India e-Visa for French Citizens: Fees, Documents and Name Rules

The government fees for France are the standard European ones for tourism, but business costs more:

• 30-day e-Tourist: $10 for arrivals April–June, $25 the rest of the year.
• 1-year e-Tourist: $40. 5-year e-Tourist: $200.
• e-Business: $165 (most EU passports pay $120).
• e-Medical: $80.

A 3% bank charge is added to each fee.

Use the two lines of characters at the bottom of the passport photo page (the machine-readable zone). Hélène Dupré appears there as HELENE and DUPRE, and that is what you type. If your passport also shows a usage name such as "ép. Martin", ignore it on the form and use the surname from the machine-readable zone.

Meetings, negotiations, trade fairs, client visits and installing or servicing equipment all need the e-Business visa, even if most of the trip is tourism. It is valid one year with multiple entries. Have a business card or an invitation letter from the Indian company ready as a PDF.

Only travellers who cannot use the e-Visa, for example for employment or long study, apply for a regular visa through the Embassy of India in Paris. Tourism, business trips and medical treatment are covered by the e-Visa.

You need an ordinary French passport valid for at least 6 months from arrival, with 2 blank pages. The French national ID card (carte d'identité) is not accepted for India. Eligibility follows the passport, so French citizens living in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada or elsewhere apply the same way.

Apply at least 4 days before arrival; most complete applications are decided within 24–72 hours. For travel between October and March, leave a week or more.

Government of India e-Visa fees for France passport holders: 30-day e-Tourist US$10 for arrivals April–June and US$25 for arrivals July–March; 1-year e-Tourist US$40; 5-year e-Tourist US$200; e-Business US$165; e-Medical US$80. A 3% bank charge is added to each fee. Fees for French citizens follow standard international tiers. 1-year and 5-year multiple-entry visas are available for frequent travelers.

French applicants are most often held up by:

• Typing accents (é, è, ç, ë). The form accepts only A–Z; copy the name exactly as in the machine-readable zone at the bottom of the photo page, where accents are dropped.
• Entering the married or usage name (nom d'usage, "épouse …") instead of the surname in the machine-readable zone.
• Splitting a hyphenated first name such as Jean-Pierre, or entering only the first of several given names. Enter all given names as printed.
• Writing "France" as place of issue instead of the issuing authority shown in the passport.
• Applying fewer than 4 days before the flight. Most complete applications are decided within 24–72 hours, but that is not guaranteed.
• Choosing the 30-day e-Tourist visa for a trip that includes business meetings. Any business activity needs the e-Business visa.

The Embassy of India in Paris handles consular affairs and traditional paper visas for long-term residence. The e-Visa is a digital authorization managed centrally. Our portal offers French travelers an expert review service to avoid common filing errors.