India’s online visa portal enables e-biz visa option for Chinese

India’s online visa portal now offers e-business visas for Chinese nationals, facilitating entry for technicians to work on projects at domestic manufacturing firms under the government’s production-linked incentives (PLI) scheme.

An e-business visa permits multiple entries for business professionals, is processed within 72 hours, and remains valid for 365 days. It allows a stay of up to 180 days in India.

Some Indian manufacturing firms had earlier raised concerns over delay in getting visas for Chinese technicians invited to India to install or repair particular machines besides training Indian workers.

The portal became operational last week, The Times of India reported on Thursday, citing a government official.

Before making the facility live, the home ministry conducted training modules for the different departments granting these visas, the report said.

Technicians typically require a three-six month visa for tasks such as machine installation and workforce training.

To boost its manufacturing sector, India introduced the PLI scheme in 2021 with an allocation of ₹1.97 crore, targeting 14 sectors including telecommunications, textiles, and automotive.

In April 2020, India amended foreign direct investment (FDI) rules requiring firms from border-sharing countries, including China, to obtain approval before investments.

This move, influenced by border tensions in May 2020, led to a decrease in Chinese FDI to India, totaling only $2.5 billion from April 2000 to March 2024.