India issues two types of work-related visa for foreign citizens to come and work in the country. They are:

B visa or business visa and

E visa or employment visa

Your e-visa versus B-visa to India

The two have a distinct difference. A 'E visa' allows applicants to work for an Indian business organisation.

Whereas, a B visa allows a foreigner to:

• Explore possibilities of setting up a business or industrial venture in India

• Sell or purchase commercial or industrial products

• Recruit manpower

• Attend technical discussions or board meetings to provide services and support to businesses

• Participate in trade fares and exhibitions [It may be noted here this is different than attending conferences, seminars or workshops that are held in India. To attend such events, you must apply for a conference visa.]

• Transacting business with Indian suppliers

• Provide services related to goods or services that are procured from India

• Monitor projects or provide high-level technical guidance

• Conduct pre-sales activity, which does not include actual execution of any project or contract [to execute contracts or projects in India, you need an Employment visa.]

In addition to the list provided above, the Indian e-Business visas allow students to come to India as interns or to attend other project base work in Indian organisations or industries. It also allows trainees from foreign companies to come to India to provide in-house training to the employees in the concerned organisation located in India.

You’ve to be very careful in choosing between a B visa and an E visa. If you get a visa on either category and carry out activities of the other, the Indian authorities won’t take time to terminate your visa and deport you back to your home country.

Both the categories of visa require an Indian business organisation as sponsor. This make everything more confusing. That is why it’s better to get things simplified in the following way:

• A business visa is meant for individuals, who want to go to India for genuine business purpose. These individuals may or may not be working in an Indian organisation or for an Indian employer.

• An employment visa is meant for someone, who works in an Indian business organisation or under an Indian employer. This category of visa is issued to highly qualified and well-skilled professionals who accepts employment or assignment with business organisations registered in India. Even if you are going to India for voluntary work, you need to have an employment visa.

A business visa has some special features, which are as following:

It is usually granted for 3 months to 1 year; although in certain cases it can be of 5 years. In both cases it may come with a single or multiple entry. You can stay a maximum of 6 months on a single visit. In other words, you come to India, stay here for 6 months and then re-enter the country if you want.

After you fill up and submit the indian visa online application form, it is up to the discretion of the Consulate to grant you a 5-year or 10-year visa with multiple entry facility. If your visa is for more than 180 days, in that case you've to register yourself at your country embassy (that is the US embassy for American travellers) within 14 days of arriving in India.