The Indian medical visa for Australian patients is an online e-Visa that lets you travel to India for treatment at a hospital. It is issued by the Government of India through one official website, and Australia is on the list of countries whose passport holders can use it. Below you will find the fee, the documents, the timeline and the rules, each taken from official sources and checked in October 2026.
Where the official sources disagree with each other, we say so plainly instead of guessing.
Table of Contents
What is the Indian medical visa for Australian citizens?
India’s e-Visa system has several categories. One of them, the e-Medical Visa, is for foreigners whose sole purpose in visiting India is medical treatment. The official portal states that this includes treatment under Indian systems of medicine.
The Indian medical visa for Australian citizens follows the same rules as for other eligible nationalities. You apply online, pay online and receive an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) by email. You then print it and carry it with you.
The e-Visa is not a stamp in your passport before you leave. At the Indian immigration check post on arrival, the visa is stamped into your passport.
A companion can travel with you on a separate category called the e-Medical Attendant Visa. We cover that below.
Who can use the Indian medical visa for Australian passport holders?
Australia appears on the official list of countries and regions eligible for the e-Visa. If you hold a valid Australian passport, you can apply for the e-Medical Visa as long as you meet the general conditions the portal sets out.
These conditions apply to every applicant:
- Your passport must have at least six months of validity when you apply.
- Your passport needs at least two blank pages for the immigration officer to stamp.
- You must hold a return or onward ticket, with enough money for your stay.
- Each traveller needs a separate passport. The e-Visa is not available to people endorsed on a parent’s or spouse’s passport.
- Your sole purpose must be one the e-Visa covers. Medical treatment is one of them.
Some applicants are not eligible for the e-Visa at all. The portal says people of Pakistani origin, or with a Pakistani passport, must apply for a regular visa at an Indian Mission. The same applies if a parent or grandparent was born in, or permanently resident in, Pakistan.
The portal also says that anyone with a defence, military, security or police background, serving or retired, is not eligible for an e-Visa. It warns that hiding this information can lead to being denied entry and deported.
Indian medical visa for Australian patients: validity and entries
This is the one area where the official portal needs careful reading.
The portal’s FAQ says the e-Medical Visa is valid for 60 days from the date of first arrival in India. It also says multiple entries are allowed within that validity period.
The same portal’s category list, however, shows e-Medical Visa sub-categories (e-M1 V and e-M3 V) and e-Medical Attendant sub-categories (e-M2 V and e-M4 V). Each is listed with a duration of one year (365 days) from the date of arrival, with multiple entries.
The portal does not explain on that page how the two descriptions fit together. So we cannot tell you with certainty which one will be printed on your visa.
Our advice is practical. Treat the validity shown on your granted ETA as the one that applies to you. Until you see it, plan your treatment and recovery to fit inside 60 days.
Two other points are stated clearly by the portal. The e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible. That means you cannot extend it or switch it to another visa category once you are in India.
How much does the Indian medical visa for Australian applicants cost?
The e-Visa fee is country specific. The official fee table, dated 15 April 2026, lists these amounts for Australia:
| Visa category | Fee for Australian passport holders |
|---|---|
| e-Medical Visa (patient) | USD 80 |
| e-Medical Attendant Visa | USD 80 each |
The portal adds a bank transaction charge on top. For card payments through the State Bank of India payment gateway, the charge is 3% of the e-Visa fee. On USD 80, that works out to USD 2.40, so a card payment totals USD 82.40.
For PayPal payments through that same gateway, the portal states a 4% charge. The portal also offers Axis Bank and Razorpay gateways. Razorpay’s charges, if any, are shown on its checkout page before you pay.
Three fee rules are worth remembering:
- The fee is non-refundable. It pays for processing the application and does not depend on whether the ETA is granted or rejected.
- There is no other official fee for the e-Visa. The portal says you should not pay anything extra at the airport.
- The Government of India states it makes no provision for emergency or express e-Visa fees.
Documents you need for the Indian medical visa for Australian patients
The documents list is short. Every e-Visa application needs a recent photograph and a scan of the passport photo page. The e-Medical Visa needs one additional document.
1. Your photograph
- Format: JPEG, between 10 KB and 1 MB.
- The height and width must be equal.
- Full face, front view, eyes open, without spectacles.
- Plain light or white background, with no shadows and no borders.
2. Your passport photo page
- A scan of the bio page showing your photograph and details.
- Format: PDF, between 10 KB and 300 KB.
3. A letter from the hospital in India
For the e-Medical Visa, you upload a copy of a letter from the Indian hospital, on its letterhead. The portal says it must include the tentative date of admission or treatment. It must also state the patient’s name, nationality and passport number.
This file is also a PDF, between 10 KB and 300 KB. All documents must be in English, or the application can be rejected.
4. A card for payment
The portal accepts international Visa and MasterCard cards. PayPal is available through one of its gateways.
Applications can be rejected if the uploaded files are unclear or do not meet the specifications. Check each file before you upload it.
How to apply for the Indian medical visa for Australian citizens: step by step
The portal says the whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes once your documents are ready. Follow these steps.
- Get your hospital letter first. You cannot complete the medical visa application without it, so ask the hospital for it early.
- Open the official site. The only official address is indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa. The portal says no agent or intermediary is needed.
- Select the e-Medical Visa category. Do not choose tourist or business by mistake. Fees and rules differ.
- Fill in the form yourself. You are responsible for the accuracy of every detail. Check your name, passport number and date of birth carefully.
- Upload your photo, passport page and hospital letter.
- Pay the fee online. If a payment fails more than three times, the application ID is blocked. You then have to start again with a new form.
- Track your status. Use the “Check your Visa Status” option on the portal. You will also be told by email whether the visa is granted or rejected.
- Print the ETA. Before you fly, confirm the status shows as granted.
If any document is not appropriate, the portal may ask you to upload it again. It says applicants should normally receive that email within 24 hours.
If your card is charged but the portal does not show a successful payment, do not pay again straight away. Check the payment status first using the “Verify Payment” option.
When to apply and how long to allow
For the e-Medical Visa, the portal says you can apply a minimum of four days before your date of arrival. You can apply up to 120 days ahead. Its own example: if you apply on 1 September, you can choose an arrival date from 5 September to 2 January.
The fee must also be paid at least four days before you travel, or the application will not be processed.
The portal does not publish a guaranteed processing time. For that reason, we suggest applying as soon as you have your hospital letter and a confirmed treatment window. Do not leave it for the minimum four days.
If your plans change, remember the fee cannot be refunded.
Medical attendants and the Indian medical visa for Australian families
Family members or friends who travel with you cannot use your e-Medical Visa. They need their own e-Medical Attendant Visa, which the portal describes as being for an attendant to an e-Medical Visa holder.
The rules are straightforward:
- Only two e-Medical Attendant Visas are granted against one e-Medical Visa.
- The fee for Australian passport holders is USD 80 per attendant, plus the bank charge.
- For the attendant, the portal lists the scan of the passport bio page as the required document.
- Each attendant needs their own passport, and children need their own e-Visa too. A minor’s passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of arrival.
The same four-day minimum and 120-day window apply to attendant applications.
Arriving in India: what happens at the airport
Your visa is only part of the journey. These official points apply on arrival.
Designated entry points
E-Visa holders can enter only through the designated airports and seaports listed on the portal. The list includes Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin, among others. Check the current list before you book flights, since the portal’s pages show different counts in different places.
Biometrics and your ETA
Biometric details are captured at immigration on arrival. Carry a copy of your ETA, and make sure you travel on the same passport you applied with.
The e-Arrival card
The portal states that foreigners must complete an online e-Arrival card within 72 hours before arriving in India. It is for arrival information and is not a visa. You can complete it on the official site or through the “Indian Visa Su-Swagatam” mobile app.
Yellow fever
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required only if you arrive within six days of leaving a yellow fever endemic country. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare maintains the list.
Rules and limits of the Indian medical visa for Australian travellers
These limits come directly from the portal’s instructions.
- No extension or conversion. The e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible.
- Restricted areas. The e-Visa is not valid for Protected, Restricted or Cantonment areas. Visiting one needs prior permission from the civil authority.
- One purpose only. The e-Visa is for the listed purposes. It is not allowed for employment, NGO activities or journalism.
- Your name must match. If you find a discrepancy in the name, nationality, passport number or date of birth on the ETA, contact the e-Visa support centre at least 24 hours before travel. The portal says you are responsible for any discrepancy.
If you get a new passport after your ETA is issued, you may still enter on the new passport. The portal says you must then carry both the new passport and the old one that the ETA was issued on.
When you need a regular medical visa instead
The e-Visa suits many patients, but not all. You need a regular (paper) medical visa if you are not eligible for the e-Visa, for example because of Pakistani origin or a defence or police background.
A regular visa may also suit you if your treatment is likely to run long. Indian Mission guidance, such as the page published by the Consulate General of India in Dubai, says a regular medical visa is initially granted for six months or the period of treatment. The same page says that if the visa is valid for more than 180 days, the holder must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or local FRO within 14 days of arrival.
Regular visa requirements vary by Indian Mission. For the Australian process, contact the Indian High Commission or the relevant consulate in Australia. Do not rely on a travel agent’s summary.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most problems come from avoidable errors. Watch for these:
- Using an unofficial website. The Indian government says indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa is the only official site for e-Visa services. Do not share personal data with other websites.
- Paying for “express” processing. The government says there is no emergency fee. Anyone charging for it is not offering an official service.
- Choosing the wrong category. Select e-Medical, not tourist or business.
- Uploading an incomplete hospital letter. It needs the admission date and your name, nationality and passport number.
- Leaving it too late. The fee must be paid at least four days before travel.
- Booking non-refundable travel before approval. A rejected application does not return the fee, and a rejected visa can cost you flights too.
- Ignoring the passport rules. Six months of validity and two blank pages are required.
Planning your treatment around the visa
The visa is only one piece of a medical trip. A few practical steps make the rest smoother. These are suggestions from our experience as a consultancy, not official rules.
Start with the hospital, not the visa. You need its letter anyway, and it can tell you whether the treatment plan fits the time your visa allows.
Ask the hospital how long the treatment and follow-up are expected to take. Compare that with the validity on your ETA. If the plan looks longer than your visa, discuss the regular medical visa before you book anything.
Bring your medical records with you. Ask your Australian doctor for a summary of your history, recent test results and current medications, and keep a digital copy.
Keep your documents together. Carry your passport, a printed ETA, the hospital letter and your return ticket in one place.
If you are unsure about any visa point, ask the official helpdesk. The portal lists indian-evisa@gov.in as the e-Visa support email, and (+91) 827808 7808 and +91 11 24300666 as phone numbers. For card payment problems, Axis Bank lists a toll-free number from Australia: 1800 153 861.
If you would like help comparing hospitals and understanding the process before you apply, you can contact the MedicHorizon team. You can also explore more guides on the MedicHorizon website.
Frequently asked questions about the Indian medical visa for Australian patients
Can Australians get an e-Visa for medical treatment in India?
Yes. Australia is on the official list of countries eligible for the e-Visa, and medical treatment is one of the permitted purposes.
How much is the e-Medical Visa for Australians?
The official fee table lists USD 80 for Australian passport holders, plus a bank charge of 3% on card payments, according to the portal’s instructions.
Is the Indian medical visa for Australian travellers valid for 60 days or one year?
The portal’s FAQ says 60 days from first arrival, with multiple entries. Its category list also shows one-year e-Medical sub-categories. Check the validity printed on your granted ETA.
How many people can come with me?
Two attendants. The portal grants only two e-Medical Attendant Visas against one e-Medical Visa.
Can I extend my e-Medical Visa in India?
No. The portal states that the e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible.
Do I need a hospital letter?
Yes. You upload a letter from the Indian hospital on its letterhead, with the tentative admission date and your name, nationality and passport number.
Can I get a refund if my application is rejected?
No. The fee is non-refundable whether the ETA is granted or rejected.
Can I get a visa on arrival as an Australian?
No. The portal says visa on arrival is only for nationals of Japan, South Korea and the UAE (with conditions). Australians must wait for the ETA to be granted before travelling.
Official sources used
We prepared this guide from the following Government of India sources. Rules and fees can change, so check them again before you apply.
- Indian e-Visa portal: eligibility, instructions, FAQs and categories
- Country-wise e-Visa fee table (dated 15 April 2026)
- Consulate General of India, Dubai: regular medical visa guidance
Disclaimer: MedicHorizon is a health hospitality consultancy and does not provide medical treatment, medical advice or visa services. Visa rules are set by the Government of India and may change without notice. Always confirm current requirements on the official portal.
Last checked against official sources: 20 October 2026. This guide is written by MedicHorizon, a health hospitality consultancy. We are not a medical provider, a visa agency or a government body, and nothing here is legal or medical advice.