India · Work
India Intern visa
Income needed: ₹780k+ a year ≈ $8,130
Intern Visa (S-5)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Intern visa is a work route for India. Applicants need income of ₹780k+ a year ≈ $8,130. You can stay 1 yr. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- Money needed
- ₹780k+ a year ≈ $8,130
- First stay
- 1 yr
Cost, time and long term
Shown, not spent₹780k+/yr ≈ $8,130
- INR 780,000 a year (≈ $8,130)Minimum remuneration for an internship in a company; no minimum for educational institutions and NGOs.
Renewal1 year max, no extension
The visa lasts for the internship period or one year, whichever is shorter, and cannot be extended in India. You must leave before it expires, and no employment is allowed straight after the internship.
Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home AffairsMinistry of Home Affairs, India
Where to applyFrom abroad
The visa is granted by an Indian mission or post on a sponsoring letter from the Indian company, institution or NGO. A student visa holder with an AIESEC internship may be switched to an intern visa in India.
Presence rulesStay rule
Register with the FRO within 14 days of arrival: the Bureau of Immigration's visa table states this for every intern visa, while the Visa Manual of 20 August 2020 requires it only when the continuous stay exceeds 180 days.
Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home AffairsMinistry of Home Affairs, India
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Can't be renewed: 1 year in total at most
- Applications are made from outside India, not after arriving
- Needs a job offer from an employer in India
- Not open to passports from Pakistan
What you'll need
Who can apply4
- The internship begins within 2 years of graduation.
- Each mission is limited to 50 interns a year (100 where the PIO population exceeds 1 million).
- The visa is not issued for internships in defence, telecom, space, construction and strategic infrastructure, mining, civil aviation, petroleum and gas.
- It is also not issued in private security, human rights, nuclear energy, environment and dams.
What you must show1
- Minimum remuneration for an internship in a company is INR 780,000 (≈ $8,130) a year; there is no minimum for educational institutions and NGOs.
Documents1
- A sponsoring letter from the Indian company, institution or NGO states the internship period.
After you arrive2
- No employment is allowed immediately after the internship.
- The intern registers with the FRO within 14 days of arrival, and the visa cannot be extended in India.
When you become tax resident
How India decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 1 year in total
- Tax residence
- More than 729 days in a preceding seven tax yearsPresence above 729 days (together with residence in two of the ten preceding years) makes an individual ordinarily resident; 729 days or less gives RNOR status
- At least 182 days in a tax year (1 April to 31 March)Resident in India
- At least 60 days in a tax year, together with 365 days or more in the preceding four tax yearsAlternative resident test
- At least 120 days in a tax year, together with 365 days or more in the preceding four tax yearsAlternative test for citizens or persons of Indian origin with Indian income above INR 15 lakh (≈ $15,600)
- Foreign-source income
RNOR relief
A resident individual who is 'not ordinarily resident' in India is taxed on income received or accruing in India, and on foreign-source income only when it comes from a business controlled in or a profession set up in India.
- Special regime
Foreign-source income largely outside tax · Tax relief
All tax rules for India Tax records checked
Full official text
Visa for an internship at an Indian company, educational institution or NGO shortly after graduation; limited to the internship period or one year. 1 2 3 4
What you must show
- Income of at least INR 780,000 a year (≈ $8,130) · Minimum remuneration for an internship in a company; no minimum for educational institutions and NGOs. 1
Requirements
- The internship begins within 2 years of graduation. 1
- Each mission is limited to 50 interns a year (100 where the PIO population exceeds 1 million). 1
- The visa is not issued for internships in defence, telecom, space, construction and strategic infrastructure, mining, civil aviation, petroleum and gas. 1
- It is also not issued in private security, human rights, nuclear energy, environment and dams. 1
- Minimum remuneration for an internship in a company is INR 780,000 (≈ $8,130) a year; there is no minimum for educational institutions and NGOs. 1
- A sponsoring letter from the Indian company, institution or NGO states the internship period. 1
- No employment is allowed immediately after the internship. 1
- The intern registers with the FRO within 14 days of arrival, and the visa cannot be extended in India. 3
Stay
- Internship period or one year, whichever is less; not extendable.
- First stay: up to 12 months, decided case by case.
- Visa validity: 12 months. Validity is the window to use the visa, not the length you may stay.
- Not renewable according to our source.
Nationality
Not issued to Pakistani nationals. Not open to: Pakistan.
Work
Internship with the sponsoring organisation.
Fine print
The Bureau of Immigration's current visa list places internships under the student category as S-5; the Visa Manual of 20 August 2020, the source of the remuneration floor, the two-year rule and the excluded sectors, calls it the Intern (I) visa. Those conditions were not found on a page dated later than 2020.
Official sources
- Details of visas granted by India (Visa Manual extract, Annex III) · Ministry of Home Affairs, India · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2018-02-01
- Details of visas granted by India (Visa Manual Annex III, 20 August 2020) · Ministry of Home Affairs, India · checked 2026-10-12
- Visa provision (period, entry, extension by visa type) · Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs · checked 2026-10-12
- List of Visas (B, E, F, S, X, T categories) · Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs · checked 2026-10-10
Intern visa and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern visa | Needs income of ₹780k+ a year ≈ $8,130 | 1 yr | – |
| Employment visa (E-1) | Needs income of ₹1.6M+ a year ≈ $17k | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| Consultant visa (E-1) | Needs income of ₹1.6M+ a year ≈ $17k | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| NGO employment (E-2) | – | 1 yr, renewable | – |
| Research visa | – | 3 yr, renewable | Limited |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Intern visa?
Income of at least INR 780,000 a year (≈ $8,130). Minimum remuneration for an internship in a company; no minimum for educational institutions and NGOs.
How long can I stay on the Intern visa?
Internship period or one year, whichever is less; not extendable.
Can I work on the Intern visa?
Internship with the sponsoring organisation.
Who can apply for the Intern visa?
Not issued to Pakistani nationals. Not open to: Pakistan.
Is there a tax break for Intern visa holders in India?
Not ordinarily resident (RNOR) status: foreign-source income largely outside tax: A resident individual who is 'not ordinarily resident' in India is taxed on income received or accruing in India, and on foreign-source income only when it comes from a business controlled in or a profession set up in India. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Not ordinarily resident (RNOR) status: foreign-source income largely outside tax
Tax relief
Details
- On: Income received or accruing in India
- Limit: ₹1.5M/yr ≈ $16k
A resident individual who is 'not ordinarily resident' in India is taxed on income received or accruing in India, and on foreign-source income only when it comes from a business controlled in or a profession set up in India.
Taxed on
Income received or accruing in India, plus foreign-source income derived from a business controlled in India or a profession set up in India.
Who it applies to
- Resident in India for the tax year but non-resident in nine of the ten preceding years, or present in India 729 days or less in the seven preceding years.
- Indian citizens or persons of Indian origin who visit India for 120 to 181 days with Indian-source income above INR 15 lakh (≈ $15,600) are treated as not ordinarily resident.
- Indian citizens deemed resident because Indian income exceeds INR 15 lakh (≈ $15,600) and they are liable to tax nowhere else are treated as not ordinarily resident.
- From tax years beginning on or after 1 April 2026 the rule is section 6(13) and section 5 of the Income-tax Act 2025; the criteria match the 1961 Act.
Exclusions
- Ordinarily resident individuals (more than 729 days in the preceding seven years and resident in at least two of the preceding ten years) are taxed on worldwide income.
Limits
- INR 1,500,000 a year (≈ $15,600) · Indian-source income (other than foreign-source) above which a citizen not taxed elsewhere is deemed resident, as RNOR
Days in the country
- More than 729 days in preceding seven tax years · Presence above 729 days (together with residence in two of the ten preceding years) makes an individual ordinarily resident; 729 days or less gives RNOR status
Tax residence
RNOR status is annual and tests look back to years governed by the 1961 Act.
Visas
Visa type is irrelevant; status depends on days of presence and past residence.
Other taxes
Goods and services tax, surcharge and cess apply separately.
Checked against official sources on Change log
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≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 4 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Details of visas granted by India (Visa Manual extract, Annex III) · Ministry of Home Affairs, India · checked 2026-10-12
- Details of visas granted by India (Visa Manual Annex III, 20 August 2020) · Ministry of Home Affairs, India · checked 2026-10-12
- Visa provision (period, entry, extension by visa type) · Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs · checked 2026-10-12
- List of Visas (B, E, F, S, X, T categories) · Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs · checked 2026-10-10
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.