India e-Visa or OCI: a guide for Australians of Indian origin

e-Visa and OCI compared

	India e-Visa (e-Tourist)	OCI card
Who it suits	Any eligible Australian passport holder making a holiday or family visit	Foreign citizens of Indian origin, and some foreign spouses, who travel to India often or for long periods
How long it lasts	30-day, 1-year or 5-year options. On the 1-year and 5-year visas, your time in India is capped at 180 days per calendar year	Long-term. It is linked to your passport, with rules for updating it when you get a new one
Where to apply	Online only, at indianvisaonline.gov.in	Online on the Government of India OCI portal, then lodged with VFS Global Australia
When to apply	At least 4 days and up to 120 days before arrival	Well before you plan to travel. Processing involves VFS and the consulate
Passport needed	Valid for at least six months, with at least two blank pages	Your current foreign passport, plus proof of Indian origin and, if you were an Indian citizen, proof of renunciation
Arriving in India	Enter through a designated airport or port. The main international airports are on the list, but check yours	Carry the OCI card and the passport it is linked to

OCI is not dual citizenship. India does not allow dual citizenship, and OCI cardholders can't vote or hold certain public offices. The official sites set out exactly who qualifies.

The India e-Visa

Australia is on the list of countries eligible for India's e-Visa. For a family visit or holiday, most people use the e-Tourist visa. You apply and pay online, upload a photo and the passport page, and receive an electronic travel authorisation by email. The official site lists 30-day, 1-year and 5-year e-Tourist visas, and the minimum is four days before arrival.

Some people can't use the e-Visa, including people of Pakistani origin and anyone travelling for employment or journalism. Check the eligibility notes on the official site before you apply.

Use only the official site. Many websites look official and charge extra fees. The Government of India e-Visa site ends in .gov.in.

The OCI card

The Consulate General of India in Sydney says it does not accept OCI applications directly. The process it describes is:

1. Fill in the online application on the Government of India OCI portal and note your application number.
2. Upload your supporting documents to the portal.
3. Lodge the printed form and documents through VFS Global, which checks them and sends them to the consulate. VFS and the consulate charge service fees on top of the government fee.

Applications in the foreign spouse category need a personal interview. If your name is spelt differently across documents, you'll need a court order or notarised affidavit.

If you used to hold an Indian passport: you'll need to complete the renunciation and passport surrender process first and include the surrender certificate with your OCI application. VFS handles passport surrender in Australia.

Getting a new Australian passport: under rules relaxed in 2021, most cardholders no longer need a new OCI card each time. Instead, they upload the new passport details through the OCI portal's miscellaneous services, and the consulate says no physical application is needed for that update. For people who got their OCI card before turning 20, Indian missions currently give different answers: some still say the card must be re-issued once when you get a new passport at 20 or over, while 2026 notices from others say an online update with biometrics is enough. Check the OCI portal's FAQ before you renew your passport.

Which consulate covers South Australia?

Indian mission	Covers
Consulate General of India, Sydney	New South Wales and South Australia
Consulate General of India, Melbourne	Victoria and Tasmania
Consulate General of India, Perth	Western Australia and Northern Territory
Consulate General of India, Brisbane, and High Commission, Canberra	Check the High Commission's jurisdiction page for Queensland and the ACT

Source: High Commission of India, Canberra. VFS Global opened Indian Consular Application Centres in six Australian cities, including Adelaide, in July 2026. The Adelaide centre is listed at Suite 8.01, Level 8, 111 Gawler Place, VFS lists it as open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm (some notices give 4 pm as the last submission time), and you need an appointment.

Arriving in India on an Australian passport

Whether you hold an e-Visa or an OCI card, you also need to file India's e-Arrival Card online before you land, because you're entering on a foreign passport. Our e-Arrival Card guide explains it.

Booking flights around your visa or OCI

We can quote and hold options while your e-Visa or OCI is being processed. If you want to book before it comes through, ask us about fares with flexible change conditions. Make sure the name on your ticket matches your Australian passport exactly. For routes, see Adelaide to Delhi, Adelaide to Amritsar, Melbourne to Delhi and Sydney to Mumbai, or ask for a quote.

Talk to a real person about flights once your visa or OCI is sorted

Fares and schedules change every day, so we don't publish prices on this page. For live fares, call or WhatsApp the Travel Care team on 0421 882 733. We're a family-run agency at 222 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville, booking flights since 2010, and we speak English, Hindi and Punjabi. Seen a cheaper fare somewhere else? Send us the screenshot and we'll see what we can do.

Last checked: 20 October 2026 by the Travel Care team.