India’s official electronic visa portal has introduced a new feature for travelers who change passports while their Indian e-Visa remains valid.
Called “Transfer of eVisa/ETA on New Passport,” the service allows travelers to initiate an online transfer of the electronic travel authorization linked to their previous passport to a new travel document.
VisasNews noticed the new feature on September 22, 2026, and conducted several tests to better understand how the service works and who is eligible.
Transfers are limited to one-year and five-year e-Visas
The new procedure is not available for all Indian ETAs.
During an initial VisasNews test using a three-month e-Visa, the portal would not allow the application to proceed and displayed a message stating that the transfer of an e-Visa or ETA to a new passport is available only for one-year and five-year authorizations.
This therefore excludes shorter-term e-Visas.
A second test using a one-year e-Business Visa, however, provided access to the full transfer procedure. The portal automatically recognized the existing authorization before displaying the information required to register the new passport.
The test confirms that the service is not limited to e-Tourist Visas: a one-year e-Business Visa can also qualify. Indian authorities officially state that the e-Business Visa is valid for 365 days and allows multiple entries.
For e-Tourist Visas, the portal notably offers one-year and five-year authorizations, both allowing multiple entries.
Lost, stolen, or unreturned passports
Another important finding from VisasNews’ tests is that the transfer service does not appear to be designed as a routine passport-update procedure every time a passport is renewed.
After entering the old passport number, ETA number, and date of birth, the traveler must select the reason for requesting the transfer.
The portal currently offers three options:
- “Lost of passport”;
- “Theft of passport”;
- “Non return of old passport”.
There is no specific option for a standard passport renewal when the traveler still has the previous passport.
This suggests that the new service is primarily intended for travelers who are no longer in possession of the passport on which their ETA was issued.
A new photo and passport copy must be uploaded
Once the existing authorization has been identified as eligible, the portal displays the details of the current e-Visa and asks for several pieces of information about the new passport:
- the new passport number;
- the passport issue date;
- the passport expiration date;
- the reason for the transfer.
The traveler must also upload a new photo and a copy of the biographical page of the new passport, then certify that the information provided is accurate before submitting the request.
This means the process is not simply an automatic change to the passport number. New documents must be submitted, and the application appears to require processing by Indian authorities.
The portal also states that the service is intended exclusively for transferring an e-Visa/ETA to a new passport. If any other information needs to be changed, a new visa application must be submitted.
The existing two-passport rule is still displayed
Until now, travelers who renewed their passport while their Indian ETA was still valid could continue using the authorization as long as they traveled with both the new passport and the old passport on which the ETA had been issued.
That rule is still included in the documentation available on the Indian Visa Online portal. Its FAQ states that a traveler may enter India using a new passport when the ETA is linked to the old one, provided both passports are presented.
The introduction of the new transfer service therefore does not necessarily mean that this option is being eliminated.
On the contrary, the three reasons available in the transfer procedure suggest that the service mainly addresses situations in which the old passport can no longer be presented at all: because it was lost, stolen, or not returned by the authority that issued the replacement document.
For travelers who still have their previous passport, the option of traveling with both passports therefore appears, for now, to remain valid under the instructions currently published by Indian authorities.
Several details still need clarification
The launch of the new service does not appear to have been accompanied by detailed official guidance explaining exactly how it works.
Initial tests establish the basic process and several eligibility requirements, but some points still need to be confirmed, including processing times, whether fees apply, and the format of the document or new ETA issued once the transfer request has been approved.
The procedure tested by VisasNews does not show any payment step before submission. However, that is not enough at this stage to conclude that the service is free.
It also remains unclear whether, once the transfer is approved, the previous ETA is automatically replaced and whether the traveler can then present only the new passport and the updated authorization at Indian immigration.
The service is available through the official Indian Visa Online portal.
VisasNews Take
The new transfer feature provides a particularly useful solution when the passport linked to a long-term Indian e-Visa is no longer available. Tests conducted by VisasNews show that the service is limited to one-year and five-year authorizations and works, in particular, with a one-year e-Business Visa. The procedure offers only three reasons for transfer: loss, theft, or non-return of the previous passport. This suggests that the new service supplements, rather than replaces, the existing rule allowing travelers to use both their old and new passports when both documents are still available. Indian authorities have not yet publicly clarified the processing time, any possible fees, or the exact effect of the transfer once approved.
