Treatment in India: from the visa to the return home

What do Georgian patients go to India for?

India is mainly considered when the intervention needed is expensive and treatment abroad is unavoidable anyway. The most common areas are heart surgery, including paediatric cardiac surgery, large-joint replacement, oncology, living-donor organ transplants and neurosurgery. Large cities have major private hospitals that serve foreign patients in English and have separate departments for them.

Choosing India has its price: a long journey, a different climate and diet, and a long distance from home if complications arise. Quality varies sharply even within the same city, so checking the hospital needs particular attention here. Decide with your treating doctor whether going to India is worthwhile for your diagnosis; we only describe the organisational route. For an alternative, compare the Turkey guide.

Working with India almost always starts by email or video call. The international department receives your history translated into English, sends the doctor's preliminary opinion and often offers a video consultation too. At this stage, ask every question that must be settled before the flight: how long the stay will last, whether a companion is needed and what happens if the diagnosis changes on site.

How do you get an Indian electronic medical visa?

Georgia is on the list of countries whose citizens can obtain an Indian e-visa. There is a separate category for treatment, the e-Medical Visa, and for family members the e-Medical Attendant Visa. The application is filled in only on the Government of India's official portal, indianvisaonline.gov.in; there are many similar intermediary websites online that charge an extra fee.

1. Hospital letter

   As the portal requires, the application must be accompanied by a letter from the Indian hospital on its letterhead, stating the admission date or expected date. This is exactly why you must choose the hospital before the visa.

2. Checking your passport

   When you apply, your passport must be valid for at least six months and have two blank pages for the border stamp.

3. Application and fee

   Submit the application at least four days before arrival. The fee varies by country and, according to the portal, is not refunded even if the application is refused, so fill in the form carefully.

4. Companions

   Up to two companion visas are issued against one medical visa. Each companion fills in their own application and links it to the patient's application.

5. Arrival

   Entry on an e-visa is possible only through designated airports and seaports. Biometric data are taken at the border, and you may also be asked for a return ticket and proof of sufficient funds.

According to the portal, an e-visa cannot be extended or converted into another type of visa. If treatment may take longer, check the visa's validity period and number of entries on the portal before applying and discuss this in advance with the hospital's international department. The medical visa service can help you prepare and check the package.

How do you check an Indian hospital?

In India, the national benchmark for healthcare quality is NABH, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, which operates within the Quality Council of India. Its official website, nabh.co, has a search tool for accredited facilities. Some large hospitals also hold international JCI accreditation. Check both statuses in the accrediting body's own database, not in the hospital's advertising.

Accreditation indicates a hospital's minimum standard; you need to ask separately about experience with your case. Ask the international department in writing:

• how many such operations or courses of treatment the department performs each year;
• who the operating surgeon will be and what experience they have with this exact procedure;
• how intensive care and infection control are organised after surgery;
• how many days you must stay in the city after discharge before it is safe to fly;
• what is included in the package price and what each extra day costs.

Transplants have special rules

If you are planning a living-donor organ transplant, Indian law requires, when the donor or recipient is a foreigner, the approval of a special authorisation committee before surgery, and the relationship between donor and recipient must be confirmed by the embassy of the patient's country. This means additional documents, including translation of civil status certificates and possibly an apostille, and additional time. So for a transplant, first ask the hospital for the full list of requirements and only then plan the date.

To compare offers from several hospitals objectively, use the clinic search and second opinion service.

What translation does an Indian hospital need?

Indian hospitals work with foreign patients in English, so the whole medical package must be translated into English: the discharge summary, laboratory test results, imaging reports, histology and current prescriptions. For an assessment, an ordinary accurate medical translation is enough; the hospital usually does not ask for notarisation.

The official form becomes important in other cases. For a transplant, both the hospital committee and the embassy need civil status certificates proving the relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate, in an officially translated and certified form. Check whether a Georgian document needs an apostille with the apostille and legalisation tool, and the calculator will show you the price of the translation.

One detail in the English translation is decisive: the patient's first name and surname must be written exactly as in the passport. If the name is spelt differently in the hospital letter, this can cause a problem with the visa application. Medical translation options are on the translation service page.

What should you prepare, and when?

With India, the sequence is strict, because the visa depends on the hospital letter. Below are the stages of a typical planned treatment; for the full medical package, see the documents guide.

How do you pay at an Indian hospital?

Private hospitals in India often offer foreign patients a package price covering a set number of bed days, the operation and standard medicines. Costs outside the package, such as extra days, expensive implants or treatment of complications, are paid separately. On admission the hospital usually asks for an advance, and the final bill is drawn up before discharge.

Check three things before paying. First, that the invoice is in the hospital's name and the receiving account belongs to the hospital. Second, which currency the settlement is in and who pays the conversion costs. Third, that you understand what happens if the plan changes after tests on site. Keep every receipt: you will need them translated into Georgian to obtain funding or prove expenses in Georgia. Details are in the guide to funding surgery.

Travel insurance

A standard travel insurance policy usually lists planned treatment and its complications among the exclusions. If you buy a policy, read whether it covers a companion's sudden illness, a rescheduled flight and medical evacuation. For the patient, the hospital's written answer is sometimes more important: who pays for treatment of complications and what an extra day in intensive care costs.

Travel and living in India during treatment

• Flight: the flight time and number of connections depend on the route. A long flight after surgery is an additional strain, so confirm the return date only with your doctor's agreement.
• Climate and food: heat and humidity depend on the season. Drink only sealed bottled or boiled water, and the companion should also bear in mind that their illness would disrupt the whole plan.
• Accommodation: after discharge you often have to stay in the city for several days or weeks for a follow-up visit. A hotel or flat close to the hospital makes this period much easier.
• Registration: for a long stay, ask the hospital's international department whether registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office is required for your visa and length of stay.
• Communication: you will need your passport and visa to buy a local SIM card; it makes staying in touch with the coordinator and your family easier.

At consultations the doctor speaks English. If no one in the family speaks English, a Georgian medical interpreter can join by video call, especially when the consent form is discussed.

After you return: translation, medicines and follow-up

On discharge, the Indian hospital gives you an English discharge document (discharge summary) setting out the diagnosis, a description of the operation, results and further prescriptions. Before departure, check that the document includes all tests and the implant details, such as the type of prosthesis or stent: this information will be essential for further treatment in Georgia.

In Georgia the document must be translated into Georgian, with Indian brand names replaced by international non-proprietary names, as many Indian brands are not sold here. You can order such a translation on the discharge summary translation page. You will send follow-up test results to the Indian hospital in English, so work out a simple, repeatable translation routine in advance. To compare routes to other countries, read Treatment in Israel.

Frequently asked questions about treatment in India