Medical travel to India: what to prepare before you fly

This checklist covers travel logistics only. It is not medical advice. Decisions about treatment, fitness to travel and recovery belong with your qualified clinicians.

Choose the right visa, early

Most international patients travelling to India for treatment use the e-Medical visa, applied for online through the Government of India’s official e-Visa portal, indianvisaonline.gov.in. Companions travel on the e-Medical Attendant visa, which is issued against the patient’s visa for up to two attendants (as the official portal stated in October 2026). Validity, the number of entries, eligible nationalities and the application window are set by the government and do change, so read the current conditions on the official portal rather than relying on any summary, including this one.

A few points hold broadly true:

• A hospital letter is usually required. The e-Medical visa application normally asks for a letter from the treating hospital in India, on its letterhead. Ask the hospital’s international patient desk for it early.
• Use only the official portal. Third-party sites can look official and add their own fees. The government portal is the source of truth.
• Match every detail to the passport. Names, passport numbers and dates should match exactly across the visa, the hospital letter and your tickets.
• Check passport validity. Indian e-visas generally require a passport valid for at least six months from arrival, with blank pages.
• Ask about registration. Depending on your visa and length of stay, you may need to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office through its online e-FRRO service. Your hospital can tell you whether this applies.

If treatment may run longer than an e-visa allows, ask your hospital and the official sources about a regular medical visa through an Indian mission before you travel. A separate AYUSH visa category exists for treatment under traditional Indian systems of medicine. Our e-Medical visa guide sets out documents, timing, fees and e-FRRO in detail, and our visa assistance page explains how we help with checklists and tracking.

Share medical records securely

Your hospital will need your history, recent reports and imaging before it can review your case. How you share them matters.

• Send records only through the channel your hospital provides for this purpose, such as a secure patient portal or an address its international desk confirms in writing.
• Never upload medical documents to public enquiry forms, social media messages or general contact forms, including ours. Our forms are for travel logistics only.
• Keep an organised set for the journey: a summary from your current doctor, recent test results and imaging reports, a list of current medicines with generic names and doses, and any allergies.
• Carry paper copies in your hand luggage as well as digital copies you can open offline. Never pack the only copy in a checked bag.

If you carry prescription medicines, keep them in their original packaging with the prescription, and check the rules for any controlled medicines before you fly.

Decide who travels with you

A companion does practical work that is easy to underestimate: handling paperwork and payments, speaking with the care team, managing meals and medicines, and simply being there. Choose someone who can stay for the whole period, including recovery, and who is comfortable with the responsibility.

• Apply for the companion’s attendant visa alongside the patient’s, with matching dates.
• Agree in advance who the hospital may share information with, and record it with the hospital in writing.
• Plan for the companion’s own needs: rest, meals, connectivity and some time away from the ward.

Plan the timeline around recovery

The most common planning mistake is booking the flight home too early. How soon you can fly after treatment is a clinical decision that depends on the procedure and on how your recovery goes. Ask your treating clinician for their expected timeline, and plan around it with room to stay longer.

• Book accommodation and, where possible, return flights on flexible or changeable terms.
• Ask whether you will need medical clearance to fly. Airlines may ask for a medical information form, often called a MEDIF, completed by a doctor, when a passenger has recently had surgery or needs assistance.
• Request wheelchair assistance, extra legroom or other help when you book, not at the airport.
• Leave time after discharge for follow-up appointments before you leave the city.

Check your insurance carefully

Standard travel insurance usually excludes planned treatment abroad, and may also exclude complications that arise from it. Read the policy wording, not just the summary, and ask the insurer in writing about:

• whether the planned procedure, or complications from it, are covered;
• cover for a longer stay, a delayed return and the cost of changing flights;
• medical evacuation or repatriation, and the conditions attached;
• cover for your companion if their trip has to change too.

Some insurers offer specific medical-travel products. Compare what they actually cover, and keep the policy number and emergency contact with your travel documents. Our travel insurance page explains the common terms plainly.

Understand costs and payments

Ask the hospital for a written cost estimate before you travel, and read what it includes and excludes: the procedure, the length of stay it assumes, the room category, medicines, implants or consumables, tests and follow-up visits. Ask how the cost changes if the stay is longer than planned.

• Confirm how and when payment is expected: a deposit, payment on admission or settlement at discharge.
• Check which payment methods the hospital accepts from international patients, and tell your bank you will be making large payments abroad.
• If you are carrying foreign currency, check India’s customs declaration rules for cash before you fly.
• Keep every invoice and receipt, for your records and for any insurance or reimbursement claim.

Travel costs, such as flights, stays and transfers, are separate from treatment costs. Keep them in separate budgets so each stays clear.

Stay close to the hospital, and comfortable

Where you stay during recovery matters more than on an ordinary trip. Look for:

• a short, simple journey to the hospital, ideally one you can make by car without stairs;
• step-free access, a lift and a bathroom you can use safely;
• a kitchen, or reliable meals that suit any dietary advice you have been given;
• quiet rooms, good connectivity for video calls and a reception that is staffed around the clock;
• terms that let you extend without penalty.

Serviced apartments are a popular choice for longer stays, particularly when a companion is travelling with you.

Arrange follow-up care at home before you leave

Recovery continues after you fly. Before leaving India, make sure you have:

• a discharge summary and the full treatment record, in a format your doctor at home can use;
• a clear medicines list with doses, durations and generic names, and enough supply to last until you see your own doctor;
• a follow-up plan: who you will see at home, when, and how to reach your treating team in India with questions;
• written guidance on warning signs that need prompt attention.

Tell your doctor at home about the treatment before you travel, so they are ready to take over your care when you return.

Where InfiniaTrips helps

Through medical travel, we arrange the journey around your care, step by step as our guide to how it works shows: flights with assistance requested in advance, accessible airport transfers, a stay near your hospital on flexible terms, and a human case manager for the logistics. We do not give medical advice, choose treatments or handle medical records. Clinical decisions stay with your hospital and your clinicians.