India visa question.
 

What activities may one engage in India when visiting on a tourist visa? Is one allowed to look for business opportunities on a tourist visa?

In practice no one cares what you are upto when you are there. If you are going on work, just apply for a business visit visa. Costs exactly the same.

Thanks Oliver. I am not going for work. I may have some meetings of exploratory nature. I already have a 10 year multiple entry visa. So, I could use the tourist visa which I already have until it looks like something might turn into business. If I had proper business meetings and business interests I would definitely apply for business visa even if I had a tourist visa.

In practice, the government rarely cares upon entry and exit to India, especially if having a long history of visits for social/tourist purposes.

As a matter of good practice, if any business transaction is going to be papered, the right visa for the circumstances would be my suggestion even if the immigration staff most probably won't care.

We are in agreement. At the moment I don't know if it will turn into anything at all. If it looks like it might, I will get the appropriate visa for the circumstances.. It's a sound advice. I am not fond of breaking laws, even if it's an Indian law. ;) If one can reasonably argue argue that meeting with other people was not actually conducting business, one is not violating the law.

The immigration staff really does not care so just do what you feel like doing as long as you do not earn money from your business "meetings".

Other than that, you are free to do as you please.

OP...it is not like if your doing busdev the visa police are going to nab you...with the high price of an India visa I am sure the host country is just happy to get the cash. :)

The limited concern is not about the immigration control staff at the airports -- it's others in and beyond government making an issue of it after a business engagement that is a more substantive concern but not necessarily or even generally so.

If you get "paid" in India - not having a meeting / signing an agreement - on that trip, then that's a work visa. Else business / tourist are the same visa effectively.

Why 6 month tourist visa expires next month... can I extend it or do I have to go through the whole process of applying for a new one? I knew I should have gotten the year visa in the first place!

You have to get a new one. Pretty painless nowadays.

You can enter the U.S. before the date of expiry of the visa provided you have not exceeded the number of entries allowed by the visa. the length/duration of your stay has nothing to do with the date of expiry of your visa, but with the type of visa. For example if your visa expires on Aug. 01, 2009, you can enter the U.S. anytime before Aug. 01 and stay in the U.S. beyond Aug. 01 as long as you meet other requirements of the visa.

Does the Indian visa work in the same manner?

I could be mistaken about the following since I haven't run this by anybody else, but I was under the impression that most Indian visas issued are only valid for staying in India up to the date of visa expiry stated on the visa; and that for those who will be in India visiting beyond the printed visa expiry date a renewal/extension is required, but that ordinarily on a tourist visa they don't like granting more than half a month or so as an extension unless there are some kind of special circumstances. [Another visa -- at least in prior decades -- good for extending the stay -- worked out easier than trying to get an extension on an existing visa.]

Some countries and/or visa types have date of entry as the driving factor while others have it as the date of issuance, and it can be such a mix that it confuses even those in the consular sections. I operate on the risk-averse presumption that Indian visas aren't good for use to stay in India on or after the expiration date entered on the visa itself at time of visa issuance.

I have not been visa less for more than a decade, due to obvious reasons. But My older visas, circa mid 1980's says
First Entry by: The date of expiry of the Visa
Valid for: X journeys during the period of stay, if the Passport remains valid.
Period of stay in India from the date of first entry: X months.

It seems to indicate that you cannot enter after the expiry date of the visa. It does not say that your stay is limited by the date of expiry of the visa, but by the validity of your passport.

In my numerous trips to india over the years, ive never had the immigration officer utter a single word to me. They just stamp away. I will say good morning/good evening etc and all i will get from them is a half hearted attempt to acknowledge and shortly after passport is returned.

Just in case your business dealings will have a paper trail, i agree that you should get a business visit just to be on the safe side!

im also pretty sure my last 5 year multiple entry visa to India does not actually specifiy whether its for tourism or business. It just states five years multiple entry category x.

I will try and dig up my old passport and clarify.