Help, where to start, moving to Goa

Hi my boyfriend is Indian from Goa and we both live in Scotland. We have been together for 5 years. We want to get married and move to Goa in the next few years and have plans to start a business. We would be getting married in Scotland then moving to Goa but which visa would I apply for and would it be a permanent visa? Also I would very much like to get in touch with people who have moved from the UK to Goa as I would like to make some friends with like minded people. My boyfriend still has his Indian nationality he is here on a leave to remain visa. His family all live over there so we would have a place to stay initially. Any help is greatly appreciated I just don't know where to start.

Laura

Hello Laura and welcome to indiamike.com

Have you been to Goa? (or India)

Have a good read through the Goa forum, there's lots of interesting stuff there.

At the moment, too many politicians in Goa seem to be trying to promote anti-foreigner feelings amongst the locals, I don't know what part (if any) the expats and tourists have played in this, but it's worth trying to learn more about this before deciding to move to Goa.

It will do no harm to spend 6 months in Goa on a tourist visa before deciding to move permanently.

EDIT. OK, saw your 2nd post, so the above should just be ignored and used as an example of why details are important.

Hi Steve

Thanks for your quick reply..I have stayed in Goa for 4 months last march and been another twice for 2 weeks at a time so I know what I'm getting myself into. I just dont know how to go about getting a permanent visa in Goa to live with my future husband without having to give up my British passport. I have heard I would need to apply for and X (entry) visa which allows me to live there for a year then I can apply for a PIO visa. Sounds like a lot of trouble. Just want to hear others experiences of similar things.

Laura

PIO = Person of Indian Origin.

Are you a PIO? (I'm sure it makes a difference, though to be honest, I know nothing about the different visas or the requirements needed to get them).

There will be other members replying soon (or before the morning) who know a lot more than me.

no I am fully scottish (white) but this is the process I have heard I have to go through and I thought it was a little strange but hey this is India we are talking about right?

Laura

As a spouse you would be entitled to apply for a PIO card which lasts for 15 years. I believe that you have to be married for a year before you can apply but I'm not 100% sure about that as I had been married over 20 years before I applied for mine. You will find all the details on the HCI website.

Hi Laura,

i am looking to move to Goa to start a business with my boyfriend and apparently we can both get a 2 year business visa, which has to be renewed out of the country every 2 years. we have a Goan partner so when he registers us as partners we can get this visa. However, it is difficult to get this if you dont have a local (Goan partner) and we can only then operate in Calangute where he is based. as a spouse of an Indian you are entitled to a CIO card (Citizen of India) through him so you wont have to give up your British passport - in fact India is one of the only countries that doesnt allow you dual nationality so you cant hold your british passport as well as an indian - you can however get this card which gives you most rights in India (i think the only stipulations are that you cant own a tea plantation or agricultural land) i myself am lucky in that my Grandmother was from India so i can get a PIO card. when are you thinking of moving? let me know - i am looking around September - need to hit the next high season. Also if you or your husband know of any cheap accommodation (room and kitchen/kitchenette) for at least a year then let me know in the Calangute/candolim/Baga area - or just outside)

Good luck and maybe see you out there!

Some confusion there. If you are thinking of OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) then marriage to an Indian citizen does not qualify one for this.

However, as other have posted, PIO card is appropriate and applicable.

It is policy not to issue them to those who have been married less than one year, but there is no stipulation to have ever, or indeed to ever, live in India. Many PIO-card holders have one because it makes regular visits easy and convenient and maybe cheaper than regular tourist visas.

As you are not yet married, you will have to wait one year after you are, but you would be able to get an "X" (Entry) Visa to get you through that year without having to leave after 180 days.

X visa does not qualify you to work --- but as you are working with your husband-as-will-be, I doubt anyone will notice. Of course, stuff would have to be in his name. Ramifications like this bare (or is it bear?) serious thought.

Bottom line, though, your husband's Indian passport is going to make all this perfectly possible. The cultural/political environment Steven mentions is something else, of course, for you to investigate. If your boyfriend is Goan, then I'd think that also will make stuff easier. There is no such thing as a permanent visa for a foreigner, India has no equivalent to Permanent Resident or Green Card.

After marriage you could try for a PIO, but expect to be told to come back after a year. That's what happened to me, so I applied for a 5-year X visa. They gave me one year and I was happy with that: I have the PIO now.

just wondered if having a PIO card does entitle you to live in india permanently?

i couldnt make sense of this sentence - apologies

Yes. The PIO card is good for 15 years and is renewable. If staying in India for over six months you must register with the FRO office (or is that FRRO?).

so could i then set up a small business (with a local partner) and employ my boyfriend, who could then get a business/employment visa entitling him to live in Goa?

Employment visas will not be granted if it is considered that an Indian citizen could do the job. That is the only flaw in your suggestion.

he would actually be the company director - it being his company - i just dont know if he will get a visa if he sets up the company himself! ? do you have any information on this as there isnt much available?