Doing Business in India For Dummies®

Preparing for Your Visit

To make your visit smooth and in the true spirit of peacefulness which is at the heart of India, this section shows you how to get your visas and paperwork in order to minimize any hassles before you travel to India.

Obtaining visas and residential status

Securing the appropriate documentation is an important task, and you should be prepared to complete a vast array of application forms—work permits, visas, and resident’s permits. Your company may be responsible for handling most of this very involved and complex process on your behalf.

But should you handle the process yourself, you need to first submit a visa application form, your passport with the necessary minimum validity, two identical copies of passport-sized photographs, the application fee and various supporting documents (see three letters mentioned below) to the proper government official. For more details, I suggest you contact the nearest Indian embassy.

Securing a visa

There are various types of visas based on your role in India:

✓	Business trips: For your business trip, you need the Business or B Visa. This document is valid for six months (or for a year or more, with multiple entries), but the duration of stay on each visit is restricted.
✓	Employees: Employment visas are different. Employees relocating to India should apply for one at the Indian Embassy in their home location. Various documents are to be submitted, and the Embassy can guide you in this respect. If you’re taking up a job ...