# Do you need a visa for a Delhi layover?

Changing between international flights at Delhi needs no Indian visa: you stay inside Terminal 3. Leaving the airport is another matter. India has no visa-free entry for US, UK, EU, Canadian or Australian passports, so you need an e-Visa, applied for online days before you fly.

- Web page: https://delhilayover.com/visa-and-transit/
- Guide: [Delhi Layover](https://delhilayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), part of City Layover
- Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 8 November 2026

## Short answer

No visa is needed to change between international flights at Delhi airport, as long as you stay inside Terminal 3. To leave the airport, US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need an Indian e-Visa: apply online at least 4 days ahead, and a week ahead if you can. The 30-day visa costs US$25 for most passports. Japanese and South Korean passports can get a visa on arrival for ₹2,000, and Indian citizens need nothing. Every foreign passport holder also fills in the free e-Arrival card before landing.

## At a glance

- **e-Visa (30 days)**: US$25 for most passports (US$10 April to June), plus 3%
- **When to apply**: At least 4 days before you land; a week is safer
- **Visa on arrival**: Japan and South Korea only, ₹2,000
- **e-Arrival card**: Free, online in the 72 hours before landing
- **Airside**: No Indian visa to change planes inside Terminal 3
- **Passport validity**: 6 months from arrival, 2 blank pages

## If you stay airside

If both your flights are international, your connection at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) stays inside Terminal 3, where every international flight arrives and leaves, and you don't pass Indian immigration. Follow the orange international transfer signs to the transfer area, where your airline's counter helps with your boarding pass, then go through security again to the departure level.

- **No visa needed.** Under India's rules, a foreign passenger in direct transit by air needs no transit visa, as long as they stay inside the airport. If you're in any doubt about your passport, ask your airline before you fly.
- **No time limit is published** for the transfer area. To sleep, the transit hotel inside Terminal 3 takes stays of up to 24 hours: [at the airport](https://delhilayover.com/airport/).
- **A connection to a flight within India** means entering the country: you pass immigration and customs at Terminal 3 first, so you need a visa.

## If you want to leave the airport

You're entering India, even for a few hours, so you need a visa before you land. For most passports there's no way to get one at the airport.

| Passport | What you need to leave Delhi airport |
| --- | --- |
| Indian | Nothing: you're entering your own country |
| OCI cardholders | Your OCI card; no visa |
| US, UK, Canada, Australia | Indian e-Visa, applied for at least 4 days ahead |
| EU and Schengen | Indian e-Visa, applied for at least 4 days ahead |
| Japan, South Korea | Visa on arrival (₹2,000), or an e-Visa |
| Pakistan, or of Pakistani origin | A regular visa from an Indian mission: the e-Visa isn't open to you |

Every foreign passport holder, OCI cardholders included, also fills in the e-Arrival card before landing.

### The e-Visa

- **What it is.** India's e-Tourist visa, applied for online on the Indian government's site, indianvisaonline.gov.in. It's open to most nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the EU and Schengen countries. Other sites charge extra for the same form.
- **When to apply.** At least 4 days before you arrive, and no more than 120 days ahead. India doesn't publish how long a decision takes, and an unclear photo or scan brings an e-mail asking you to upload it again, so apply a week or more before you fly if you can. You can't get one at the airport.
- **Cost.** The 30-day visa costs US$25 for most passports from July to March, and US$10 from April to June, plus a 3% bank charge. Some countries pay a different fee: the fee table on the official site lists each one.
- **What it covers.** The 30-day e-Tourist visa allows several entries within 30 days of your first arrival, and can't be extended. There are also 1-year and 5-year versions.
- **Your passport** must be valid for at least 6 months after you arrive and have at least 2 blank pages.
- **Where it works.** You can arrive on an e-Visa only at India's designated airports, and Delhi is one of them.

### Visa on arrival

Only for Japanese and South Korean passports, and for UAE passports that have held an Indian e-Visa or paper visa before. It costs ₹2,000, or the same in foreign currency, and the immigration officer can grant up to 60 days with two entries. Delhi is one of six airports that offer it.

### The e-Arrival card

Every foreign passport holder, OCI cardholders included, fills in India's e-Arrival card online in the 72 hours before landing, on indianvisaonline.gov.in, boi.gov.in or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. It's free, and it isn't a visa: you still need one. Changing planes inside Terminal 3, you don't pass immigration, so you don't need the card.

### The e-Transit visa

The same site also sells an e-Transit visa, for passing through India on the way to another country: 30 days from your first arrival, with several entries. It asks for your onward ticket and, if your destination needs one, that country's visa too. For a sightseeing layover, the 30-day e-Tourist visa is the one this guide prices and plans around, and it doesn't ask for your destination's visa.

## If you're on separate tickets

Plan on passing Indian immigration. On two separate bookings you normally collect your bags and check in again, and Delhi doesn't promise an airside transfer for them. So you need an Indian visa, usually the e-Visa, even if you never planned to leave the airport. If you're counting on staying airside, ask both airlines before you book.

## At the border

Delhi publishes no queue times for arrival immigration, so allow about an hour from landing to the Airport Express. The automated Trusted Traveller lanes are for Indian citizens and OCI cardholders, and no paid fast track is sold for other passports, so queue at the immigration desks with your passport ready and your e-Arrival card done. See [getting into the city](https://delhilayover.com/getting-to-the-city/) for timing.

## Before you go landside

- Check whether your bags are checked through to your final destination. If they aren't, collect them and leave them at the cloakroom in the metro building at Terminal 3, open 24 hours.
- Keep your onward boarding pass or e-ticket and your passport on you. You need both to get back into the terminal, which lets in passengers from about 6 hours before an international flight.
- Be back at Terminal 3 90 minutes before your flight. With a bag to drop or no boarding pass yet, come back sooner: Air India's international counters close 75 minutes before departure. Timings and the ride back: [getting into the city](https://delhilayover.com/getting-to-the-city/).

## Questions people ask

### Do I need a visa to change planes at Delhi airport?

No, if both flights are international and your bags are checked through: you stay inside Terminal 3, follow the orange transfer signs and go through security again, without passing immigration. A connection to a flight within India, or on separate tickets, means passing immigration, so you need an Indian visa.

### Do Indian passport holders need a visa for a Delhi layover?

No. Indian citizens enter their own country and need no visa, whether they stay airside or leave the airport. OCI cardholders need no visa either: they travel on their OCI card and fill in the free e-Arrival card before landing.

### Do US citizens need a visa to leave Delhi airport on a layover?

Yes. US passports need an Indian e-Visa to leave the airport, applied for online at least 4 days before you arrive, and better a week. The 30-day e-Tourist visa costs US$25 for most passports; the fee table on the official site lists each country's. To change planes inside Terminal 3, you need no visa.

### Can I change planes at Delhi airport on separate tickets?

Plan on passing immigration, so you need an Indian visa even if you never leave the airport. On two separate bookings you normally collect your bags and check in again, and Delhi doesn't promise an airside transfer for them. If you're counting on staying airside, ask both airlines before you book.

### How long does an Indian e-Visa take, and what does it cost?

Apply at least 4 days before you arrive, and up to 120 days ahead. India doesn't say how long a decision takes, so give it a week if you can, in case you're asked to upload a photo or document again. The 30-day e-Tourist visa costs US$25 for most passports from July to March and US$10 from April to June, plus a 3% bank charge. Apply only on the official site, indianvisaonline.gov.in.

### Do I need India's e-Arrival card for a layover?

Yes, if you'll pass immigration and you're not an Indian citizen. Fill it in online in the 72 hours before landing, on indianvisaonline.gov.in or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. It's free, and it isn't a visa. Changing planes inside Terminal 3, you don't pass immigration, so you don't need it.

## Sources (checked 8 November 2026)

- [Government of India: e-Visa (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/)
- [Government of India: e-Tourist visa fees (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/images/Etourist_fee_final.pdf)
- [Government of India: visa on arrival (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/visa-on-arrival.html)
- [Government of India: e-Arrival card (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/)
- [High Commission of India, London: transit visa (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/page/transit-visa/)
- [UK Foreign Office: entry requirements for India (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements)
- [Delhi Airport: international to international transfers (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/international-to-international/)
- [Delhi Airport: layovers (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/layovers/)
- [Delhi Airport: check-in and terminal access (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/check-in/)
- [Delhi Airport: FAQ (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/faq/)
- [Delhi Airport: security and baggage (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/security-baggage/)
- [Delhi Airport: live departure wait times (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/wait-time/departure/)
- [Air India: Delhi airport information (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.airindia.com/in/en/travel-information/airport-information/delhi.html)
- [Delhi Airport: transit hotel (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airport-hotel/)