If you hold a United States passport, you have a lot of options when you apply for a business visa to India. US citizens who do business in India can get a multiple entry visa lasting up to ten years, making it as simple as possible to arrange deals and sell products throughout India.
4 things to keep in mind when applying for your visa:
- A US citizen can get an India business visa that is valid for one, five, or ten years.
The primary difference between these applications is cost, so if you know your business will not last long, it probably makes sense to opt for the shortest visa that suits your needs.
Keep in mind that with any of these visas, no single trip to India can last for more than six months. You will, however, be allowed to enter India as many times as you need to during the window of your visa. - Business visas to India cannot be obtained on arrival. The application for a business visa requires a letter of invitation from a host company in India as well as a letter of intent from your US business, among other particulars. Therefore, you cannot get an ETA visa to India for business travel. Instead, you must apply in advance online.
We recommend applying as soon as you know that you will be traveling to India to ensure that you have your paperwork ready to go whenever you need it. If a last minute trip comes up, remember that you can contact the Swift team for expedited visas, and we will do our best to meet your travel needs. - Business visas and employment visas are two different things. If you are planning to take a job in India, even a short term job, that requires an employment visa.
Business visas are meant for people who are forming agreements with Indian companies or trying to set up new offices in India. A business visa can also be used to recruit Indian employees to your business, among other purposes. - All of India’s visas, including business visas, are managed and processed by a third-party contractor called Cox & Kings. This company has been handling India visas since 2014 and seems to be doing a good job. Of course, mix ups are always a possibility, so get your application in sooner rather than later to avoid any headaches.
If you’ve tried applying on your own India business visa and had trouble, contact Swift to find out how we can help.
