Do South Africans Need a Visa for India?

Yes. And it's free. Here are the steps to apply.

The Taj Mahal in India — Taj Mahal, India

India is still one of our favourite countries, and we would love to go back and see the rest of the country since there is so much to see!

The first thing we always check when we want to visit a country is "Do we need visas?". As South African citizens/passport holders, there are quite a lot of countries we can visit visa-free or simply apply for e-visas, and India is one of them!

How to apply for India Visas as a South African citizen

There are two ways to apply for an Indian visa: in-person through VFS Global, or online (so much quicker and easier).

If you want to apply through VFS Global, there is a service fee of R 117, however, the visa itself is free. You also need a lot of documentation if you apply in person. You can find all the information here: VFS Global.

So here are the steps to apply for the online e-visa:

Go to the official online visa application website e-Visa (indianvisaonline.gov.in ). Please be sure to apply through this link/website ONLY, as there are other scam websites around.
Submit a passport photo that complies with the following requirements:
1. Format JPEG
2. Size Minimum 10 KB, Maximum 300 KB
3. The height and width of the Photo must be equal.
4. The photo should show your full face, front view, eyes open.
5. Centre head within the frame and present full head from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin.
6. The background should be plain, light-coloured or white background.
7. No shadows on the face or in the background.
8. Without borders.
9. Make sure that the photo presents your full head from the top of your hair to the bottom of your chin. Your head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm). Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3.
A scanned copy of your passport information page. Your passport must be valid for 6 months after the end of your stay in India.
Simply fill in the online form with the required information, including your expected date of arrival.

Follow the steps and submit your application. You will receive a confirmation email and you can track your application via the same website.

You can apply 4 days before your trip, and we received ours a day later, but we suggest you apply a week or two ahead at least just to be safe.

You have to have a printed, physical copy with you to show to the customs official at the airport.

You have the option of a 30-day, 1-year or 5-year visa for India, and you can stay a maximum of 180 days in a calendar year on the 5-year visa.

You also have to enter the country only through any of the airports or sea ports listed, and cannot use the e-visa to enter India via any land borders. So for our fellow backpackers, sorry, a bus to the border and across won't work.

Visas for business purposes might require additional documentation as set out on the website as well.

Need help planning your trip to India?

Flights: We always look on Travelstart, Skyscanner and Kiwi.com to see what the best options are. However, for flights to India, Ethiopian Airlines have the BEST deals from South Africa, with a stopover in Addis Ababa.
Accommodation: We used Booking.com and OYO Rooms - a very popular chain of hotels and accommodation partners in India.
Travel Guides and Books: The Lonely Planet India for things to see and do, places to eat and itineraries for every budget. To book tours, you can browse through Get Your Guide for some exciting one-of-a-kind tours.
Cellphone/Data: You can get an e-SIM from Airalo. It's an app on your phone loaded with data that you can use anywhere in the country. Alternatively, you can buy a local SIM card, depending on how long you plan on travelling. They have excellent data deals - we purchased a data package and received 5GB of data every day for 30 days for INR 550 (R 127).