Excellent Market Potential
General Attributes
Land area: about 1/3 of the United States
Population: 1,156,897,766 estimated (July 2009)
Language: 15 official languages, Hindi is the most common, 41% of the population using that dialect. English is spoken broadly across the country and extensively in national, political and commercial situations.
Time Zone: throughout the country, time is set to New Delhi time, 10.5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Communication: more than 36 million land lines, more than 545 million cellular telephone numbers
Political Structure
Leaders: President Pratibha Patil (elected July 2007); Vice President Hamid Ansari (elected August 2007); Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (elected May 2004)
Legislature: Bicameral: the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha
Travel to & Business in India
Visas: Visa application collection and delivery process has been outsourced to Travisa Outsourcing but still takes about 10 business days to process. Submit the necessary documentation via internet or by mail. You are required to have: passport with at least six months of valid time after the application date and two blank pages, two up-to-date identical passport-size photographs, sponsor letter and proof of address, and visa fee of $173 for American citizens seeking business or tourist visas.
Currency: Indian rupee (INR) is the official currency. Rupee (Rs) = 100 paise. Notes are in denominations of Rs 1,000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5. It is illegal to exchange money through unauthorized moneychangers. MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are accepted.
Infectious Disease: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever. Pay particular attention to avoiding undercooked food. Do not drink hotel or restaurant water. Only bottled water, soft drinks, beer, wine, hot tea and coffee are considered safe. Order all drinks without ice.
Business Culture: India has a six-day work week, Monday through Friday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm, and a half day on Saturday. Many corporate offices have a five-day work week. Indians’ sense of time is very different from Americans. If an event starts at 7, some will show up an hour late. Although Indians’ are aware of American’s strict adherence to time, keep your schedule flexible for business meeting may start late.
Electricity: India does not have 24 hour electricity, however most upscale businesses have generators in place, so outages are only temporary. Local voltage is 230-240V, and plugs used are European-style with two circular metal pins and an Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin. Business hotels generally have plug adapters and electric converters available for guests.
Holidays: they are numerous, click here for a complete list
Religious Customs: It is considered polite in India to inquire about dietary preferences, since Hindus abstain from beef, Muslims abstain from pork, and Indians of many religions practice vegetarianism.
Additional Information
Agents & Distributors in India
AMT Members in India
AMT Chennai Tech Center
U.S. Department of State – Travel Info
U.S. Commercial Service: Doing Business in India: A Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies
Sources: Country Commercial Guide, CIA’s World Factbook, US Department of State