India Launches an Online Service to Transfer an e-Visa or ETA to a New Passport

India's Indian Visa Online portal has introduced a new online service, "Transfer of eVisa/ETA on New Passport," first reported by visa-tracking outlets around 22 September 2026. It lets a traveller whose electronic visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation was issued against an old passport apply to have that authorisation linked to a new one, entirely online, rather than needing to reapply from scratch.

Who the service is for

The transfer option is limited to travellers holding a 1-year or 5-year e-Visa or ETA, and to three specific situations: the original passport was lost, stolen, or has not been returned to its holder. It is not, on current reporting, a general renewal mechanism for travellers who have simply been issued a fresh passport while still holding the old one, so most short-stay tourist e-Visa holders on the more common 30-day or 1-year single-entry categories are unlikely to need it.

What is still unclear

As of 23 September 2026, India's visa portal had not published a fee or a standard processing time for the transfer request, according to visa-industry trackers monitoring the rollout. Travellers relying on this service for upcoming trips should build in extra time rather than assume it will process as quickly as a standard e-Visa application, and should confirm current requirements directly on the official portal before travelling.

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Why it matters

India's e-Visa and ETA system has expanded steadily over the past year, adding entry points and streamlining categories, and a passport-transfer option closes a longstanding gap for travellers who lose or replace passports between booking and departure, a situation that previously often meant applying for an entirely new visa. It is a narrow fix rather than a broad policy change, but a useful one for the specific travellers it covers.

Traveller tips

• This service applies only to 1-year and 5-year e-Visas or ETAs where the original passport was lost, stolen or not returned; check eligibility before assuming it applies to your visa category.
• Confirm the current fee, required documents and processing time on India's official e-Visa portal before applying, since neither had been published as this report was filed.
• If your visa does not qualify for transfer, budget time to reapply for a fresh e-Visa or ETA against your new passport well before travel.
• Always cross-check visa and entry requirements with India's official government sources rather than third-party sites before booking travel.