Visa reform: Govt streamlines e-visa process for foreign professionals needed by Indian firms; DPIIT launches digital module
The move is expected to benefit domestic firms that import machinery from overseas, including from countries such as China, and have faced delays in securing visas for foreign experts whose technical support is required.The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said it has launched an online module that allows Indian companies to digitally generate sponsorship letters for inviting foreign professionals under the e-Production Investment Business Visa, also known as the e-B-4 Visa.The module, launched on November 29, is part of a broader set of reforms under the business visa regime aimed at improving the ease of doing business, DPIIT said.
As of now, 129 sponsorship letters have been generated by Indian companies through the new system.An official said the earlier process was “cumbersome and lengthy”, and the new digital platform will significantly reduce the time taken for companies to secure e-visas for foreign experts.
“Business visitors were coming to India earlier also but now the visa process has been streamlined and simplified.
It is much structured now,” the official said.Foreign professionals will use the digitally generated sponsorship letters to apply for visas and visit Indian manufacturing facilities to offer their services.
The official added that the time taken to grant visas will now be “significantly shorter”.The facility is available to both production-linked incentive (PLI) beneficiary firms and non-PLI companies.
In August 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a circular to address issues related to employment visas, business visas and e-PLI business visas.Under that circular, two categories of activities earlier covered under the employment visa — foreign nationals coming for installation and commissioning of equipment as part of supply contracts, and those paid fees or royalties by Indian companies — were shifted to the business visa regime.“Further, a new sub-category of Production Investment Visa has been created under the Business Visa regime and called the B-4 Visa for enabling foreign subject matter specialists/ engineers/ technical people being engaged by Indian companies,” DPIIT said.The department said the experts may be engaged for installation and commissioning, quality checks and essential maintenance, production, IT ramp-up, training, supply chain development for vendor empanelment, plant design and bring-up, as well as visits by senior management and executives for production investment activities.
“Moreover, the existing e-PLI business visa was dispensed with,” it added.The Production Investment Visa will now be issued as an e-visa through the online visa portal.
To facilitate applications, Indian companies are required to generate sponsorship letters digitally through the National Single Window System (NSWS).DPIIT said it launched the e-Production Investment Business registration module on NSWS on November 29, which can be used by both PLI and non-PLI businesses.
“Processes have been streamlined with simpler forms, and the recommendation requirement of the Line Ministry has been done away with,” it said.The department added that auto-population of data and authentication through existing databases such as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the GST Network have eliminated the need for line ministry approvals.
The unique ID generated with each sponsorship letter will be cited by the foreign professional while applying for an e-visa, with the system integrated with NSWS through an application programming interface.
