India’s eVisa costs $10 or $25 at indianvisaonline.gov.in — the price depends on when you travel. Scam sites charge $89 or more for the same authorization that requires no middleman, no agent, and no third party of any kind.

The seasonal pricing is what makes India’s eVisa scam window different from most. The official fee is $10 for arrivals between April and June, and $25 for July through March. Fall and winter are India’s peak travel season — October through February covers Rajasthan’s best weather, the Taj Mahal without summer haze, Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh for wildlife, Goa’s beach season. Travelers booking those trips right now are searching “India eVisa cost 2026” and landing on scam sites that show $89 regardless of what the official portal charges.

Three Indian diplomatic missions have issued formal public advisories naming fake portals: the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, and the Embassy of India in Berne, Switzerland. Each one directs applicants exclusively to indianvisaonline.gov.in.

The Indian government has been unambiguous about one thing: it hasn’t authorized any agent or intermediary to apply for eVisas on behalf of applicants. Not one. The process requires no middleman because it was designed that way.

Quick Facts — India eVisa (e-Tourist Visa) 2026

Detail	Info
Official portal	indianvisaonline.gov.in
Official cost — April to June	$10 USD
Official cost — July to March	$25 USD
Who needs it	Most foreign nationals, including US citizens
Stay allowed	30 days from first arrival
Entries	Double entry
Processing time	Up to 4 business days (often 24–72 hours)
What scam sites charge	$89–$94 total (official fee + $60–$69 “service fee”)
Government domain	.gov.in — India’s government-only domain extension
Named scam portals	evisaindia.com, indianevisaservice.org, indiaimmigration.org, indiaevisa.org
Embassy advisories	Washington DC, San Francisco, and Berne have all issued formal warnings

In one sentence: India’s eVisa costs $10 (April–June) or $25 (July–March) at indianvisaonline.gov.in — scam sites add $60–$69 service fees to push totals to $89+, for a form the Indian government explicitly designed to require no intermediary.

What Is the India eVisa?

India’s eVisa — officially the e-Tourist Visa — is an electronic authorization required for most foreign nationals before entering India. The system runs through indianvisaonline.gov.in, operated by India’s Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Americans, Brits, Canadians, Australians, and nationals of most other countries can apply online. For standard US tourist travel, the 30-day e-Tourist Visa covers what most people need.

The 30-day e-Tourist Visa:

• 30 days stay from date of first arrival
• Double entry allowed
• Valid for 120 days from issue date
• Can’t be extended inside India

Longer-stay options (also at indianvisaonline.gov.in):

• 1-year e-Tourist Visa: $40 USD
• 5-year e-Tourist Visa: $80 USD

Both longer-duration visas allow multiple entries. Neither requires an agent or intermediary to apply.

The Seasonal Pricing Window Scam Sites Exploit

India’s 30-day e-Tourist Visa pricing shifts by calendar quarter:

• April 1 – June 30: $10 USD
• July 1 – March 31: $25 USD

This is documented in the official fee schedule at indianvisaonline.gov.in and applies to Americans and most nationalities.

Here’s why that creates a specific problem right now: India’s peak travel season runs October through February. Travelers planning Rajasthan in October, the Taj Mahal in November, Goa in December — they’re booking and researching in June, July, and August. That’s the window when the price shifts from $10 to $25, and when searches for “India eVisa cost” spike as people firm up fall itineraries.

Scam sites don’t adjust for seasonal pricing. They show a fixed total of $89 or $94 year-round: the current official fee plus a $60–$69 “service charge” with no basis in India’s fee structure. During the April–June window, a traveler who reached indianvisaonline.gov.in paid $10. A traveler who hit a scam site paid $89 — same authorization, passport data now on an unregulated private server.

The price discrepancy creates deliberate confusion. Travelers who see $89 on one site and $25 on another reasonably wonder which is accurate. That uncertainty is the product. Scam sites rely on travelers resolving it in their favor, usually because the scam site appeared higher in search results.

Three Embassies Named It Publicly

Most government advisories about fake visa websites are generic internet fraud warnings. India’s embassies went further.

The Consulate General of India in San Francisco published a formal advisory specifically naming fake Indian eVisa sites, noting that some “have created images and home page templates mimicking Government of India websites to mislead applicants.”

The Embassy of India in Washington DC issued a public notice directing all applicants to indianvisaonline.gov.in and warning against third-party portals.

The Embassy of India in Berne, Switzerland published a dedicated advisory stating that complaints about fraud from fake websites are increasing, that indianvisaonline.gov.in is the only Indian government eVisa site, and that “no other website belongs to the Government of India.”

The Embassy of India in Berlin went further still — publishing a PDF advisory naming specific fake URLs including evisatoindia.org.in, evisaindia.com, indianevisaservice.org, indiaimmigration.org, evisaindia.org.in, indiaonlinevisas.org.in, and indiaevisa.org.

When multiple diplomatic missions across three continents put formal advisories on their websites naming the scam, the operation has reached enough travelers to warrant a coordinated official response.

How the Scam Sites Operate

The mechanics match the pattern documented across Egypt’s fake eVisa portals and Vietnam’s third-party sites — Turkey’s eVisa scam ecosystem runs exactly the same playbook. These operations share infrastructure, not just tactics.

A site like evisaindia.com or indianevisaservice.org registers a domain designed to look government-adjacent. They buy Google ad placement for “India eVisa,” “India tourist visa Americans,” and “India visa 2026” — terms with high search volume during India travel season. The site loads with Indian government imagery, official-looking seals, and a form that mirrors indianvisaonline.gov.in exactly: passport number, date of birth, full name, travel dates, email, photo upload.

You fill it out. The payment screen shows $89. Or $94. The exact number varies — which is itself a tell, because an official government fee doesn’t fluctuate depending on which page you landed on.

Two outcomes follow that payment:

Outcome 1 (better, still bad): The site submits your data to indianvisaonline.gov.in, pays the official $10 or $25, and keeps the rest. You receive a real eVisa — but your passport number, date of birth, and photo went through a private, unregulated server with no security obligations to you.

Outcome 2 (worse): The site generates a confirmation document that exists only in their system. That document fails airline check-in verification — airlines cross-reference against India’s Bureau of Immigration database, and a fake confirmation isn’t in it. The Tripadvisor India Visa forum has documented both outcomes across years of complaints.

How to Apply at indianvisaonline.gov.in

The only site that issues a legitimate India eVisa is indianvisaonline.gov.in. Type it directly into your browser. Check that .gov.in appears in your address bar before entering anything. The .gov.in domain is India’s government-only extension — the equivalent of .gov in the US.

Also note the distinctions: indianvisaonline.org, indianvisaonline.net, india-visa-online.com, and every variation that omits .gov.in are not the Indian government. Scam sites use “Indian Visa Online” in their names specifically because it resembles the real URL.

The application:

1. Go to indianvisaonline.gov.in — type it directly, don’t follow a sponsored search result.
2. Select “Apply” and choose e-Tourist Visa.
3. Enter your nationality, date of birth, expected arrival date, and email. The portal generates an application ID.
4. Complete the full application: name exactly as printed in your passport, passport number and expiry date, entry port, travel details.
5. Upload a recent passport photo (plain background, clear face, no glasses) and your passport data page.
6. Pay the fee — $10 for April–June travel, $25 for July–March, plus a 2.5% banking charge. That’s the total. No service tiers, no expedite option — the Indian government doesn’t offer faster processing for additional payment.
7. Receive your eVisa as a PDF. Download it, save it to your phone’s camera roll, and print a copy. Airlines verify this document at check-in. Keep it accessible offline.

Processing: Up to 4 business days, often 24–72 hours. Apply at least a week before departure. The “up to 4 days” window can extend during peak season, and a Thursday application before a Monday flight is a bad position to be in — which is exactly when scam sites push urgency messaging about “expedited processing” they don’t actually have access to.

Valid for: 120 days from issue, with 30 days of stay from first arrival, double entry.

The Arrival Card Is Also Separate

For 2026 travel, India also requires a mandatory e-Arrival Card — a free form submitted within 72 hours of landing at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival or boi.gov.in. That’s your pre-arrival registration. The eVisa is your authorization to enter. Two different forms, two related portals, both either free or government-fee-only. Neither requires an agent.

What Does the India eVisa Cost?

India’s e-Tourist Visa (30-day) costs $10 USD for April–June travel and $25 USD for July–March travel, applied directly at indianvisaonline.gov.in. A 2.5% banking charge applies. The 1-year eVisa is $40 and the 5-year is $80. The Indian government has not authorized any agent or intermediary to process eVisas — no legitimate service fee exists, no authorized expedite option exists, and no third-party portal is part of the official process. Any site charging above these amounts is not the Indian government.

What to Do If You Already Paid a Third-Party Site

Apply again at indianvisaonline.gov.in before you travel. Your eVisa authorization must exist in India’s Bureau of Immigration system. A confirmation document from a scam site is not in that system — airlines cross-reference the government database, and a document from a private company won’t pass that check.

Verify your official eVisa document:

• Shows the Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs or Ministry of External Affairs as issuing authority
• Lists your name exactly as it appears on your passport
• Contains your eVisa number and application reference ID
• Arrived from an @indianvisaonline.gov.in or @ntf.gov.in email address

Name doesn’t match your passport exactly? Contact the official portal before your travel date. That discrepancy won’t resolve itself at the airline counter.

Paid and received nothing? Dispute through your card issuer. These sites have no real customer service mechanism. Your credit card’s dispute process is the practical recovery route.

On data exposure: the India eVisa application captures your full name, passport number, date of birth, travel dates, and a passport photo. If that data went through a non-.gov.in server — which it did, on any of the named fake portals — monitor your passport and identity documentation accordingly.

The Bottom Line

India’s eVisa is $10 or $25 at indianvisaonline.gov.in depending on travel season. Scam sites charge $89 or more — adding $60–$69 in service fees for a process the Indian government built specifically to require no intermediary. The Indian Embassy in Washington DC, the Consulate General in San Francisco, and the Embassy in Berne have all published formal advisories naming fake portals.

The tell is always the domain: .gov.in is India’s government-only extension. Any site that doesn’t end in .gov.in is not the Indian government, regardless of how official the imagery looks.

Type indianvisaonline.gov.in directly. Check the address bar. Pay $25.

India is one of the more involved trips to plan — the e-Arrival Card requirement, the eVisa, the range of destinations across Rajasthan, Kerala, Ladakh, and everywhere else. But the visa itself is a fifteen-minute form and $25. Don’t pay $89 for it.

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Official India eVisa portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in. Embassy advisories: Consulate General San Francisco · Embassy Washington DC · Embassy Berne. Tripadvisor India visa scam forum: tripadvisor.com. Information current as of June 2026 — verify entry requirements with India’s Bureau of Immigration before travel.