January 15, 2026
A visa is a document that allows you to enter, stay in, or pass through a country as a foreign national, unless you are visiting a country with a visa-waiver agreement with your home country. The type of visa you apply for and attach to your passport indicates the purpose of your visit. This could be a student visa, tourist visa, or business visa. Today, we will highlight what companies generally need to do to apply for a business visa for their employees. A business visa grants you permission as a foreigner to conduct business-related activities in a country that is not your home country. This visa only applies to the issuing country and does not permit entry into any other nation. Let’s explore the visa management process for a corporation.
Corporate Visa Management involves how companies manage the visa needs of their employees who travel abroad for business, projects, training, or long-term assignments. For companies in the Indian IT sector, consulting agencies, oil and gas industries, manufacturing sectors, and multinational firms, corporate visa management is crucial because international mobility is key to their operations.Since employees travel for work-related activities, it is the company’s responsibility to facilitate their visa arrangements and applications.
Managing corporate visas is clearly a responsibility for visa management team. However, it can be complex, as it requires navigating the requirements set by foreign countries. Thus, a structured checklist is essential to ensure all necessary information is provided and procedures are completed. A general checklist for Indian citizens should include:
– Selecting the correct visa type (business, internship, training, etc.) and completing the visa application forms comes first.
– Scheduling biometric and medical tests often helps when submitting required documents.
– The final step in the visa application is booking an appointment or interview slot at the embassy.
It’s important to keep all receipts after payment.
– Verifying the host country’s immigration rules (such as H-1B visa for the US, Schengen rules for Europe) is essential to check the employee’s eligibility.
– Keeping records of visa conditions, like duration and restrictions, is important, along with
ensuring compliance with Indian regulations (e.g., RBI for overseas travel, Ministry of External Affairs advisories).
– A visa guideline pack helps inform employees about the do’s and don’ts of the host country. It’s also crucial to prepare employees for their interviews if required, brief them on immigration declaration forms, and inform them about local laws. Employees should also understand the company’s travel and insurance policies before their trip.
– The servicing team should maintain a visa tracker in an excel sheet or visa management software to monitor the visa issue date, type, and expiry for timely renewals and extensions, if needed.
– All logistical details during the trip, such as
booking flight tickets, arranging accommodation,
providing international insurance documents (if applicable), and organizing airport pickup and local
travel if necessary, should be managed.
– The Visa team must ensure that employees submit travel reports after returning to verify that they completed the planned activities. All visa documents should be filed for audit purposes. Organizations whose employees frequently travel for work usually have a corporate desk dedicated to handling all visa and travel needs. Compliance with business travel visas in India involves following the rules of the host countries and coordinating with agencies like VFS Global, obtaining MEA attestations, police clearance certificates, and preparing all necessary documents as required by each country. Requirements may vary by country. Additionally, these corporate visa desks should stay updated on the political climates and legal changes regarding immigration laws in the countries where employees travel. Companies like OIL India, ONGC, and Infosys have effectively sent employees abroad for business.
Gilpin Travel is here to help you every step of the way with visa compliance. We’re just a call or email away.
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