Immigration

India | Introduction of e-Production Investment Visa (e-B-4) under an e-Business category

Summary

The Government of India has introduced a new subcategory under the e-Business visa, known as the e-B-4. This is aimed at facilitating the entry of foreign nationals invited by Indian-registered companies to carry out specified activities in India. This category is available for foreign nationals eligible to apply for an electronic business visa, including Chinese nationals. Some activities which were earlier classified under the Indian employment visa category have now been incorporated into the e-B-4 category with the Government’s broader strategy to improve ease of doing business in India.

The detail

• The e-B-4 visa supports foreign nationals in the following activities:
  • Installation and commissioning;
  • Quality checks and essential maintenance;
  • Production;
  • IT & Enterprise Resource Planning ramp-up;
  • Training;
  • Supply chain development for empanelling vendors;
  • Plant design and bring up;
  • Senior management and executives.
• The following activities earlier classified for an Indian employment visa are now covered under the ambit of the e-B-4 visa:
  • Installation & commissioning as part of a supply contract for which the Indian company pays a royalty or fees; and
  • Activities undertaken by subject matter specialists, engineers and technical personnel engaged by Indian companies.
• For this visa category, the inviting Indian entity is required to generate a Sponsorship Letter with a unique sponsorship number through the designated government portal. This sponsorship number must then be referenced in the e-B-4 visa application to be submitted by the foreign national.
• This process is expected to reduce wait times and expedite the approval cycle for the foreign national seeking e-B-4 visa.
• The foreign national will be issued a multiple entry electronic business visa valid for a maximum period of six months.
• Registration with the jurisdictional FRRO within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of arrival in India is mandatory.

Looking ahead

The introduction of the e-B-4 visa is a positive policy signal, especially toward promoting industrial collaboration and technology transfer.

Digitisation, data authentication, and the elimination of legacy approval pathways suggest a long-term modernization of India’s mobility and production ecosystem.

Companies should engage with immigration advisors during the planning and application stages to avoid delays, compliance gaps, and last-mile execution issues when deploying foreign nationals to India under the e-B-4 visa route.

Given that this is a newly introduced visa category, its operational framework and interpretation by the authorities continue to evolve. As adoption increases, further regulatory clarity and practical guidance is expected in due course.

Contact us

For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:

Ishita Sengupta
India Lead, Mumbai

Sebin Jinny
Immigration Lead, Bengaluru

Anand Dhelia
Partner, Bengaluru / Hyderabad

Sundeep Agarwal
Partner, Mumbai

Ravi Jain
Partner, Bengaluru / Kolkata

Chander Talreja
Partner, Delhi NCR

Hitesh Sharma
Partner, Mumbai / Pune

Nishant Kumar
Partner, Bengaluru

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