eVisa

An eVisa (electronic visa) is filed entirely through the destination country's government portal. You upload your passport scan, photo, itinerary, and proof-of-funds; you pay a fee; you wait 3–14 days; an approval PDF arrives by email. You print it and carry it with you.

Unlike Visa on Arrival, you need the eVisa before you board. The airline will check for it at check-in — turn up without one and you'll be denied boarding.

• No embassy appointment (huge savings if you're not in a metro)
• No physical document submission
• 100% online tracking
• Usually faster (3–14 days vs 15–60 for sticker)

• Bio page of your passport (clear, full page, no glare)
• Recent photo (white background, specific dimensions per country)
• Flight itinerary (you don't need to have paid for it yet — most portals accept holds/quotes)
• Hotel booking (cancellable Booking.com works fine)
• Bank statement of last 3 months (₹50,000–₹2,00,000 closing balance is the unofficial threshold)
• Sometimes: PAN, IT returns, employment letter

The critical gotcha: the eVisa email goes into spam roughly 30% of the time. Mark the issuing domain (e.g., evisa.xat.am, evisa.govt.nz) as "not spam" before applying, and check spam daily.