The India e-Medical Visa for Spanish Passport HoldersThe 30-Minute Walkthrough

The short version

Spanish passport holders travelling to India for dental treatment need an e-Medical Visa (e-MED). It is an electronic visa, applied for online before you fly, costs USD 80, and is typically issued within 3 to 7 working days. Stunning Dentistry handles the invitation letter, walks you through the application, and if anything goes wrong (61% of rejections we have seen are photograph-related), we will rebuild and resubmit your application.

If you read nothing else on this page, know:

• You cannot apply for an Indian visa at the airport or on arrival. Apply before you fly.
• The e-Medical Visa is designed for exactly your purpose. Do not use the standard e-Tourist Visa.
• One patient can be accompanied by up to two attendants under e-Medical Attendant (e-MED-X) visas.

What the e-Medical Visa gives you

• Validity: 60 days from arrival. You must leave India within 60 days of your arrival date. Multiple visits within the 60-day validity are permitted (up to 3 entries).
• Purpose: Only for medical treatment at a recognised Indian medical institution (which Stunning Dentistry is).
• Attendants: Each e-Medical visa holder can be accompanied by up to 2 attendants on e-MED-X visas at the same fee (USD 80 each).
• Extensions: Extensions beyond 60 days require application to the Bureau of Immigration (FRO/FRRO) while in India, with a letter from the treating clinic. We handle the paperwork for the small number of patients who need an extension.

The fee has been USD 80 consistently from January 2024. It must be paid by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express on the Indian government e-visa portal (indianvisaonline.gov.in).

The 8-step application walk-through

Step 1: Start the application at indianvisaonline.gov.in. Click "Regular/Paper Visa Application" for first-time applications.

Step 2: Select your nationality (ESPAÑA), passport type (Ordinary), and visa type (e-MEDICAL). Do not select e-Tourist, the approval path and document requirements are different.

Step 3: Basic personal information. Name exactly as on your passport. Spanish naming convention includes two surnames, enter them in the exact order they appear on your passport's machine-readable zone. Date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY format.

Step 4: Travel details. Intended date of arrival, intended port of entry (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, HYD, or Indira Gandhi International, Delhi, DEL, if routing), intended duration.

Step 5: Medical treatment details. Purpose: dental implant surgery / full-mouth reconstruction / prosthodontic treatment (the coordinator provides the exact wording that matches the invitation letter). Hospital name: Stunning Dentistry. Doctor name: as on invitation letter. Indian hospital address: as on invitation letter.

Step 6: Upload photograph and passport scan. Double-check the photograph dimensions and file size before upload. If the portal reports a format error, it is almost always the photograph.

Step 7: Pay. USD 80 by card. You get a reference number; note it down.

Step 8: Wait. You receive an email confirming application received. Processing 3 to 7 working days. Occasionally same-day or next-day for straightforward applications. Your e-Visa approval arrives by email as a PDF. Print it. You need a printed copy to show at Hyderabad airport on arrival.

What we do that makes it easier

• We draft the invitation letter in the exact format the Indian authorities expect. We have issued approximately 2,200 of these across all markets; rejections of Stunning Dentistry-drafted letters: zero.
• We review your application draft before you submit. You forward us screenshots of each step and we flag anything that looks off. Most common issue we flag: surname ordering mismatch between passport bio-data and application form.
• We have contract relationships with Fotoprix Madrid, Fotoprix Barcelona, Fotoprix Valencia, Fotoprix Bilbao, Fotoprix Malaga, and Fotoprix Seville for guaranteed-spec 350x350 digital photographs. Mention your Stunning Dentistry patient coordinator at the branch and they will use the correct spec.
• If your application is rejected, we rebuild within 1 Spanish business day and resubmit. Our rebuilds are approved at approximately 94% on the second attempt.

When the e-Medical Visa does not fit (and what to use instead)

• If you are travelling for aesthetic-only work (veneers alone, cosmetic whitening, cosmetic refinement) and no implant surgery is involved, the e-Medical Visa can still be used, purely cosmetic work is sometimes flagged; we write the invitation letter accordingly with full clinical justification. In 62 Spanish cases, zero have been declined on this basis.
• If you are an attendant only (bringing your spouse for treatment, you are healthy), you use an e-Medical Attendant (e-MED-X) visa. Same USD 80, same application path, attached to the patient's invitation letter.
• If you need to travel multiple times beyond the 3-entry window of the e-Medical Visa, a Medical Visa X-type (full medical visa, applied through VFS Global Spain) becomes the right instrument. VFS Global Spain operates in Madrid and Barcelona.
• If your passport is German, French, or Italian (some Spanish residents hold non-Spanish EU passports), the e-Medical Visa works identically; the fee is USD 80 for all EU passports.

The small things that catch people out

• Your passport photo at home, taken against a white bedsheet, will not pass the portal's automatic photo-spec checker. Use a professional photo studio.
• If your passport has been renewed in the last 12 months, keep the old and new together for the trip. You will be asked at check-in; it saves time.
• VFS Global Spain (vfsglobal.es) offers an "end-to-end e-Medical Visa service" at approximately €95 per applicant (fee plus service charge). For Spanish patients who find the online portal confusing or whose first attempt fails, this is sometimes worth paying. We will coordinate with VFS Global on your behalf if you prefer.
• Document your driver's name and phone number before landing. Indian SIM activation on arrival is sometimes slow; knowing your driver is the named person holding the "Stunning Dentistry" sign removes any arrival anxiety.

Sources: Indian Government e-Visa Portal documentation (indianvisaonline.gov.in) as at April 2026; VFS Global Spain service schedule April 2026; Stunning Dentistry visa application records Q1 2026; 62 Spanish patient case visa records 2021–2026.