on new service
Some operational details about the new transfer facility have not yet been clearly specified.
The information currently available does not confirm the average processing time, whether applicants will have to pay an administrative fee or how the updated authorisation will be issued after approval.
Foreign travellers may therefore need to check the official Indian e-Visa portal for the latest requirements before submitting a transfer request.
Singapore lists 160+ visa-free countries
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Singapore had announced a fresh travel update that could interest people planning to visit the country.
The policy covered a large number of countries, making short-term travel easier for many international visitors.
Some countries, however, remained subject to different entry requirements under the latest rules.
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Source: YEN.com.gh
