Indian Embassy in UK
High Commission of India, London
India House,
Aldwych, London
WC2B 4 NA
T: +44 (0) 207 836 8484 (Main switchboard number during office hours) or
+44 (0) 207 379 6242 (Night line operational outside office hours).
For all enquiries, please contact the Embassy directly.
British Council India
Work Permits
If you are a short-term visitor (less than 180 days ), you can register as a consultants. For this, you need to apply for prior clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs writing out the purpose of the visit and the project and the Indian partner organisation (if any) at least 60 days before your expected arrival. Once the No objection is received the partner can invite you to visit the country. However you must register with the local Foreigners Registration Office if your visit is more than 180 days. Any work related visits beyond 180 days will be applicable to Income Tax laws.
Visas
All foreign nationals visiting India require a valid Indian visa issued by the Indian consulate in their respective countries. Obviously passports must be valid for more than 90 day. This can be obtained from the Indian consulate: fill in and sign the visa application form, provide photographs, the purpose of your visit clearly, the period of stay and attach a letter of invitation. The visitor must clearly state the type of visa required i.e. Business, Single Entry/Multiple visa, spouse visa, and visa fee etc and must accompany this with supporting documents. A visa is a mandatory requirement for India and visas are not issued on arrival as in some other countries.
Entry Clearance for Events and Exhibitions
For a group visit , the group must provide the Indian partner/venue at least four weeks in with the purpose and extent of the visit. Once the No-Objection Certificate has been obtained (see above) you should forward a copy to the India High Commission in the UK or in your own country of origin. This assists in obtaining a visa for you and your troupe.
Freight
You must provide full details of the freight you will be getting by Cargo, Courier or Hand carriage for the event. You must provide copies of the invoice, packing list, Airway bill details etc. The invoice must clearly state the purpose of import and the value ascertained for commercial or non-commercial reasons. In case of an exhibition shipment on a re-export basis, the value indicated on the invoice must clearly indicate that the shipment is of "No commercial interests and on re-export basis. The value indicated is for custom purposes only.
Kindly note, for shipping exhibition consignments into India, we always advise to take the cargo route i.e. air freighting the shipment through a shipping agent and NOT the courier mode i.e.. DHL , TNT couriers etc. This is due to the fact that most of the courier consignments get stuck with Indian customs at various stations for want of Custom duties. Courier companies do not have freight clearing and handling license issued by Indian customs.
Carnets
Carnet is NOT valid option for exhibitions being held in India since the Indian customs only recognise carnets for those exhibition shipments that are being co-sponsored by an Indian government agency / organisation like the ITPO (Indian trade promotion organisation ) etc.
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