India residency & citizenship

Overview

India's immigration system offers short-stay visas (e-visa, business, employment, student) but no residence-by-investment, passive-income, or digital-nomad program. Long-term residence is effectively reserved for persons of Indian origin via the OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card — a lifelong, multi-entry visa that is not citizenship. Naturalization requires 12 years of residence and renunciation of prior nationality; India does not recognize dual citizenship. ^[1]

Residency Programs

Per-Program Detail

highly_skilled_employment

• Official name: Employment Visa (E visa)
• Conditions: Job offer from an Indian employer; minimum annual salary US$25,000 for most foreign nationals (lower for ethnic cooks, language teachers, embassy staff). ^[2]
• Duration / renewal: 1 year initial, renewable up to 5 years.
• Path to citizenship: 12 years residence (11 of 14 years + 12 continuous months).
• Official source: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
• Community verdict: Works well but the US$25,000 salary floor and employer sponsorship are hurdles for smaller firms.

startup_entrepreneur

• Official name: Business Visa (B visa)
• Conditions: Genuine business purpose (trade, investment, meetings); no fixed capital requirement published; income evidence may be requested.
• Duration / renewal: Up to 5 years.
• Official source: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
• Community verdict: Mixed — widely used but does not confer residence rights; not a settlement route.

employment_residency

• Official name: Employment Visa (E)
• Conditions: As above — employer-sponsored, salary floor.
• Duration / renewal: 1–5 years.
• Official source: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
• Community verdict: Works well for MNC postings; bureaucratic FRRO registration required.

student_residency

• Official name: Student Visa (S)
• Conditions: Admission to recognized institution.
• Duration / renewal: Course duration (up to 5 years).
• Official source: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
• Community verdict: Works well.

family_reunification

• Official name: Entry (X) visa / dependent
• Conditions: Spouse/dependent of Indian citizen or OCI holder.
• Duration / renewal: Tied to sponsor.
• Official source: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
• Community verdict: Works well.

citizenship_by_investment

Not available.

Citizenship

• Naturalization: 12 years of residence (11 of the preceding 14 years + 12 months immediately preceding application). ^[3]
• OCI route: OCI holders can apply for citizenship after 5 years registered as OCI + 1 year residence. ^[4]
• Dual citizenship: Not recognized. OCI is the workaround (lifelong visa, no political rights, no property in some agricultural categories).
• Language/renunciation: Renunciation of prior nationality required.

Tax

• Individual income tax: Progressive (new regime) up to 30% + surcharge (up to 25% on high earners) + 4% cess; effective top rate ~39%–42.7%. ^[5]
• Residency: Resident and Ordinarily Resident (ROR) taxed on worldwide income; Resident but Not Ordinarily Resident and non-residents taxed on India-source income only.
• No special nomad regime.

IT / Digital Nomad

No digital-nomad visa. Remote workers for foreign employers cannot legally work long-term on a tourist/e-visa; the practical options are the business visa (limited) or an employment visa with a local entity. India is a major IT/outsourcing hub (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune) but primarily for domestic employment, not foreign remote workers.

Yacht / Maritime

Long coastline (~7,500 km); major ports: Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Visakhapatnam. Recreational yachting is limited; foreign yacht cruising is niche and bureaucratically heavy. Not a mainstream yachting destination.

Notes for RU Citizens

Visa required (e-visa available). No visa-free entry. Employment visa requires a sponsoring employer; OCI not available to RU nationals without Indian origin. Banking for non-residents is possible but compliance-heavy. Some RU nationals use Goa as a seasonal base on tourist/e-visa (30-day tourist eVisa, extendable only in limited cases).

Community Pulse

India is not a residence-by-investment market; the only true long-stay vehicle is OCI (for those of Indian origin). Foreigners typically stay on employment or business visas. There is consistent expat frustration with FRRO bureaucracy and the US$25,000 employment salary floor.