India: passport and entry requirements
India needs a visa arranged before you travel, one for every person including the youngest. Each passport also needs six months' validity left and two blank pages.
Your passport
Each passport needs to be valid for at least six months after the day you arrive, with at least two blank pages for stamps. That runs from your arrival, not your flight home.
Check the whole family's passports when you book. A child's passport needs renewing more often than an adult's, so it's the one most likely to be short. Booking early leaves time to renew it and to apply for each visa without a rush.
Getting in
India needs a visa rather than a simple arrival form. Most families use the e-Tourist Visa, applied for online at India's official visa portal before you travel, so check you're on the government site and not one of the paid copies. There's a fee for each visa, about $25 (about £20) for the 30-day version most families use, and lower still between April and June (last checked August 2026). Nearer the trip there's also an online arrival card to complete in the days before you land. Everyone needs their own visa, the children too, each a separate application in the same category as the adult they're travelling with.
Every child needs their own passport, however young, valid as long as the adults' and with two blank pages. Each one also needs their own e-visa, applied for separately from the child's passport details, in the same category as the parents' and at the full adult fee.
Choosing the length of e-Tourist Visa
The e-Tourist Visa comes in three lengths, all allowing multiple entries. The 30-day version is the cheapest of the three. There's also a one-year version at about $40 (about £32) and a five-year version at about $484 (about £400). That five-year price is far higher for UK travellers than for most nationalities, because India now matches what Britain charges Indian visitors (last checked August 2026). The 30-day visa can't be extended, and the one-year and five-year visas each cap how many days you can stay in a single calendar year. For a normal family holiday the 30-day visa is all you need, and the longer options are only worth the extra cost if you expect to come back.
Official sources
Last checked 11 August 2026. Passport and entry rules change, so always confirm on GOV.UK before you book or travel.
