India digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)

Legal framework

Passport (Entry into India) Act 1920 and Foreigners Act 1946, administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Bureau of Immigration; visa categories governed by MHA visa manual (Employment, Business, e-Tourist, e-Business) with FRRO registration

Key points: digital nomad & residency in India

1. 01No dedicated nomad visa

   India has not created a digital-nomad or remote-work visa category. MHA's published visa list (e-Tourist, e-Business, Employment, Medical, Student, Conference, etc.) contains no remote-work class.

   indianvisaonline.gov.in mha.gov.in

2. 02Employment Visa gate

   The Employment Visa requires a contract with an Indian entity and a gross salary of at least USD 25,000 per year (with narrow exemptions for chefs, non-English language teachers, and diplomatic staff). It is not available to a foreigner simply working online for a company abroad.

   cgisf.gov.in mha.gov.in

3. 03Tourist and Business visa limits

   The e-Tourist Visa (30-day, 1-year, 5-year variants) prohibits any employment. The Business Visa/e-Business Visa covers meetings, trade and setup activities and does not authorize salaried work; each Business-Visa stay is generally capped at 180 days per visit.

   indianvisaonline.gov.in mha.gov.in

4. 04State-level nomad initiatives

   Goa has publicly urged the central government to create a digital-nomad visa and to build supporting portals, and Sikkim inaugurated India's first 'Digital Nomad Village' at Yakten (Pakyong district) in July 2025 — but neither creates a new immigration status; visitors still rely on standard tourist/business visas.

   newsonair.gov.in gomantaktimes.com

5. 05No golden / investment residency

   India has no residency-by-investment or 'golden visa' scheme. Buying property, establishing a business, or investing in a fund does not confer any residency right; long-stay routes remain sponsored (Employment, Student, Research, Journalist, etc.).

   goldenvisas.com mha.gov.in

6. 06OCI is heritage-only

   The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card grants lifelong multi-purpose entry, work and residence rights, but is restricted to persons of Indian origin (and their spouses) — it is not open to unrelated foreign remote workers.

   ociservices.gov.in cgisf.gov.in

7. 07FRRO registration duty

   Any foreigner on a long-term (>180-day) visa must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival; failure attracts fines and can block a Residence Permit. This applies to all long-stay categories India does offer.

   mha.gov.in indianvisaonline.gov.in

Timeline of decisions

1. 1 Sept 2025Law · official
   Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 comes into force; Exemption Order notified

   India's consolidated immigration law took effect, repealing four legacy statutes and introducing mandatory biometrics, expanded reporting by hotels/universities/hospitals, and tougher penalties, the new statutory backbone governing any foreigner (including remote workers) entering or staying in India. The same day the MHA notified the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025 in the Gazette.

   DD News (Govt of India)

2. 14 Jul 2025Guidance · official
   Yakten, Sikkim declared India's first 'digital nomad village'

   Sikkim's government inaugurated the 'Nomad Sikkim' initiative at Yakten, equipping co-working homestays with high-speed internet to attract remote workers, the first concrete state-level move to court digital nomads, though without any dedicated visa.

   Government of Sikkim

3. 4 Apr 2025Law
   Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 receives Presidential assent

   President Droupadi Murmu signed the Bill into law after passage by both houses, completing the modernization of India's foreigner-management framework that had relied on colonial-era statutes.

   PRS Legislative Research

4. 27 Mar 2025Law · official
   Lok Sabha passes the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025

   Home Minister Amit Shah introduced and steered the Bill through the lower house, framing it as a national-security-focused overhaul of how foreigners' entry, stay and exit are regulated.

   Press Information Bureau

5. 1 Jul 2022Guidance
   Goa launches 'Workation Goa', pushes for a remote-work visa

   Goa's tourism/IT minister Rohan Khaunte launched the Workation Goa campaign and began lobbying the PMO and central ministries to make Goa India's first destination with a dedicated digital-nomad visa, a proposal that has not been adopted by the Union government.

   Euronews

6. 27 Nov 2014Guidance · official
   e-Tourist Visa (Electronic Travel Authorization) launched

   India introduced its online e-Visa with ETA, initially for 43 countries; later expanded into tourist, business and other categories. Because India has no nomad visa, remote workers today rely on these e-Tourist/e-Business visas, capped at 90-day stays (180 for US/Japan).

   Consulate General of India, Chicago

7. 2 Dec 2005Law · official
   Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme becomes operational

   Created by a 2005 amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, the OCI grants persons of Indian origin a lifelong multi-entry visa with FRRO-registration exemption, effectively the only long-term residency-like status available, but limited to the Indian diaspora, not general remote workers.

   Consulate General of India, San Francisco

8. 23 Nov 1946Law · official
   Foreigners Act, 1946 enacted

   The cornerstone statute giving the central government sweeping powers over the entry, presence, movement and departure of foreigners in India; it governed all foreigner status (including any remote worker) until repealed by the 2025 Act.

   Ministry of Home Affairs

Sources

1. 1.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/work_visa_faq.pdf
2. 2.mha.gov.in/PDF_Other/AnnexIII_01022018.pdf
3. 3.indianvisaonline.gov.in/
4. 4.indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/
5. 5.cgisf.gov.in/page/employment-visa/
6. 6.cgisf.gov.in/page/general-information-on-oci-card/
7. 7.ociservices.gov.in/onlineOCI/faq
8. 8.newsonair.gov.in/indias-first-digital-nomad-village-inaugurated-in-sikkim
9. 9.gomantaktimes.com/opinion/goa-get-your-act-together-to-become-a-digital-nomads-haven
10. 10.goldenvisas.com/india