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First identify your travel status
An Indian citizen travelling on a valid Indian passport does not need a medical visa. OCI holders should verify current passport, OCI and entry requirements. Foreign nationals need to identify whether the e-Medical route is available for their nationality or whether a regular Medical visa is required.
e-Medical or regular Medical visa?
The e-Medical application is completed through the official online portal for eligible applicants. It uses an electronic travel authorisation and specified entry points. A regular Medical visa is processed through the appropriate Indian mission or its authorised service and may follow different terms.
Do not assume that rules for one passport apply to another.
The official page currently contains a conflict
The main visa table on the government page describes e-Medical and e-Medical Attendant visas as one year from arrival with multiple entry. Lower on that page, a FAQ answer still says 60 days. The granted ETA needs checking because these two statements conflict.[1]
Use the current application, contact official e-Visa support if needed and check the dates and entries printed on the granted ETA. Do this before buying a non-changeable ticket.
What the hospital letter should support
The official e-Visa instructions require a letter on the Indian hospital's letterhead. Supporting documents must be in English. The letter should explain the proposed treatment and match the application and current portal instructions.
Before the letter is prepared, the clinical team needs a usable record set and a provisional treatment pathway. The plan can still change after in-person examination and clearance.
The official instructions identify details including the tentative admission or treatment date, patient name, nationality and passport number. These details need to match the passport.[1] The hospital letter documents a proposed pathway; examination can still change the treatment plan.
Check the application details carefully
The hospital letter and passport should use the same name, nationality and passport number. The tentative admission or treatment date should match the planned window. Review spelling and dates before submission. An error in the ETA should be raised through the official support route rather than corrected informally.
A sensible document folder
- Original passport and a copy of its identity page, meeting the visa route's validity and blank-page requirements
- Recent photograph in the required format
- Hospital letter
- Medical summary and relevant reports
- Granted ETA or regular visa, or OCI documentation as applicable
- Saved e-Arrival submission confirmation, completed within 72 hours before arrival by foreign nationals, including OCI holders
- Contact details for the hospital and practice
- Accommodation and flexible return or onward travel details, with sufficient funds for the stay
- Yellow-fever certificate when the origin or transit route requires it, and polio vaccination documentation if applicable
Carry digital backups, but keep essential originals in hand luggage.
Apply only through official channels
The Government of India e-Visa domain is indianvisaonline.gov.in. The official portal warns applicants about unauthorised intermediaries and says no emergency or express e-Visa fee has been authorised.
Check the web address carefully before entering passport or payment details.[1]
Allow processing time
The official instructions set an application window and minimum advance period for eligible e-Medical applicants. Processing can still require a clearer upload or additional action. Submit early enough to respond, but only after the clinical pathway and hospital letter are ready.
A visa fee is a government processing charge and is not dependent on approval. Keep the application ID and payment record.
Check the granted document, not only the email subject
Open the official status page and confirm that the ETA is granted. Review the name, passport number, category, validity, number of entries and permitted arrival points. Print a copy and keep the electronic version available offline.
If something is wrong, use the official support route before travel. The hospital cannot edit a government authorisation.
Submit the separate e-Arrival card before arrival
Foreign nationals, including OCI cardholders, must complete an e-Arrival card within 72 hours before arrival in India. This applies to patients and accompanying travellers in these groups even when their visa has already been approved. Submit it during the final three days before arrival, separately from the visa application.[3],[4]
Use the Government of India visa portal, Bureau of Immigration website or official Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. Check the submitted travel details and save the confirmation with your travel documents. The e-Arrival card records arrival information; it does not grant a visa or replace the required passport, granted visa/ETA or OCI documentation.
Do not confuse visa approval with surgical clearance
A visa allows travel for its stated purpose. It does not prove that an operation is safe. The final clinical plan depends on examination, current investigations, anaesthetic assessment and hospital confirmation after arrival.
Health documents can depend on the route
Travellers arriving from or transiting through designated yellow-fever-risk countries may need the original valid vaccination certificate. The country list and transit conditions can change, so check the Government of India port-health guidance for the complete route.
A yellow-fever certificate becomes valid ten days after primary vaccination and remains valid for life under the current guidance. Carry the original when required.[7]
Polio rules depend on the notified country, nationality, residence and travel history. The revised 10 June 2024 advisory permits oral or inactivated vaccine (OPV/IPV), with an authorised certificate for applicable travellers. Check the current country list and your circumstances with port health or the Indian mission early: covered travellers may need vaccination at least four weeks before travel. This is not a blanket requirement for everyone arriving from Africa.[8]
Keep visa and clinical decisions separate
Do not undergo unnecessary treatment merely because the visa has been granted or a date was discussed. If examination or anaesthetic review shows that surgery should be changed or deferred, the clinical decision comes first.
Similarly, do not buy a non-refundable flight simply because a hospital letter has been issued. Wait for the travel document and current hospital confirmation.
When to book
Wait until the provisional clinical plan, hospital documentation and visa are in place. Then choose flexible flights and accommodation. A preferred surgery date can be discussed, but it remains subject to in-person clearance, hospital scheduling and CORI availability if robotic assistance is planned.
Final visa and arrival check
- Is the passport eligible for the selected route?
- Does it meet the live validity and blank-page requirements?
- Does the hospital letter match the passport?
- If using an e-Visa, is the ETA status shown as granted?
- Do the validity and entry terms cover the planned journey?
- Is Kannur or the chosen arrival airport an authorised entry point for the visa?
- Has each foreign-national traveller, including each OCI holder, submitted the e-Arrival card within 72 hours before arrival and saved the confirmation?
- Are the required passport and visa/ETA or OCI documents ready separately from the e-Arrival card?
- Are yellow-fever or polio vaccination documents required for the traveller and complete route?
