Business Visa

Business Visa

Informative Booklet on Indian Business Visa
 
   ENGLISH    URDU


Any bonafide businessman or employee in a business firm or multinational company can apply for business visa, if he/she intends to visit India for bonafide business purposes at the invitation of an Indian business associate.
 
Such individuals should have a minimum annual income of PKR 500,000/- or his/her company’s annual turnover or sale should be more than PKR 30,00,000/-.
 
You can apply for the following: 
a) In case you are a businessmen with an annual income of more than PKR 5,00,000/-your company/business firm’s annual turnover/ gross sale is more than PKR 30,00,000/-, then you can apply for a one year business visa, for visit to 5 places, four times a year.

b) In case you are a businessmen with an income of at least PKR 50,00,000/- or your company/business firm’s annual turnover or sale is more than PKR 3,00,00,000/-, then you can apply for a one year multiple entry business visas for up to ten places, with exemption from Police Reporting.
 
The issuance of the visa, its type and duration are determined on the merits of each case. The High Commission reserves the right not to assign any reason for issuance / not issuance of a particular type of visa.
 
The following documents need to be submitted along with your visa application:

Documents from India:
1) Invitation letter from any registered Indian company/firm or any Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry clearly indicating the cities to be visited and duration of visit

2) Any two of these documents of the Indian invitee: passport (preferred), copy of electricity bill, telephone bill, ration card, voters identity card, clearly mentioning the address and contact numbers

3) Recommendation letter from any prominent Chamber of Commerce in India (optional)

4) Copy of Letter of Credit/correspondence with the registered company/firm in India (optional)
 
Documents from Pakistan: 
1) Copy of Income Tax return/audited accounts/bank statement of the last two years to demonstrate gross annual sales/turnover of more than PKR 30,00,000 or  applicant’s annual individual salary as more than PKR 5,00,000.

2) Letter from the company/firm in Pakistan giving details of the applicant, his/her designation and the purpose of visit

3) Copy of NADRA Card along with its English translation and the translated copy should be notarized.

4) Copy of any utility bill, such as electricity bill/ gas bill/ landline telephone bill (any one as address proof) 

5) Copy of membership certificate of any Chamber of Commerce of Pakistan (optional)
6) Valid Polio Vaccination Certificate
 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 

If you are a holder of business visa, then the maximum period of your stay in India in each visit should not exceed 30 days.


If a group of businessmen intend to visit India for a trade fair, business exhibition, business conference or business seminar and would be traveling together and visit the same places, they are advised to send, along with their visa applications, documents and passports (or copies of passports), a complete list of applicants at least 45 days prior to the proposed visit in this format to cons.islamabad@mea.gov.in, and hcibusiness@gmail.com.
 
In case photographs are not uploaded while filling the online visa application form, organisers should also submit to the High Commission a CD containing photographs of each applicant scanned in JPEG format, which is saved with the online visa application number.


Please note that each application should be accompanied with the following documents:

Documents from India:
1) Copy of the invitation from the exhibition/fair authorities or Federation/Chamber concerned or invitation letter from any registered Indian company/firm;

2) Any two of these documents of the Indian invitee: passport (preferred), copy of electricity bill, telephone bill, ration card, voters identity card, clearly mentioning the address and contact telephone numbers
 
Documents from Pakistan: 
1) Copy of Income Tax return/audited accounts/bank statement of last two years to demonstrate gross annual sales/turnover of more than PKR 30,00,000 or  applicant’s annual individual salary more than PKR 5,00,000.

2) Letter from the company/firm in Pakistan giving details of the applicant, his/her designation and the purpose of visit

3) Copy of CNIC Card along with its English translation

4) Copy of any utility bill, such as electricity bill/ gas bill/ landline telephone bill (any one as address proof) 

5) Copy of membership certificate of any Chamber of Commerce of Pakistan (optional)


You need to get an invitation from at least one of the places you intend to visit in India. You need not obtain an invitation from all the places you intend to visit. However, you would need to fill details of the places you intend to visit in the visa application form.


Submission of documents is mandatory along with the visa application and such documents must be clear and legible. In case you are not in a position to submit necessary documents, the visa application will not be accepted.


Even if you do not have in your name, any utility bills of your present residence, you can still submit the same along with your visa application. However, you would be required to submit an affidavit, duly notarised, explaining the reason why the utility bills are not in your name. Please note that the address you enter in the visa application form should match the address mentioned on the utility bill of your present address.


You may be called for an interview so that the High Commission can personally verify the purpose of your visit as well as confirm the documents submitted by you.   
A personal interview will be conducted at Visa Counter of the High Commission at Islamabad if an applicant is contacted for the same.
 
Please ensure that correct contact numbers are given in your application. Time and date of such interviews will be fixed in consultation with the applicant.


Once a visa application is received at the High Commission, all applications are scrutinised and electronically referred to the Foreigner Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, India for necessary clearance. Once clearance is received, the visa is endorsed and dispatched through the TCS Visatronics / Gerry’s International- Visa Drop Box  availed by you.
 
The average visa processing time for each application is 35 days. It is, therefore, advisable to plan your travel only after visa has been obtained.


In case you want to withdraw your passport for any reason, such as travel to another country, please send a written request through email (cons2.islamabad@mea.gov.in / cons.islamabad@mea.gov.in) or fax (+92-51-2833290) and the passport will be returned through the TCS Visatronics / Gerry’s International- Visa Drop Box , through which you had submitted your visa application.
 
Alternatively, you can also send the request through the TCS Visatronics / Gerry’s International- Visa Drop Box , who in turn will inform the High Commission to return the passport.
 
You can also personally come to Visa Counter of the High Commission and make a written request to withdraw the passport. Please note that we would need to see valid identity proof before passports are handed over the counter.  
 
In case you authorise someone else to withdraw or collect your passport, on your behalf, please send an authority letter with the individual, which can be presented along with identify proof before passports are handed over to that person.
 
Please note that your application will be kept pending for a period of only 2-3 months, after withdrawal of your passport. Thereafter, if the passport is not submitted, your visa application will be summarily closed without prejudice to future visa requests.


In case you intend to travel and need your passport, you can initially submit only a copy of your valid passport at the time of submission of your visa application at TCS Visatronics / Gerry’s International- Visa Drop Box .
 
You can submit your passport once you have been informed that clearance for issuance of visa has been issued. Please ensure that the correct contact numbers are mentioned in the visa application form so that you can be contacted for the same.
 
You can bring your passport directly to visa counter of the High Commission for affixing the visa or submit it through the same TCS Visatronics / Gerry’s International- Visa Drop Box which had forwarded your visa application.
 
In case you submit the passport directly to the High Commission, in the morning (between 0930 hrs to 1300 hrs), the visa will be stamped on the same day and handed over around 1630 hrs. However, if the passport is received at the High Commission in the afternoon (between 1400 hrs to 1700 hrs), the visa will be affixed the next day.
 
Please note that the High Commission will reject all visa applications which are older than 3 months and/or submitted without the passport after that period.

How do I appeal against the decision of the Visa Section regarding my visa request?

In case of appeal/complaints for a business visa, you may fax (+92-51-2833290), email (cons.islamabad@mea.gov.in) or write a letter to Mr. Cherakung Zeliang, First Secretary, High Commission of India, Diplomatic Enclave, Sector G 5, Islamabad, Pakistan and make a representation.

While making an appeal, please mention your passport number and contact details, including phone numbers.

All Pakistani nationals, except those holding Indian visas endorsed “exempted from police reporting”, will be required to register, in person, at the nearest police station / Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) / Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) within 24 hours of reaching the specified place of stay.
 
You will also have to make a similar report 24 hours prior to your intended time/ date of departure from each place of stay to the nearest police station / Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) / Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO).
 
In addition, please note the following:
 
You are not required to register with the police station, if you are only transiting a particular city and not going to stay overnight.
In case you do not visit any particular city which has been endorsed on your visa, you do not have to report to the police in that city.
You do not have to report to the police in the order in which places have been endorsed on your visa.
You are not required to register with the police station, if you are only transiting a particular city and not going to stay overnight. In case you do not visit any particular city which has been endorsed on your visa, you do not have to report to the police in that city.
If you are holder of business visa, you can personally report to police for registration or depute an authorized representative to report arrival, in writing, to the nearest police station / Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) / Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) within 24 hours of your reaching the specified place. The authorised representative shall also make a similar report on your behalf 24 hours prior to your intended departure from each place of stay.


Any misrepresentation or undertaking of activities in India incompatible with the visa category can result in an immediate revocation of the visa and deportation from India. For example, if you have been given a visitor visa and you perform activities which are commercial in nature, then you are likely to be deported from India and denied visa for subsequent entry into India.

You can bring into India any amount of foreign exchange, subject to the condition that on arrival a declaration is made to the custom authorities in a Currency Declaration Form. It is necessary to fill out a declaration form if the foreign exchange (in the form of currency notes, bank notes, traveller's cheques etc.) exceeds US$ 10,000 or its equivalent and /or the aggregate value of foreign currency notes is US$ 5,000 or its equivalent.
 
Bringing Indian currency by any foreign national into India is prohibited and punishable under Indian law. If Indian currency is found in your possession, you may be arrested or deported immediately from point of entry itself. Therefore, please do not convert foreign exchange into Indian currency in Pakistan for taking into India. 
 
Travellers cheques in US$ and pounds are easily exchangeable and ATMs are available in major Indian cities. Credit cards are accepted in hotels and large stores. If you are carrying any foreign currency notes, carry them to India and exchange them into Indian rupees in India itself.




 
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