What Is the Reference Name for Indian Visa?

The reference name for an Indian visa is the name of a contact requested in your application. For the India reference, tourists staying at a hotel can provide the hotel’s name and contact details. If you are visiting friends or relatives, you can provide their details instead. You do not need to know someone personally in India simply because the form asks for a reference.

Why does India require a reference name on the e-visa form?

Indian authorities may use this information to help verify travel-related details provided in the application. It gives Indian authorities a verifiable point of contact in case they need to confirm your stay details, your accommodation, or reach you in an emergency.

Which reference details does the Indian e-Visa form request?

The reference name for an Indian visa appears in two separate contact sections on the official sample e-Visa application:

Reference section	Information requested
Reference in India	Reference name, address and telephone number
Reference in your home country	Reference name, address and telephone or mobile number

Both sections are marked as required in the sample and appear on the same page of the form. These references help Indian immigration authorities verify your travel information if necessary.

Your reference name is a contact name, so do not enter your application ID, visa number or hotel booking number in that field.

1. What Is an Indian Reference?

Anyone with a verifiable presence in India — this is usually the easiest field to fill, since most travelers already have a hotel booking.

Acceptable answers include:

• Your hotel (name, address, and phone number — found on Booking.com, Agoda, or Google Maps)
• A friend, relative, or colleague living in India
• Your tour operator's local ground office in India
• For business travel: your business contact, host company, or conference organizer
• For medical visas, the hospital or doctor treating you

Tip: If you're using a travel agency or tour package, they will often provide their own India ground-agent details for you to use in this field.

2. What Is the Reference in Your Home Country?

The "Reference in Your Home Country" is the name and contact details of a real person or organization located in the country that issued your passport. It does not refer to the country where you currently live, work, study, or were born, unless that country is also the one that issued your passport.

This is one of the most commonly misunderstood fields on the Indian visa application.

Your home country is the country that issued the passport you are using to apply for your Indian visa.

• If you have only one passport, provide a reference from that passport's issuing country.
• If you hold multiple passports, you must provide a reference from the country that issued the passport you are using for your Indian visa application.

Who Can Be Your Reference?

Your reference can be any trustworthy person or organization in your passport-issuing country, such as:

• A parent, spouse, sibling, or other close relative
• A friend or colleague
• Your employer
• A travel agency or tour operator
• An emergency contact who knows you well

As a practical precaution, tell your chosen contact that you are listing them and confirm that their telephone number is current.

What details do I need to provide for each reference?

For both the India reference and home-country reference, you'll typically need to enter:

• Full name of the person or organization
• Address (street address, city; for hotels, this is on their booking confirmation or Google Maps listing)
• Phone number
• Email address (optional in most cases)

Important: Use accurate, verifiable information. Since the Indian e-visa form is highly detailed, use accurate and verifiable information to avoid potential issues or requests for clarification during processing.

Can I use a hotel if I do not know anyone in India?

Yes. For tourists staying at a hotel, the reference name for Indian visa can be the hotel contact details, as well as those of friends or relatives you are visiting. Prepare the following information before completing the section:

• The hotel’s name as shown on your reservation.
• Its full address.
• Its working telephone number.

Use your booking confirmation or confirm the details directly with the property. Keep the name, address and telephone number consistent: do not combine one hotel’s name with another property’s address.

If you will stay with family or friends, ask your host for their correct name, address and contact number.

What if I have not booked accommodation or have already submitted the form?

Do not invent a reference name for Indian visa, copy an unrelated hotel’s details or enter a dummy telephone number simply to move past a required field.

If accommodation is not booked: check the instructions for your application route. Some Indian missions publish specific guidance for regular visa applicants without confirmed accommodation. Those instructions should not automatically be treated as permission to use the same entries in an e-Visa application.

If you notice an error before submission: check the application summary and correct the information through the available editing options.

If you have already submitted: contact the official helpdesk or mission responsible for your application for instructions. Final submission can not be edited.

If your hotel changes later: keep your updated reservation and current accommodation contact details. If the authorities have requested specific booking evidence, ask how to provide the revised information.

Need help completing your Indian e-Visa application?

Before submitting, review each reference name for the Indian visa together with its address and telephone number.

For assistance, explore our Indian e-Visa support service and confirm your eligibility before starting. Indian Immigration Services provides private application support; visa decisions remain with the Indian authorities.