INDIA: New Multiple-Entry Visa for South Asian Business Travellers

March 17, 2016


From 1st April 2016, India will offer multi-city, multiple-entry business visas to nationals of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries coming to India on business.

India Business Card

The new business visa, to be called the “India Business Card”, will be granted for five years or less, to businessmen of any member state of the SAARC, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nationals of Bhutan and Nepal, also SAARC member states, do not require a visa for India.

Pakistani Nationals

Currently, Pakistani nationals are eligible for a multiple-entry business visa for a maximum period of one year, and can travel to ten cities.. The new scheme allows travel to 15 cities for three years.

For Pakistani nationals to qualify for a three-year multiple-entry card, they should run an enterprise worth INR ten million (Indian rupees) and should have an annual income of at least PKR one million (Pakistani rupees). The Pakistani enterprise should also be a member of any Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan that India recognises.

An added advantage is that under the new scheme, Pakistani entrepreneurs will be exempted from reporting at the local police station, which is generally mandatory for Pakistani nationals coming to India on any other visa now.

Action Items

  • Business travellers from SAARC member states should consider applying for an Indian Business Card for greater freedom of travel to India.

For further information on Indian immigration, please email us at [email protected].