In short
For a 28-day yoga teacher training, most visitors travel on an Indian e-Tourist visa, which allows short courses of study that do not lead to a formal qualification from an Indian university. Apply online at the official government site, indianvisaonline.gov.in, at least two to three weeks before you travel. Longer or academic courses need a student visa applied for at an Indian mission. Rules change, so check the official site for your nationality before you book flights.
Nothing about a visa is interesting until it goes wrong, and then it is the only thing that matters. The good news is that for a four-week training the usual route is simple. The important part is starting early and reading the official site rather than a forum post from 2019.
One caveat before anything else: visa rules change, and they differ by nationality. Everything below is a guide to how the system works, not legal advice. Check indianvisaonline.gov.in, the official Indian government portal, or your nearest Indian mission, before you book.
Which visa for a 200-hour course
A 28-day yoga teacher training is a short course that does not award an Indian academic qualification. For most nationalities this sits comfortably inside what a tourist visa allows, and it is how the overwhelming majority of trainees travel. Indian tourist visa conditions explicitly contemplate short-term courses of this kind, including yoga.
Three things push you into a different category: a course lasting several months, a course that leads to a formal qualification from a recognised Indian institution, or any paid work. Those need a student visa, or in the last case an employment visa.
How the e-Tourist visa works
The e-Visa is applied for online, approved by email, and checked at a designated airport on arrival. Cochin International Airport, the one you want for Fort Kochi, is a designated port.
| Point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Eligible nationalities | The e-Visa covers most, but not all, countries. If yours is not listed, you apply at a mission instead. |
| Duration options | Different lengths of stay and numbers of entries are offered, with different fees. Choose one that covers your whole trip, not only the course. |
| Processing time | Often a few days, but allow two to three weeks. Approvals occasionally take longer with no explanation. |
| Entry ports | The e-Visa is valid at designated airports and seaports only. Arriving overland is a different process. |
| Passport validity | Six months beyond arrival, with two blank pages, is the usual requirement. |
Apply only through the government portal. The web is full of agent sites with similar names that charge a large fee to fill in the same form, and some are worse than that.
When you need a student visa
A student visa is the right route if your course runs for several months, if it is delivered by a recognised Indian institution awarding a qualification, or if you are enrolling in a degree or diploma in yoga. It is applied for at an Indian mission with an admission letter from the institution, and it takes longer.
For a single 28-day course at a private school, this is usually unnecessary. If you plan to stay on and train further, it may be worth asking a mission directly.
Applying, step by step
- Check eligibility for your passport on the official portal.
- Have your documents ready: passport bio page scan, a recent passport photograph on a white background, travel details and an address in India.
- Use the school's address as your address in India, and ask the school for a confirmation letter with the course dates. We send one to every trainee.
- Apply at least two to three weeks ahead. Earlier if you are travelling in high season, December to February.
- Pay on the portal and wait for the approval email.
- Print the approval and carry it. Do not rely on your phone at immigration.
What to carry
- Printed visa approval and passport.
- Return or onward flight booking.
- The school's confirmation letter, with dates and address.
- Accommodation details for the nights before or after the course.
- Travel insurance that covers the whole stay, including physical activity.
Immigration officers rarely ask for more than the first two, but the letter turns a long conversation into a short one.
The mistakes that cause trouble
- Applying through a lookalike agent site and paying several times the official fee.
- Cutting it fine. A three-day gap between applying and flying is a gamble.
- A visa that ends before your flight home. Overstaying is treated seriously and fined.
- Assuming a friend's advice applies. Conditions differ by nationality and change.
- Planning to teach or take paid work on a tourist visa. That is not what it allows.
Staying on afterwards
Many people add a week or two at the end, and Kerala rewards it. Make sure the visa covers those days, then read the 7-day Kerala itinerary, the backwaters guide or the Munnar guide. If you are arriving early instead, our airport to Fort Kochi guide covers the journey, and where to stay covers the first nights.
A 28-day training in Fort Kochi
A short course on an e-Tourist visa: 200 hours in the Sivananda tradition, with Vedanta philosophy, at €899 all-inclusive. The 2027 batches run 1–28 January, February, April and June.
Common questions
Do you need a student visa for a yoga teacher training in India?
Usually not. A 28-day course at a private yoga school is a short course, and most trainees travel on a tourist or e-Tourist visa. A student visa is for longer study or a qualification from a recognised Indian institution.
How long does an Indian e-Visa take?
Often a few days, but allow two to three weeks before your flight. Processing times vary by nationality and season, and occasional applications take longer without explanation.
Where should you apply for an Indian visa?
Only on the official government portal, indianvisaonline.gov.in, or at an Indian embassy or consulate. Lookalike agent websites charge much more for the same form.
Can you fly into Cochin airport on an e-Visa?
Yes. Cochin International Airport is one of the designated airports for e-Visa arrivals, and it is about 90 minutes by road from Fort Kochi.
Known to his students as Achu, Aksharanand trained in the Sivananda tradition and holds an Advanced Teacher Training Certificate. He has taught Hatha Yoga, pranayama, meditation and Vedanta philosophy in Fort Kochi for over fifteen years, across more than 5,000 group classes and seventy international teacher training batches.
More about Achu and the school · Book a class or ask a question