Business Travel

A business visa is granted to those foreigners who desire to come to India for business. Here are some of the following purposes and conditions to meet—

• 1.Foreign nationals who desire to come to India to establish business venture/company/industrial or to set up proprietorship firms and partnership firms in India.
• 2.Foreign nationals or citizens wish to come to India to purchase or sell commercial products or industrial products or consumer durables.
• 3.Foreign people coming to India for attending Board meetings or technical meetings/discussions or general meetings in order to provide business services support.
• 4.A foreign company or people coming to India for recruitment or hiring employees.
• 5.Foreign nationals or persons who are partners or directors in the business or any functioning company.
• 6.Foreign nationals who are visiting India for consultations or taking part in exhibitions, business fairs, trade fairs, meetings, etc.
• 7.Foreign sellers or buyers who want to come to India for transacting business with potential suppliers at locations or areas in India, to monitor or evaluate quality, place orders, give specifications, negotiate or bargain supplies, products or raw material, etc., in order to buy goods or services from India.
• 8.Foreign specialists or experts who are coming to India for a short duration in order to complete his or her ongoing project or coming to India for monitoring the progress of the work, conducting meetings with Indian customers/ clients or business partners or to offer technical guidance to the Indian company.
• 9.Foreign company/business/industry or nationals coming to India for pre-sales or post-sales activity not amounting to the actual or general execution of any project or contract.
• 10.Foreign trainees of multinational organizations/corporate houses visiting for in-house coaching or training within the regional hubs of the concerned enterprise company/ industry located in India.
• 11.International business owners/ nationals/entrepreneurs coming to India as tour conductors and travel agent and/or conducting business excursions or tours of foreigners or business or relating to other business meetings in India.
• 12.Overseas academicians/ authorities or experts coming under GIAN (Global Initiative for Academic Networks).
• 13.The crew members of scheduled or non-scheduled flights operated by means of scheduled airways, nonscheduled and chartered flights operated with the aid of non-scheduled airways and distinct flights.
• 14.Overseas nationals or people desire to visit India to take part in cultural activities/ participation with remuneration. [Such overseas nationals wishing to come to India to participate in cultural events/ activities for a short or specific period without remuneration may be granted with an Entry (X-Misc.) Travel.]
• 15.Overseas nationals/people or citizens who are engaged or has connections in business, commercial sports events, or functions in India on a contract (including coaches) like Indian Premier League, Indian Soccer League, and many others with remuneration. They may be offered ‘B-sport’ Travel with a couple of entry facility for 13 suitable periods. Foreign nationals must follow all the rules and regulations with all the statutory obligations such as payment, tax, etc.

Conditions on Business Travel

• The overseas nationals will have to be a man or woman of certain financial standing (adequate proof of his/ her financial standing and potential in the subject of the supposed industry will likely be checked wholly whilst granting the visa).
• The foreign country is not allowed to visit India if the company runs a money lending business or trade or any full-time employment in India, and so on.
• The foreign national shall comply with all different requisites like fee of tax liabilities and many others.

Duration of Business Travel and some other conditions

If a foreigner or nationals coming to India with Business visa then he or she needs to have or fulfill these conditions written below:

Business Travel is granted to foreign nationals with the validity of 10 years including multiple entry facilities to the citizens of Canada, the United State of America or Japan, or the United Kingdom or South Africa. This visa may be offered with the stipulation that is valid for continuous stay during the foreigners each visit, but he or she needs to be aware of his or her stay and that must not exceed 180 days. If the foreigners work is done within the time then he or she doesn’t require to register themselves.

In respect of all the 33 counties, the government of India and the immigration department offers the applicants Business Travel. However, the authority grant a 5 years Tourist visa that will also come with the continuous stay during his or her every visit in India and that stay must not be exceeding 180 days.

The 33 countries are—

• 1. Iran
• 2. Egypt
• 3. Libya
• 4. Qatar
• 5. Iraq
• 6. Syria
• 7. Sudan
• 8. Tunisia
• 9. Kuwait
• 10. Yemen
• 11. Algeria
• 12. Bahrain
• 13. Turkey
• 14. Morocco
• 15. Kyrgyzstan
• 16. Turkmenistan
• 17. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
• 18. Lebanon
• 19. Afghanistan
• 20. Saudi Arabia
• 21. Uganda
• 22. Congo
• 23. Ethiopia
• 24. Nigeria
• 25. Belarus
• 26. Somalia
• 27. South Sudan
• 28. Kazakhstan
• 29. Uzbekistan and
• 30. Sri Lanka

The duration of the visa will be decided by the concerned Indian Missions/ Posts if the applicant is from these above-mentioned countries. However, the Missions will also decide upon the subject; 5 years Business Travel facility with the stipulation or continuous stay in India. However, each stay in India must not exceed 180 days.

While giving respect to the nationals of Bangladesh, China Pakistan, the government of India and the immigration department offer the nationals business visa with some policy guidelines under the bilateral agreements (which is manipulative as per the need from time to time).

However, in case of urgent visa request, the Indian Missions or Post may grant Indian visa for the business travel within the period of 48 hours of application or applying.

Specific provisions in order to grant business visa to Chinese nationals

The Indian Business visa may be granted to Chinese nationals/person/company or industry if they complete these following broad categories—

• Missions or Posts abroad may grant 6 months business visa with multiple entries to Chinese nationals/ company/service providers/ or nationals who can avail to produce a letter of invitation from a Recognized Indian Organization including the stipulation. However, the stay in India must not exceed 90 days on foreign nationals visit. (Recognized Indian Organization here refers as the recognized chambers of commerce or industry association or other trade bodies, public sector undertakings, the government approved joint ventures, business, companies, liaison offices or private sector companies who are members of a recognized or well-known chamber of commerce or industry association or other trade body.)
• The Missions or Posts abroad may give you 60 days single entry business visa who doesn’t produce any invitation letter from a recognized Indian organization but can write or produce a letter of request from a duly authorized Chinese organization. If the visa applier can avail of it, then he or she will be provided a business travel. However, Duty authorized Chinese Organization means Ministries and Commissions of State Council, the Governments of all Provinces, Autonomous Regions and Municipalities comes directly under the Central Government, and Foreign Offices and Bureaus of Economy and Commerce there under and departments, units recognized by the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.
• Furthermore, the Head of Mission or Head of Post may approve the issuance of short term single entry business travel to Chinese people or nationals. However, the stay in India must not exceed 60 days. This visa is provided to them who cannot able to produce any kind of documentary proof as per the (a) and (b) above.

Business Travel may be granted to Chinese nationals or extended the duration after requesting Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO)—

• If the Chinese nationals request Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) for visa extension, may be granted with 180 days for up to 1 year with multiple entry facility if the authority gets a recommendation from the ‘Recognized Indian Organization’ and can satisfy the authority with genuine business activities.
• You can also request to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) for the business visa extension with multiple entries, but it is totally depending on a case to case basis and merits. The FRRO/FRO can extend your visa facility for 60 days up to 180 days, but you need to have a recommendation from the ‘Recognized Indian Organization’ or may have enough genuine business activities list or proof to show.

Registration for Business Travel

All the business visa holders of Chinese nationals are requested to register themselves with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned in case your stay in India is solely on Business purpose.

Other conditions on Business Travel

Business Travel provided to you by the authority of immigration or the Government of India shall be non-convertible to any other visa form except in rare cases. However, in case you need to know regarding the conversion of Business Travel to other categories, then you are requested to see the general policy guidelines of an Indian visa on this website.

Grant of extension to foreigners holding a business visa

In case the authority of immigration grant a business visa for a period less than five years, the applicant can apply for the extension up to five years if his or her company activities or sales earn up to 1 crore per annum can grant 2 years business visa facility with multiple entries. This condition is applied if the foreign nationals fulfill all the eligibility criteria mentioned above.

However, in other categories, the visa extension shall be the subject of submitting documents, proofs, or business and services. In this situation, a business visa extension may be granted by the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned on a year to year basis. And, the period of extension shall not be more than five years from the date of visa issuance.

Grant of Business Card to Businessmen to SAARC countries

The Government of India or the immigration department of India provide Business Card to businessmen who are from SAARC countries, the card comes with multiple entries for a period of three years and more. The validity of the Indian Business Card will be co-terminus with the validity of the Indian Business Travel.

The India Business Card will help in facilitation at the immigration counters for expeditious immigration clearance. The businessman will issue an India Business Card, but he or she needs to carry the passport containing the Business Travel sticker for entry in to India. On the issue of a fresh Business Travel, a fresh India Business Card will be issued. While submitting the application for a fresh Business Travel, the individual will have to surrender the India Business Card which is already issued to the SAARC businessmen.

Note: Duration of Travel or the number of entries in India is purely the discretion of the Indian Embassy, or Consulate has no role in order to make any approach or process. The applicant has to observe and realize that Travel will not be a subject of right, and, hence the Embassy / Consulates might deny the visa if no longer observed the eligibility / or does no longer have adequate supporting documentation. If the process is not matching according to the demand from the authority will not grant a Business visa if you request more days or time in India. So, provide your details and information before you submit your application, and must pay your application process amount. There will be no clarifications on this regard, and the resolution or decision of the Embassy / Consulate will probably be final.