India e-Business Visa
Application Fee
$140
Processing Time
1-2 wks
Difficulty
Moderate
Duration
12 months
Overview
The e-Business Visa (category e-B1) is an electronic travel authorization for business visits to India. It is valid for 365 days from the date it is granted, allows multiple entries, and limits each visit to 180 continuous days. No minimum income, savings or investment applies. The online application asks for a passport scan, a photograph and a business card or an invitation letter from an Indian company.
The visa is a visit permit and not a residence permit. It cannot be extended or converted, it does not allow employment in India, and it carries no route to permanent residency or citizenship. A stay that runs past 180 days requires registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within two weeks after day 180.
The fee depends on nationality: USD 140 for US passport holders, plus a 3% bank charge on the online payment. The visa suits people with genuine business in India who travel in and out several times a year. It does not suit anyone planning to live in India on a single permit.
Eligibility Requirements
The portal lists the countries whose passport holders can apply for an e-Visa. The list includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea and most European countries, along with many nations in Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean.
Several groups are excluded even when the passport country is listed. Holders of Pakistani passports and people of Pakistani origin must apply for a regular visa at an Indian mission, and the same applies to those whose parents or grandparents were born in or permanently resident in Pakistan. Serving or retired defence, military, security or police personnel, holders of diplomatic or official passports, and holders of laissez-passer or other travel documents are also excluded. Each applicant needs a separate passport, so individuals endorsed on a parent’s or spouse’s passport cannot use the e-Visa.
Applicants from unlisted countries and excluded groups use the regular Business Visa. Indian missions issue it with multiple entries for up to 5 years, and the application needs a letter from the sponsoring company and an invitation letter from the Indian company. A second passport from a listed country is another route, because the e-Visa is tied to the passport used on the application.
Application Fee
$140
one-time
Duration
12 months
Physical Presence
None required
Language
All uploaded documents, including the business card and any invitation letter, must be in English.
Requirements Checklist
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How and where to apply
Online through the Government of India e-Visa portal. No consulate or embassy visit is needed. Applicants of Pakistani origin must apply for a regular visa at an Indian mission.
Tax Information
Indian tax residency
India taxes individuals by residential status, counted over the tax year from 1 April to 31 March. The Income-tax Act, 2025 has applied since 1 April 2026, and its section 6 keeps the earlier tests. A foreign national is resident if present in India for 182 days or more in the tax year, or for 60 days or more in the tax year and 365 days or more across the four preceding years. The second test catches repeat visitors: several long visits in consecutive years can make a person resident in a year with fewer than 182 days.
A resident who was non-resident in nine of the ten preceding years, or who spent 729 days or fewer in India across the seven preceding years, is resident but not ordinarily resident. That status limits Indian tax to income arising in India, plus foreign income from a business or profession controlled or set up in India. Ordinarily resident individuals are taxed on worldwide income, and non-residents are taxed only on income that accrues, arises or is received in India. The e-Business Visa carries no special tax status, territorial regime or exemption for remote workers.
Filing in India
Non-residents with taxable Indian income, such as Indian rent, interest or capital gains, need a Permanent Account Number (PAN) and file a return. The due date for individuals without a tax audit is 31 July after the financial year ends, and 31 October where a tax audit applies. Foreign salary and other foreign income are generally outside Indian tax for a non-resident.
Treaty and Social Security
The United States and India have an income tax convention signed on 12 September 1989 and in force since 1990. It assigns taxing rights, limits withholding on certain income and provides foreign tax credit relief, but it does not remove a US filing obligation. No Social Security totalization agreement exists between the two countries.
US tax for citizens and green card holders
US citizens and green card holders owe US tax on worldwide income wherever they travel. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion on Form 2555 reaches $132,900 for 2026. It applies only to a qualifying individual with foreign earned income who meets all the requirements and reports the income on a return, and it does not cover dividends, interest, rental income or capital gains. The Foreign Tax Credit on Form 1116 offsets US tax with Indian tax paid on the same income, so it matters only when Indian tax is actually due.
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is required when combined foreign account balances exceed $10,000 at any point in the year. The 2026 cap on a non-willful penalty is $16,536 per report. Indian accounts count even though the visa does not require a local bank account, and Form 8938 under FATCA has its own thresholds.
Living in India
COL Index vs NYC
18.1
Monthly Cost (excl. rent)
$296
1BR Rent (City Center)
$151
Safety Index
55.8
Healthcare Index
65.6
Quality of Life Index
119.0
Time Zone
UTC+05:30
Capital
New Delhi
Population
1380.0M
Official Languages
English, Hindi, Tamil
Avg Internet Speed
64 Mbps
Public Transit Quality
Good
With a budget covering rent and living costs, you'd need roughly $447/mo for a comfortable single-person lifestyle in India.See how far your money goes →
🏙️ Best Cities in India for Expats
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✦ 87What the visa covers
The e-Business Visa is granted for business purposes. The consular Business Visa rules describe these as establishing or exploring an industrial or business venture, or buying and selling industrial products in India, and attending business meetings and trade fairs falls in the same category. Money-lending, petty trading and full-time employment paid in India are excluded, and the portal states that e-Visas are not allowed for employment. The activities the portal lists do not include remote work for a foreign employer, so the visa works as a permit for business visits rather than a work-from-India arrangement.
Documents
The portal requires the passport bio page, a photograph and a business card. It defines a business card as a card from the company you work for, and it accepts an invitation letter from the Indian company instead if the letter gives the company’s details, address and phone number in India. A separate invitation letter is optional. The form asks for the details of the Indian firm, so the name, address and phone number on the card or letter should match what you type.
All uploads must be in English. Files that are hard to read can lead to rejection or a request to upload again, which the portal says normally arrives within 24 hours. Eligibility rules also require a return or onward ticket and sufficient money for the stay, but no bank statement is among the uploads. The upload list contains no lease, hotel booking, apostille, police certificate or medical report. The portal’s four steps are to apply online, pay, receive the authorization by email, and travel.
Stays and registration
The authorization is valid for 365 days from the date of grant, and the continuous-stay cap applies to each separate visit inside that window. Registration with the FRRO or FRO that has jurisdiction is required within two weeks after day 180 for a stay that continues, and no registration is needed for shorter stays. Entry is through designated airports and seaports only, and immigration captures biometric details on arrival. The visa is not valid for protected, restricted or cantonment areas, which need separate permission from the civil authority. Travelers arriving within six days of leaving a yellow fever endemic country must carry the original vaccination certificate.
Fees and timing
Fees are set by nationality in the portal’s schedule dated 15 April 2026. Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands pay USD 120, New Zealand pays USD 130, Ireland pays USD 200, Australia pays USD 215 and the United Kingdom pays USD 242. A 3% bank charge is added to the online payment, and the fee is not refunded whether the application is granted or rejected.
Applications are accepted from 120 days before arrival until 4 days before arrival, and the fee must be paid at least 4 days before travel. Advisers report waits from 3 working days to about 10 days, so applying two weeks ahead leaves room for a request to upload a document again.
No extension and no conversion
The e-Visa is non-extendable and non-convertible. Each new period in India needs a new application and a new fee. Anyone who takes a job with an Indian employer needs a regular visa, since the portal does not allow e-Visas for employment.
When another route fits better
The regular Business Visa from an Indian mission allows multiple entries for up to 5 years and suits a longer cycle of business trips. It involves proof of financial standing and expertise, a letter from the sponsoring company and an invitation from the Indian company. A trip with no Indian business counterpart belongs on the e-Tourist category, because the declared purpose has to match the trip. Plans to live in India for a year or more need a regular visa category built for that purpose.
Work Permissions
Application Steps
- 1
📋 Choose the right visa category
- 2
📄 Prepare the passport scan, photo and business card
- 3
📬 Complete the online application and pay the fee
10 to 15 minutes
- 4
⏳ Wait for the electronic travel authorization
3 to 10 days
- 5
🏛️ Print the authorization and enter India
- 6
🏛️ Register with the FRRO if the stay passes 180 days
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Frequently Asked Questions
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At a Glance
Last verified: October 25, 2026