India, Nov. 12 -- India has reduced the number of main visa categories from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23, while cutting the number of fields in visa application forms by 65 to 70 per cent, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. The latest changes are part of the second major exercise to rationalise the country's visa regime since October 2025.

The changes were introduced through a Home Ministry order on August 27, 2026. They follow an earlier exercise in October 2025, when the number of main visa categories was reduced from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49. The ministry said it had studied the visa systems of developed countries and global standards before consolidating categories with similar travel purposes. T...