India has widened the front door for its e-Visa. In a notification announced on August 10, 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs added 11 international ports to the list of places where foreigners holding a valid Indian e-Visa may enter the country: the airports at Bhopal and Tirupati, and nine land crossings including Attari on the Pakistan border, Dawki and Agartala toward Bangladesh, Jaigaon toward Bhutan and Moreh on the Myanmar frontier. The expansion brings the total network to 88 authorized entry points: 37 airports, 38 seaports and 13 land ports. For the travelers from 172 countries who can use India’s e-Visa, this mainly changes overland routing — several busy regional border crossings that previously required a regular sticker visa can now be crossed on the electronic one.
Background
India’s e-Visa, applied for online without visiting a consulate, has become the country’s default entry document: according to the government statement, e-Visas now account for roughly 78% of all visas India issues, and about 95% of applications are processed within 72 hours. But an e-Visa is only usable at ports specifically notified for it. Until now the list was heavily weighted toward airports and seaports, which meant travelers arriving overland from neighboring countries — a common leg on South Asia itineraries — usually needed a conventional visa even when they qualified for the electronic one. The Home Ministry has been expanding the list in stages; a previous round in March 2026 added crossings on the Bangladesh and Bhutan borders.
What exactly changed
The new notification covers two airports and nine land ports. Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh, and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh — the gateway to the Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, one of the world’s most visited pilgrimage sites — join the air network. The land additions span four borders: Agartala, Gede, Ghojadanga, Haridaspur and Dawki serve routes to and from Bangladesh; Jaigaon connects to Bhutan; Moreh connects to Myanmar; and Attari (Road) is the crossing between Amritsar and Lahore on the Pakistan border, known for its daily flag ceremony. The government statement lists Darranga, on the Bhutan border, among the additions as well, although it already appeared in the March 2026 round.
The network at a glance
- New airports: Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)
- New land ports: Agartala, Gede, Ghojadanga, Haridaspur, Dawki (Bangladesh border); Jaigaon, Darranga (Bhutan border); Moreh (Myanmar border); Attari Road (Pakistan border)
- Total network: 88 ports — 37 airports, 38 seaports, 13 land ports
Who it affects
The change matters most to travelers building overland legs into an India trip. Someone combining Bhutan and India can now enter at Jaigaon on an e-Visa instead of arranging a regular visa for that crossing; a traveler heading from Dhaka to Kolkata by road or rail can use Haridaspur or Gede; and visitors to the Attari–Wagah border ceremony arriving from the Pakistani side gain an e-Visa-compatible entry point. The two airports help domestic-connection itineraries: international pilgrims flying into Tirupati for Tirumala, and business travelers using Bhopal, no longer need to route their first landing through a larger hub for immigration purposes.
What this means in practice
If you plan to use one of the new crossings, apply for the e-Visa as usual and keep evidence of the notification handy until systems catch up: at the time of the announcement, the official e-Visa portal had not yet been updated to show the new ports, and border staffing at smaller land crossings can lag policy. Exit remains more flexible than entry: e-Visa holders may leave India through any authorized immigration check post. Our <a href="/country-guides/india">India country guide</a> covers the e-Visa categories, fees and stay limits in detail.
When it takes effect
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the notification on August 10, 2026. No separate future effective date was stated; the ports are being added to the authorized list now, though the online e-Visa portal had not yet reflected the change at the time of the announcement.
What is not yet confirmed
Coverage of the notification does not state a precise effective date, and the official e-Visa portal listing of authorized ports had not been updated when the announcement was made. One listed crossing, Darranga, appears to have already been notified in March 2026. Check the official Indian e-Visa portal before planning entry through one of the new ports.
Key Takeaway
India’s e-Visa now works at 88 entry points, newly including the Attari–Wagah road border and airports at Bhopal and Tirupati; overland crossings from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Pakistan that previously required a sticker visa now accept the electronic one.