Ayush visa M-3: one-year multiple-entry visa for Ayush treatment

Foreigners who come to India for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha or Homoeopathy treatment will get a separate M-3 visa, granted for one year with multiple entries as the default, under a rationalised visa system announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. The government said the main visa categories are being cut from 13 to nine and sub-categories from 49 to 23, with application forms shortened by 65% to 70%. The medical visa now has two tracks: M-1 for conventional treatment and M-3 for treatment under Ayush systems, with M-2 and M-4 visas for their attendants. Reports said the new visas are expected to be issued from the end of 2026, once the ministry's IT systems are updated.

India has been trying to grow medical value travel, where foreign patients come for treatment and treatment under Ayush systems is a distinct part of it, with its own visa since July 2023. Until now, a foreign patient on an Ayush visa could enter India at most three times a year. For patients whose treatment or follow-up needs more than three trips in a year, a multiple-entry visa removes that limit, and the same applies to the family members who travel with them.

The change also makes Ayush treatment its own line inside the medical visa framework instead of a separate category. Earlier, the Ayush visa sat under sub-categories such as AY-1, AY-2 for attendants and their e-visa versions. Under the new system, M-3 and M-4 sit next to M-1 and M-2, which cover conventional medical treatment. For hospitals and wellness centres that host foreign patients, this means one framework with clear codes for each type of care.

The rules do not change how Ayush treatments are judged. A visa only allows a person to come for treatment; it is not a statement on whether a therapy works. Under the earlier rules, the visa was meant for treatment at accredited hospitals or wellness centres, and extensions needed a medical certificate or advice from a recognised hospital, along with proof that the patient could pay. The government has not yet said in detail how those conditions will apply to M-3 visas.

The overhaul is the second in about a year. In October 2025, the main visa categories were cut from 22 to 13 and sub-categories from 63 to 49, according to the government's earlier announcement.

Peepals calculation: Main visa categories fall by about 31% (from 13 to 9: 4 ÷ 13 ≈ 0.31) and sub-categories by about 53% (from 49 to 23: 26 ÷ 49 ≈ 0.53). Across the two rounds since October 2025, main categories have gone from 22 to 9, a cut of about 59% (13 ÷ 22 ≈ 0.59). For an Ayush patient, the limit of three entries a year is replaced by multiple entries within the year. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Nothing changes at once for applicants; the current Ayush visa rules continue until the new system goes live, expected by the end of 2026.

Long-term: Easier repeat visits could help Ayush hospitals, Ayurveda centres in states such as Kerala, and yoga and naturopathy institutes attract foreign patients who need treatment over several stays.

Who is affected: Foreign patients seeking Ayush treatment and their attendants, Ayush hospitals and wellness centres, medical value travel facilitators, and state tourism departments that promote Ayush.

What to watch next: The Ministry of Home Affairs' launch of the new visa system, expected by the end of 2026, and the detailed conditions for M-3 visas.

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