Travellers from the Cook Islands can apply for the Indian eVisa entirely online — no consular appointment, no courier, no passport handed over. Approval typically arrives by email in 24 to 72 hours.
90 days
Maximum stay per visit
24–72 hrs
Typical processing time
Up to 5 years
Longest validity offered
Not eligible
Visa on Arrival
100% online
No embassy visit
Important for Cook Islands travellers
The Cook Islands is in free association with New Zealand, and Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens holding New Zealand passports. There is no separate Cook Islands passport. In practice that means most people reading this page should apply as New Zealand nationals — with New Zealand fees, entitlements and transit position. Check what your passport actually says before applying.
Overview
The Cook Islands' position needs stating plainly before anything else: it is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, and Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens. There is no separate Cook Islands passport — travellers carry New Zealand documents.
For Indian visa purposes that usually means applying as a New Zealand national, which is straightforward: New Zealand passport holders receive up to 90 days per visit on the tourist eVisa, and the transit position through Auckland is simple, which matters because every journey from Rarotonga goes that way.
Whichever document you hold, a visa granted before departure is required. There is no visa-free entry and no visa on arrival. The eVisa is an electronic authorisation issued by the Government of India, linked to your passport number, with no stamp and no appointment.
At a glance
Eligibility
Yes. India extends visa-free entry only to Nepal and Bhutan, and Visa on Arrival only to Japanese, South Korean and Emirati nationals. A visa is required before boarding regardless of which passport you hold.
The first question is which nationality you apply under. If your passport is a New Zealand document — the normal position for Cook Islanders — apply as a New Zealand national. If you hold a passport from another country, apply on that. Cook Islands residence by itself does not establish nationality for Indian visa purposes.
Then choose the category by purpose. Tourism, sightseeing and visiting relatives fall under the tourist eVisa. Business meetings and trade fairs require the business eVisa. Hospital treatment requires the medical eVisa. Employment, journalism, academic research and long-term study need a regular visa from an Indian mission.
Stay & validity
On a New Zealand passport the tourist eVisa permits up to 90 days per visit. The 30-day version allows double entry, with its 30 days counted from your arrival date. The one-year and five-year versions are multiple-entry, and their validity begins on the date the Indian government grants the application.
New Zealand is not in India's extended-stay tier — the 180-day allowance applies to American, British, Canadian and Japanese nationals only. Ninety days per visit is the New Zealand entitlement.
The eVisa is bound to a single passport number, so you must enter India on the document the visa was issued against.
The business eVisa allows up to 180 days per visit within a one-year multiple-entry window — double the tourist allowance. The medical eVisa gives 60 days from first entry with triple entry.
Pricing
Live government fees and service charges for Cook Islands travellers, shown all-in — nothing further is charged later.
Your nationality is pre-selected as Cook Islands
Requirements
Everything Cook Islands travellers need before starting an application. The first five items apply to every applicant; the rest are specific to your nationality or visa type.
Passport bio-data page — a clear colour scan or photo showing your photograph, full name, date of birth, passport number and expiry date
Recent passport-style photograph — square format, plain white background, full face visible, no shadows and no headwear other than for religious reasons
A valid credit or debit card to pay the government fee and service charge
Your return or onward ticket details, or at minimum your intended departure date
The address where you will be staying for your first night in India
Simple process
Four steps, entirely online, with our team checking every field before anything reaches the Indian authorities.
Enter your passport details exactly as printed, choose your visa type and duration, and upload your photo and passport data page.
Our team checks your photo dimensions, passport scan clarity, name spelling and date formats before anything is submitted.
Your application goes to the Government of India on your behalf, and we keep you posted at every status change.
Print it or keep it on your phone, and we explain exactly how to present it at your port of entry in India.
Standard processing takes 48 to 72 hours and express handling 24 to 48 hours. Both are business-day estimates, and Indian public holidays — numerous and often state-specific — extend them.
Apply at least two weeks before departure. Resolve the passport and nationality question first — getting that wrong means starting again, and it matters more than the processing time. Rarotonga's schedule to Auckland is also limited, so build in margin.
Separate from your eVisa, every foreign national entering India must complete the digital e-Arrival Card before boarding. It replaces the old paper disembarkation form and is required on every single visit, whatever visa you hold.
Getting there
Every journey to India goes through Auckland, and from there through Singapore or a Gulf hub. Travelling on a New Zealand passport makes the Auckland transit straightforward. Total journey times run 24 to 32 hours.
Best time to go
October to March is India's dry season and the best window for the classic circuits. This overlaps with the South Pacific cyclone season, which runs November to April and can disrupt Rarotonga departures.
The Cook Islands' dry season runs May to October, which is the tail of India's hot season and the monsoon — workable for the Himalaya but poor for the plains.
Avoid the northern plains in May and June, when temperatures exceed 45°C. The Cook Islands sits east of the date line, so check the arrival date printed on your ticket rather than calculating it.
Avoid these
Refusals are rare, and almost always technical rather than substantive. These are the problems that come up most often on applications from Cook Islands — we check for every one of them before submitting.
The defining issue on this page. The Cook Islands is in free association with New Zealand and issues no separate passport — Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens carrying New Zealand documents. For Indian visa purposes that normally means applying as a New Zealand national, with New Zealand fees and entitlements. Applying under the wrong nationality produces a visa that does not match the passport you present on arrival.
It does not. India's extended 180-day per-visit stay applies to American, British, Canadian and Japanese nationals only. New Zealand passport holders receive the standard 90 days, and the eVisa cannot be extended from inside India.
Rarotonga's service to Auckland is limited, and a missed connection can cost days on a journey already running 24 to 32 hours. Build in real margin — an overnight in Auckland is often worth the cost.
The Cook Islands sits east of the international date line, so the calendar shift travelling to India is substantial. Check the arrival date printed on your ticket rather than calculating it, particularly when booking your first night's accommodation.
The South Pacific cyclone season runs November to April and overlaps with India's best weather. On a limited-frequency routing a disrupted departure cascades badly.
Photo rejected on technical grounds
By far the most common cause of delay. The photograph must be square, on a plain white background, with your full face visible and no shadow behind your head. Cropped selfies and phone photos taken against a cream wall are routinely bounced back.
Passport scan unreadable
Glare across the machine-readable zone, a cut-off corner, or a scan where the passport number is blurred will stall the application. Photograph the page flat, in daylight, with no flash.
Applying too close to departure
The eVisa must be granted before you fly, and airlines check it at the gate. Applications submitted the night before a flight leave no room for a document re-upload.
Conditions
These conditions are set by the Government of India and do not vary by nationality. They are worth reading before you book, because two of them — the port-of-entry rule and the restricted-areas rule — catch out a lot of otherwise well-planned trips.
Validity is measured from your date of arrival in India, not from the date you apply. You also need at least two blank pages for immigration stamps.
The India eVisa is accepted at India's designated eVisa airports and authorised seaports. It cannot be used to cross a land border, so overland arrivals from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh or Pakistan need a different visa.
Every person travelling needs their own eVisa and their own passport, including infants and children. Children cannot be added to a parent's application.
An eVisa does not grant access to Protected Areas, Restricted Areas or Cantonment Areas. Parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, Ladakh, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep require a Protected Area Permit or Restricted Area Permit in addition to your visa.
You cannot extend an eVisa from inside India or convert it into another visa category. If your plans change, you must leave and apply again.
Diplomatic, official and service passports are not eligible for the eVisa route, and neither are international travel documents or refugee travel documents.
Consular services
As a state in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands falls under the Indian mission covering New Zealand rather than a resident post. That has no bearing on your eVisa, which is entirely online. Confirm coverage if you need a student, employment or research visa, or an OCI card.
FAQs
The questions Cook Islands travellers ask most often about applying for an Indian eVisa.
No. The Cook Islands is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, and Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens carrying New Zealand passports. There is no separate Cook Islands document. For Indian visa purposes that normally means applying as a New Zealand national, with New Zealand fees and entitlements — check what your passport actually says before applying.
Up to 90 days per visit on the tourist eVisa, applying as a New Zealand national. Note that New Zealand is not in India's extended-stay tier — the 180-day allowance applies to American, British, Canadian and Japanese nationals only. The business eVisa permits 180 days per visit within a one-year window.
Every journey goes through Auckland, and from there through Singapore — which opens the widest set of Indian arrival cities — or a Gulf hub. Travelling on a New Zealand passport makes the Auckland transit straightforward. Total journey time is 24 to 32 hours, and Rarotonga's schedules are limited, so build in margin.
Yes. The Cook Islands sits east of the international date line, so the calendar shift when travelling to India is substantial. Check the arrival date printed on your ticket rather than calculating it, particularly when booking your first night's accommodation.
As a state in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands falls under the Indian mission covering New Zealand rather than a resident post. That has no bearing on your eVisa, which is entirely online. Confirm coverage if you need a student, employment or research visa.
It can. The South Pacific cyclone season runs November to April and overlaps with India's best travel window. Given Rarotonga's limited frequencies, a disrupted departure cascades badly — build in real margin for fixed dates.
No. Indian Visa on Arrival is limited to Japanese, South Korean and Emirati nationals. You need an approved visa before boarding, and it will be checked at Rarotonga or Auckland.
Fees are set by nationality and duration. Since Cook Islanders normally travel on New Zealand passports, the pricing panel loads live figures for the applicable nationality across all available options. The amount shown is the full cost including our service fee.
Your nationality is already set to Cook Islands. Complete the form in under ten minutes, and our team will check every detail before it reaches the Indian authorities.
Other nationalities
Stay limits, fees and requirements differ by passport. Here are the guides for other nationalities.
