Does a foreign employee need a business visa or an employment visa to work in India?

A Business Visa (B Visa) covers activities such as attending meetings, exploring business or investment opportunities, negotiating contracts, and setting up a company, and is often issued for multiple years with multiple entries, but each individual visit is generally capped at 180 days and the visa holder cannot draw income from an Indian source or perform work that constitutes employment. Foreign directors visiting periodically for board meetings, or executives scoping out an India market entry, typically travel on a business visa.

An Employment Visa (E Visa) is required for any foreign national actually taking up paid employment with an entity registered in India, and comes with its own eligibility criteria — the role generally needs to be a skilled position that an equally qualified Indian national is not readily available for, and the foreign national's salary must meet a minimum threshold (currently ₹1.6 lakh per month, with exceptions for ethnic cooks, language teachers, and translators). Employment visas are initially issued for up to a year or the contract term, are renewable, and require the employing India entity to register the foreign national with the local Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival.