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Requires a confirmed job offer from an Indian company paying a minimum gross salary of USD 25,000/year (with limited exceptions for ethnic Indian teachers or language teachers). Employer must register the employee with authorities within 14 days of arrival.
For conducting business activities (meetings, trade, exploring investments) but does not permit employment in India. Maximum stay per visit is typically 180 days; some nationalities are limited to shorter stays.
Issued to spouses and dependent children of Employment Visa holders. Duration mirrors the primary visa; dependants cannot engage in paid employment on this visa.
Restricted to foreign nationals of Indian origin (who or whose parents/grandparents were Indian citizens) and spouses of Indian citizens or OCI holders; Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals are excluded regardless of origin.
India offers Employment Visas for foreign nationals with confirmed job offers from Indian companies, Business Visas for trade and commerce, and X (Entry) Visas for spouses/dependents. Long-term stays of 5 or 10 years are available for persons of Indian origin via the OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card, which provides near-citizen rights. Standard employment visas are typically 1-2 years, tied to specific employers.
India does not issue standalone work permits; instead, work authorization is embedded in the Employment Visa. The employer must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Employment Visas require a minimum annual salary of USD 25,000 and documentation that the role needs a foreign national. Inter-company transfers are common for multinationals.
Spouses and dependent children can obtain Entry (X) visas linked to the Employment Visa holder. Entry Visa holders may not work unless they obtain their own Employment Visa. Registration with FRRO is required within 14 days of arrival for stays over 180 days.
India taxes residents on worldwide income; non-residents are taxed only on Indian-sourced income. Tax rates range from 0% to 30%, with a surcharge for high earners. India has a complex tax system with mandatory filings for anyone earning above INR 250,000/year. India has tax treaties with approximately 90 countries.
India has both public and private healthcare. Public hospitals are very affordable but often overcrowded. Private hospitals in major cities (Fortis, Apollo, Max) offer excellent care at a fraction of Western costs. Comprehensive private health insurance is highly recommended for expats, especially for serious illness or emergency care.
Foreigners with an Employment Visa can open Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) or Non-Resident External (NRE) accounts at banks like HDFC, ICICI, SBI, and HSBC India. NRE accounts allow tax-free interest and repatriation of funds. A PAN card (tax ID) is required for most financial transactions.
India does not have a formal golden visa or investor residency program. Foreign nationals may obtain Business Visas for investment purposes, but residency is not automatically granted through investment. The OCI card is available only to foreign nationals with Indian ancestry (former citizens or children/grandchildren of Indian citizens).