Foreign nationals and Indian laws

An article that explains the rights of foreign residents in India in what banking, insurance, property and transfer of assets are concerned. You might find it useful, here it is:

deleted..ok now?

(this is not an official or updated source, though, so do your research before blindly relying on it)


Maybe we could have a sticky with this sort of legal info relevant for the residents around here? Anyone volunteering to compile it? (or should I go post this on the volunteering thread?)

I could use that sticky too, since I found out just now, from a post, that I can actually open a bank account in India....

The problem with this article is that it's misleadingly incomplete. Just one example: it mentions the ten-year tourist visa that Americans can get, without also noting that this visa doesn't entitle the holder to stay in India continuously for ten years. Makes me wonder about the accuracy and completeness of the rest of the information.

This kind of half-baked information can be more problematical and even dangerous than no information at all. Quite honestly, I don't think a "sticky" with "legal" information is a good idea. If people want legal advice,they should seek it from a qualified lawyer or an official source, not from IndiaMike.com. It's one thing for all of us to have free-form discussions about these issues in a thread (or multiple threads, as the same issues come up over and over), but at least those don't pretend to be anything other than what they are: bull sessions. Once you put the info in a "sticky," it invests it with an air of legitimacy that's totally unwarranted. Even posting the information with a big disclaimer doesn't really cure the problem.

I myself am a lawyer, and if I had a nickel for every time some client came into my office because they got into a jam by relying on half-baked advice ("my brother-in-law told me" ..."I found this webpage that said"... etc., etc., I'd be retired and living in the South of France. I don't think we should get into the business of purporting to offer this kind of advice. It would make more sense to have a sticky that just provides links to various official Indian government websites.

Once it's a sticky, it should be official info only, sure.

I posted this one because I found it to be informative; not exhaustive..official..updated. .or necesarly very reliable. This one is not a sticky...I just flashed a link. No ill intentions, I don't think it will do more harm than good..if anyone reads it at all. Please don't throw stones..it was just a suggestion, and I think a reasonable one (about the sticky)

Good idea.

Yeah, most people will fall asleep after two sentences.

oh it's so nice to get a friendly word nowadays...

Well, we have done this with the Visa stuff. I compiled a sticky on tourist visas and related issues, others contributed to and corrected it, and I hope people still find it useful.

It does have a big disclaimer, that it is based on our collective researches and experiences, but none of us are lawyers, immigration or otherwise, etc...

I want to have a separate forum for questions, experiences and information on property buying, which, after visas is the next biggest issue on IM. But it hasn't happened next (Nadreg... Nudge, Nudge ).

that sounds good. And then there are the money/income-related issues: cards, ATMs and banking in general; income tax; employment-related questions.

Excellent idea, 'cause I was thinking of buying a property in Goa and ...

...Well you'd better get that business visa changed to a Tourist visa for a start. Then you can start with the daft questions!

I might need the business visa to start up my 'legit' company.



Sorry... 6pm on a Friday and I really should be going home.

Now, now. Do I detect a bit of cyncism - "moderator burn-out"? - creeping in?

By the way, looking back over my previous "cautionary" post, I realize what a "lawyer" I sound like. Well, I am one, so I can't help it. But I guess that just makes me unusually nervous/sensitive to the risks/downside of providing advice or information that even touches on "legal" matters.

For sticky's on such topics, I would include a BIG DISCLAIMER and links to pertinent official websites where appropriate, and where the other information in the sticky is based on anecdotal evidence (see, there I go again), I think that should be indicated as well, to distinguish it from information gleaned from "official" sources.

oh no! not another buying property in goa thread!!

Dzibead is right.

Oh jsut imagine what IM sigs could get like .

Like those stupid and, in my humble opinion, legally worthless disclaimers that often dwarf their accompanying emails!

An interesting law is that any indian policeman can order a foreigner deported at any time for any reason!!!

Indians are the friendliest folk on earth
Indian government is xenophobia defined