The e-Ayush visa for Ayurvedic treatment in India, step by step

This guide is written for patients planning Ayurvedic treatment in India, including programs at the clinic in Rishikesh. Everything below was checked against the official e-Visa portal and Government of India sources as of October 2026. Visa rules change, and the official site even disagrees with itself in one place (validity, covered below), so confirm every detail on indianvisaonline.gov.in before you apply. This is general information, not immigration advice.

Which visa do you need for Ayurvedic treatment in India?

If the main reason for your trip is Ayurvedic treatment, the visa built for it is the e-Ayush visa, which the portal currently lists as the e-Medical Visa (for e-Ayush purpose). The e-Tourist visa covers sightseeing, visiting friends and short yoga programmes; medical treatment, “including treatment under Indian systems of medicine”, is listed as a separate e-Visa purpose in the official FAQ.

The Government of India created a dedicated Ayush visa category in July 2023 under its Heal in India initiative, for foreigners seeking treatment through Ayush systems, therapeutic care and wellness (Ministry of External Affairs note). It exists as a paper visa (AY-1, with AY-2 for attendants) applied for through an Indian mission, and as the electronic e-Ayush and e-Ayush Attendant visas. Most patients use the electronic version, which this guide covers.

If you only want a few walk-in therapies while travelling for other reasons, your trip may not be treatment-led at all. If you are unsure which category fits, ask the e-Visa helpdesk listed on the portal rather than guessing.

Who can apply

You can apply if you hold an ordinary passport from one of the countries listed on the portal, which includes the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, most of Europe and many others. The portal sets these conditions:

• Your passport must be valid for at least six months when you apply and have at least two blank pages.
• You need a return or onward ticket and enough money for your stay.
• Each person, including children, needs their own passport and their own application.
• e-Visas are not available to diplomatic or official passport holders, or to people of Pakistani nationality or origin, who must apply for a regular visa at an Indian mission.

There is one more condition that sits with the clinic, not with you: the Ayush visa is meant for treatment at an institution that is accredited or registered with the relevant government authority, NABH, NCISM or NCH (High Commission of India advisory). That is why the invitation letter, below, matters.

How long it lasts, entries and extensions

The honest answer is that the official portal currently gives two different validity figures, so check before you book. The visa-type panel on the portal lists the e-Medical visa as valid for one year from arrival with multiple entries, while the same site’s FAQ says 60 days from first arrival with multiple entries allowed within that period (indianvisaonline.gov.in, checked October 2026). Plan around the shorter figure until you see the validity printed on your own Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).

Two rules are stated consistently:

• No extension, no conversion. The portal says plainly that the e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible.
• Your stay must fit inside the visa. If your doctors recommend a longer course, apply for the visa that covers it before you travel, not after you land.

For planning: treatment programs at the clinic typically run 3 to 21 days, and a full Panchakarma course usually takes 10 to 21 days (how the length is decided). Both fit comfortably inside even the shorter validity figure, with room for travel days and rest afterward. See how a program is structured.

Documents you need

You need three things: a scan of your passport bio page, a recent photo, and a medical invitation letter from the treating institution. The portal’s specifications, as of October 2026:

Document	Format the portal asks for
Passport bio page (photo and details page)	PDF, 10 KB to 300 KB
Photograph	JPEG, 10 KB to 1 MB, square, full face, eyes open, no glasses, plain white or light background, no shadows or borders
Medical invitation letter	PDF, 10 KB to 300 KB, on the institution’s letterhead

All documents must be in English. The portal’s FAQ says the letter should give your name, nationality and passport number, and the tentative date of admission or treatment.

The invitation letter, and what to ask the clinic

Indian missions now advise that the medical invitation letter be generated through the government’s Medical and Ayush Visa Portal, which the treating hospital registers on and then shares with you as a PDF (Consulate General of India, Dubai; portal at indianfrro.gov.in/frro/medicalvaluetravel).

Before you apply, ask the clinic whether it can issue an e-Ayush invitation letter through that portal for your dates. Do this early, before you buy flights. The clinic will also need your passport details and proposed dates, so a consultation first, online or in person, is a sensible order: the doctors confirm that treatment makes sense and how long it should be, and the letter can then carry realistic dates.

Applying, step by step

The whole application is online and the portal says it takes 10 to 15 minutes once your documents are ready.

1. Book a consultation and agree dates. A first consultation is $20. Settle the program length before anything else.
2. Get the invitation letter. Ask the clinic whether it can issue one through the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal.
3. Apply on the official site only. Go to indianvisaonline.gov.in and choose the e-Medical Visa for e-Ayush purpose. The portal warns that it is the only official website and that no agent is needed.
4. Time it right. Apply at least 4 days before arrival and no more than 120 days ahead. The fee must also be paid at least 4 days before travel.
5. Pay the fee online by card or the other channels the portal offers.
6. Watch your email. You receive a confirmation on submission and later an email saying whether the ETA is granted. If a document is rejected, you can re-upload it.
7. Check the status says GRANTED on the portal before you fly, and carry a copy of the ETA.
8. Fill in the e-Arrival card online within 72 hours before arrival, on the portal or at boi.gov.in. The portal notes this is arrival information, not a visa.

What it costs

The e-Visa fee depends on your nationality. The portal publishes a fee table for e-Visas other than the e-Tourist visa, adds a 3% bank transaction charge, and does not refund the fee if the visa is refused or you cancel. The government states that it does not charge any emergency or express fee, so a website offering “express” processing for extra money is not official.

Bringing a companion: the attendant visa

A spouse, parent or friend travelling with you applies for the e-Medical Attendant Visa (for e-Ayush Attendant purpose). The portal allows a maximum of two attendant visas against one patient’s visa. The listed document for the attendant is a scan of their passport bio page, plus the same photo rules. Apply for the patient and the attendants together so the dates line up.

Where you can land, and getting to Rishikesh

e-Visa holders must enter India through a designated airport or seaport. You cannot arrive by land on an e-Visa. Delhi is on the list; Dehradun is not. For Rishikesh, most patients land in Delhi and continue by one of these routes:

• Domestic flight to Dehradun. Jolly Grant Airport is a domestic airport about 20 km from Rishikesh.
• Train. The Delhi to Dehradun Vande Bharat Express stops at Haridwar, about 25 km from Rishikesh by road.
• Road. A car from Delhi. Travel time varies a great deal with traffic.

Biometric details are captured at immigration on arrival. Once you are in Rishikesh, the place you stay registers your stay with the authorities: a notice on the government’s Medical and Ayush Visa Portal states that all accommodators and hotels are legally obliged to file Form C for foreign guests. The clinic can arrange nearby guesthouses, and accommodation is booked and paid separately from treatment.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Using an unofficial website. Many sites look official and charge extra. The only government site is indianvisaonline.gov.in.
• Booking flights before the letter is sorted. The invitation letter is the step most likely to take time.
• Planning to extend in India. The e-Visa cannot be extended. Fit the program inside it.
• Mismatched passports. Travel on the passport you applied with. If you renew it, the portal has a transfer service for the ETA.

Before you apply

Confirm the current validity, fee and document list on indianvisaonline.gov.in on the day you apply, because they change. Then contact the clinic with your proposed dates, or book a consultation first if you have not yet spoken to the doctors. If you are also weighing up where in India to go, read Kerala vs Rishikesh for Ayurveda, and for budgeting, what Panchakarma costs in Rishikesh.