Each year, thousands of patients travel to India for medical treatment. Some of the popular procedures for which patients from abroad, especially from the US, UK, UAE and other Arab nations prefer to come to India include knee replacement, hip replacement, bariatric surgery and cardiac bypass.
Patients who are interested in seeking medical treatment in India are required to possess a valid medical tourism visa. This visa can only be attained if the patient is planning to get treated in a well-recognized and reputed medical institute and medical centre or one of the best hospitals in India.

Types of Medical Visas in India

Medical visa India can be of the following two types

• Medical visa for a patient: A patient can apply for a medical visa to India either offline or through online India visa application form. The medical visa to India is valid for the duration of treatment or a maximum period of one year (whichever is less). A patient can plan a maximum of three trips to India as a part of a single visa.
• Medical attendant visa: Two attendants can accompany a patient during their medical trip to India. The attendants must by blood-related to the patients. These attendants must possess a valid medical attendant visa, for which they need to apply separately.

The validity of both these types of visas start from the date of issuance, and not from the date of scheduled journey to India. The patients and the attendants also have the option to apply for a visa valid for a period of just six months. The patient and the attendants can still make three visits in a year to India for medical treatment.
Medical visa is granted only when the patient has a valid medical visa invitation letter from a reputed and recognized hospital in India. Upon submission of required documents and medical visa invitation letter, the Indian consulate or embassy based in the home country of the patient awards a medical visa.

Other Requirements
Patients who are planning to stay in India for more than 180 days are required to report to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within the first two weeks of their stay in the country. On the other hand, patients from Afghanistan and Pakistan are required to report to the nearest police station and register themselves on the first day of their entry into the country.

"Note: The information provided in this blog is subject to change without any prior notification, due to the changes in the Visa policies in India that are governed by the Government of India. Patients are requested to contact Medmonks’ team regarding these policies and get an update on any changes."