Planning a business trip to India? Don't overlook the (easily overlooked) e-visa option

Non-Indian residents traveling to India for business purposes (or other reasons) need a valid Indian visa to enter and exit the country.  The standard business visa application is a multi-step process that can be onerous, and quite difficult to navigate. Complicating matters further, the U.S. State Department explains that Indian visa rules change “frequently” and “may be poorly advertised and inconsistently enforced.”[1]

And even assuming all goes according to plan (the first time), best case wait time for a standard business visa is two weeks. Given the glitches that often occur, applying for a standard visa 30 days before travel is highly recommended.  In today's dynamic international marketplace -- where customer and business needs arise suddenly and demand a swift response -- long-term planning is seldom a luxury.

Luckily, there is an easier, faster alternative to the standard business visa: the e-Business Visa.  This option is very easy to overlook, and many people do.  Our goal is to make sure you don’t.  

Quick and painless: Unlike the standard business visa, the e-visa application is shorter, entirely online (no printing and mailing hard copies here or there), involves one step (not several), and requires little by way of supporting documentation.  E-visas are issued via email, typically within three or four days.

Eligibility and limitations: You may be eligible for an e-Business Visa if visiting Indian no more than two times in the next 120 days, and for less than 60 days per stay.  But you are not limited to two trips per year -- you can apply for an e-visa three different times in one calendar year.  However, e-visas are not available to Diplomatic, Official, or Pakistani Passport holders, or to persons of Pakistani origin.  

A word of caution: It is important you only engage in permitted business activities, as opposed to engaging in unauthorized employment. The distinction is a legal one, and the dividing line can get murky.  Suffice to say that most meetings with customers, sales reps, or business colleagues are permitted activities, whereas performing services in exchange for payment is not.  

If you believe your activity could potentially constitute unauthorized employment, it is vital to take a (very) conservative approach and obtain appropriate legal advice before traveling. Violating the terms of your visa will usually require clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs in order to leave India, and you will often be fined and in some cases jailed for months. [2]  

How to apply: All visa applications are submitted and processed through Cox & Kings Global Services, the “only authorized Service Provider for the Embassy of India and its Consulates across the USA for Visa []services.”[3]  The online application can be found here. [4]

To complete the application, you will need a passport valid for at least six months prior to date of arrival in India, a scan of your passport bio page, a photo to specified requirements, and a scan of your business card.  Specific details about these requirements can be found here. [5]

Good luck, and have a great and productive trip.

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[1] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html

[2] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html

[3] https://www.indianembassy.org/pages.php?id=18

[4] https://www.in.ckgs.us/home/evisa

[5] https://www.in.ckgs.us/visa/howtoapply#ParentTabs4

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