India’s e-Visa now valid for land arrivals at Raxaul

If you’re the type of traveler who loves putting together “Nepal-India” itineraries 🇳🇵🇮🇳 or any overland adventure, you’ve probably run head-first into a frustrating paperwork wall. Until very recently, the e-Visa—so simple to obtain through your agency—had one major catch: it only worked if you arrived by air or sea.

For anyone approaching overland, the process meant endless queues and bureaucracy: a traditional paper visa had to be secured from a consulate. Those days are over. India has just opened the first official land entry point for e-Visa holders: Raxaul.

Here’s what that means for your next travel dossier.

The old catch: e-Visa shut out at land borders

It was a fine-print headache agencies had to explain to disappointed clients. The Indian e-Visa was valid only for arrival through 32 international airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, etc.) and six seaports.

Hit the tarmac in Kathmandu (Nepal), then hop on a bus or train into India to keep trekking? Your e-Visa counted for nothing. You had to ship your passport off to the embassy for a physical sticker—longer, pricier and far more stressful.

Raxaul: India’s first digital land frontier

The Indian government has just lifted that restraint. As of now, Raxaul, a strategic crossing on the border between India (Bihar state) and Nepal, officially accepts travelers carrying an e-Visa.

For south-Asia route planners, this is a quiet revolution in logistics: the first land entry point added to the approved list, complementing airports and seaports. It’s tailor-made for trekkers looping through South Asia who want to enter India overland from Nepal without the detour to “Embassy Row.”

Keep in mind: once you’ve entered India via Raxaul—or an airport—you’ll also have to respect exit checkpoints, which are far more frequent than entry points. Good news, though: you can now request an e-Visa up to four months before arrival, stretching stays from 30 days to a full four months.