India has operationalised a new Production Investment Business Visa (B-4 Visa), providing manufacturing and investment-led companies with a fully digital route to sponsor foreign professionals for short-term, project-based assignments. The reform replaces the earlier e-PLI visa and consolidates production-linked engagements under a single business visa framework.
The B-4 Visa is designed to facilitate the temporary entry of foreign professionals involved in manufacturing, installation, commissioning, technical supervision, and investment-related activities. It applies to companies setting up new facilities, expanding existing plants, or executing production-linked projects that require overseas technical or managerial expertise.
A dedicated online module for the e-B-4 Visa became operational on 17 December 2025, allowing eligible Indian companies to generate sponsorship letters digitally. The system enables companies to complete sponsorship formalities without paper-based approvals, reducing administrative steps and processing timelines for project-critical personnel.
The digital portal, launched on 29 November 2025, is administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It forms part of the National Single Window System, which aims to centralise regulatory approvals and improve ease of doing business for investors operating in India’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.
The B-4 Visa framework is based on a policy circular issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2025, which clarified visa classifications across business and employment categories. Under the revised rules, several production-linked activities that were previously treated as employment have been reclassified as business engagements, reflecting their project-based and time-bound nature.
Eligible activities under the B-4 Visa include installation and commissioning of plant and machinery, quality assurance and testing, production process optimisation, IT and enterprise systems deployment, workforce training, supply-chain development, and senior management oversight related to production investments. Foreign professionals such as engineers, technical specialists, subject-matter experts, and senior executives may be sponsored for these activities.
As part of the same reform, the e-PLI business visa was discontinued, with qualifying engagements now fully subsumed under the B-4 Visa. This consolidation is intended to reduce ambiguity for companies planning manufacturing projects and to align visa policy with the operational requirements of production-led investments.
Under the digital process, Indian companies must first register on the National Single Window System and generate a digitally signed sponsorship letter through the Production Investment Business Registration module. The sponsorship letter is a mandatory document for the visa application, which foreign professionals must submit separately through India’s online visa portal. Visa applications continue to be reviewed by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
For manufacturing companies, the new framework provides greater predictability in mobilising overseas expertise, supports faster project execution, and reduces compliance friction. The digitised sponsorship model is expected to benefit capital-intensive sectors such as electronics, automotive, renewable energy, chemicals, and heavy engineering, where foreign technical support is often required during installation, ramp-up, and commissioning phases.
