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Visas

India — Tourist Visa (90 Days Per Visit)

The Bounded TeamUpdated July 10, 2026

Summary

Per-visit limit
90 days (180 for US/UK/Canada/Japan)
Annual cap
180 days per calendar year
Window
Calendar year (resets Jan 1)
Applies to
e-Tourist Visa holders
Authority
Bureau of Immigration

On India's e-Tourist Visa, most nationalities can stay up to 90 days per visit, while nationals of the US, UK, Canada and Japan can stay up to 180 days per visit. Regardless of nationality, your combined stays cannot exceed 180 days in a single calendar year. Two limits run at once: a per-visit cap that resets each time you enter, and an annual aggregate that resets only on January 1.

Who it applies to

This rule matters if you are:

  • A tourist, long-stay traveler, or digital nomad visiting India on an e-Tourist Visa.
  • Someone planning several trips in one year — say a winter and a monsoon-season visit — where the days add up.
  • A US, UK, Canadian, or Japanese national relying on the longer 180-day per-visit allowance.

The per-visit allowance depends on your nationality, but the 180-day annual cap applies to everyone on an e-Tourist Visa. It does not cover people holding other visa categories (employment, business, student, or entry visas), which have their own conditions.

The rule — and why it exists

The e-Tourist Visa carries two independent limits:

  • Per-visit cap. Up to 90 days of continuous stay for most nationalities, or up to 180 days for nationals of the US, UK, Canada, and Japan. This resets on every fresh entry.
  • Annual aggregate. No more than 180 days total in a single calendar year, no matter how many separate visits you make.

Why it exists: a tourist visa is meant for genuine short-term visits, not for effectively living in the country. The per-visit cap keeps individual stays short, while the annual aggregate stops travelers from stringing back-to-back visits together to live in India year-round on a tourist permit. Together they preserve the line between visiting and residing.

Counting the days

  1. 1Each new entry starts a fresh per-visit count — 90 days for most nationals, 180 for US/UK/Canada/Japan nationals.
  2. 2Every day you are physically present in India adds to your running calendar-year total, including arrival and departure days.
  3. 3The calendar-year total must never exceed 180 days, even across several separate visits.
  4. 4On January 1 the annual aggregate resets to zero; a stay that straddles year-end draws down two separate annual allowances.

Examples

Example 1 — a single long visit

You hold a passport that gives the standard allowance and arrive in Goa on January 5. You may stay up to 90 days on that visit, so you must leave by early April. Because it is one visit well under 180 days, the annual cap is not a constraint here.

Example 2 — two visits in one year

You spend 100 days in India in the spring, leave, then return in the autumn. Your per-visit count resets on the second entry, but your annual total is already 100. That leaves only 80 days before you hit the 180-day calendar-year cap — even though a fresh 90-day per-visit allowance would otherwise apply.

Example 3 — a US national across year-end

As a US national you arrive on November 1 and stay through the following March. Your per-visit allowance is 180 days, so the length of the trip is fine. But the days before December 31 count against the old year's 180-day aggregate and the days from January 1 count against the new year's — the annual counter resets mid-trip.

Exceptions & edge cases

  • Nationality-based per-visit limit. US, UK, Canada, and Japan nationals get 180 days per visit rather than 90 — but the 180-day annual cap still applies to them.
  • Longer-validity visas don't raise the caps. The 1-year and 5-year e-Tourist Visas simply permit multiple visits within the same 90/180-day limits.
  • Year-end straddle. A visit spanning December 31 splits across two annual allowances, which can effectively let a single continuous trip run longer than 180 days while still respecting each year's cap.
  • Purpose restrictions. The visa is for tourism and short permitted purposes only; paid work, employment, or formal study require a different category.

Common misconceptions

  • "Leaving and coming back resets everything." It resets the per-visit count, but the 180-day calendar-year aggregate keeps running.
  • "A 5-year visa means I can stay for years." No — validity is not the same as permitted stay. You are still bound by the 90/180-day per-visit cap and the 180-day annual limit.
  • "Everyone gets 180 days per visit." Only US, UK, Canada, and Japan nationals do; most nationalities are capped at 90 days per visit.
  • "The limit is a rolling 12 months." The annual cap is tied to the calendar year and resets on January 1, not on a rolling basis.

Frequently asked questions

Does the 1-year or 5-year e-Tourist Visa let me stay longer than 90 days?

No. A longer validity period only means the visa stays usable for more entries over that time — it does not raise the per-visit cap or the 180-day annual limit. You still get up to 90 days per visit (180 for US/UK/Canada/Japan nationals) and no more than 180 days total in a calendar year.

Do arrival and departure days count toward the 90 and 180 days?

Yes. Any day on which you are physically present in India generally counts, including partial days of arrival and departure. Plan your exit with a buffer so a late flight doesn't push you over.

Can I leave India and come straight back to reset the count?

Leaving and re-entering starts a fresh per-visit count, but it does not reset the calendar-year total. Once your combined stays reach 180 days in a year you must wait until the next January 1, regardless of how many separate trips you took.

Is the 180-day limit a rolling 12 months or a calendar year?

It is a calendar year. The annual aggregate resets on January 1, so a trip that straddles year-end draws partly from the old year's allowance and partly from the new one.

What happens if I overstay my Indian tourist visa?

Overstaying is a violation that can lead to fines, detention, deportation, and being barred from future entry. If you need longer than your visa allows, apply for an extension or an appropriate long-stay visa before your permitted period ends.

Can I work or study on India's tourist visa?

No. The e-Tourist Visa is strictly for tourism, casual visits to friends and family, short recreational trips, and short medical or business-meeting purposes as specified. Paid work, employment, and formal study require a different visa category.

This rule is tracked automatically in Bounded

  • Automatically tracks your days for this rule
  • Alerts you before you cross the limit
  • Counts arrival and departure days correctly
  • Runs alongside your other visa, tax, and residency rules
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Sources

For information only. This page is a plain-English summary of publicly available rules, not tax, legal, or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on your personal circumstances — always confirm with the official source above and a qualified professional before acting.