United States visa guideThe US business visa is the B-1, which posts in India normally issue as a combined B-1/B-2. It is for consulting with business associates, attending conventions and conferences on fixed dates, negotiating contracts, settling an estate and short-term training. It does not allow employment for an American company.
The process matches any visitor visa: the DS-160 online, the $185 fee paid in rupees, fingerprints at a Visa Application Centre and an in-person interview, for Punjab usually at the US Embassy in New Delhi. Interview dates are the slow part, so start as soon as a trip looks likely.
Do Indians need a visa for a US business trip, and which one?
Yes. Indian passport holders cannot use the Visa Waiver Program, so a business traveller needs the B-1 visa, which consular posts in India usually issue together with the B-2 as a single B-1/B-2 stamp. One visa then covers both the meeting in Houston and the weekend with cousins in California.
USCIS lists the business activities B-1 is meant for:
- consulting with business associates
- attending a scientific, educational, professional or business convention or conference on specific dates
- settling an estate
- negotiating a contract
- taking part in short-term training
What B-1 does not cover is employment. Being hired or paid to do productive work for an American company needs a different, petition-based work visa. The line the officer draws is between talking business and doing the job.
You apply the same way as any visitor: the DS-160 form online, the $185 fee, fingerprints at a Visa Application Centre and an interview at the Embassy or a Consulate. Most Indians get the combined visa for up to 10 years with multiple entries, but each stay is fixed by the CBP officer when you land.
US business visa: the essentials
- VisaMeetings, conferences, negotiations, short training
- B-1, usually as B-1/B-2
- Not allowedThat needs a petition-based visa
- Employment by an American firm
- FeeSame as a tourist visa
- $185, paid in rupees
- InterviewWaiver only for some renewals
- In person
- Closest post for Punjab
- US Embassy, New Delhi
- Family membersNo dependent B-1 visa
- Apply separately for B-2
USCIS, US Embassy India and U.S. Travel Docs India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
New Delhi is the nearest post, with its Visa Application Centre at the Shivaji Stadium Metro Station. The process has two separate visits: biometrics at the VAC, then the interview, with the VAC appointment at least 2 business days earlier. The DS-160 lets you pick any of the five posts in India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata), which helps when a conference date is close and Delhi is booked.
For a company sending a team, two things help. Groups of 10 or more travelling together, such as a batch of professional trainees, may request a group appointment. And the appointment service's offices in Chandigarh and Jalandhar handle interview-waiver submissions, extra documents asked for after the interview, and passport collection, so only the interview itself needs the trip to Delhi.
Everyone appears in person at the interview, and nobody else comes in: the Embassy does not admit business contacts, relatives or lawyers. Leave laptops, phones and bags behind; there is no storage at the gate. For movement in interview dates, see our US appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
Officially the packet is short: DS-160 confirmation page, passport valid at least 6 months beyond the stay, appointment letter, and a photo only if the online upload failed. The appointment service adds that you may bring whatever supporting documents back up your application. For a business trip, those papers have one job: to show the officer the purpose is genuine business and that your work stays in India.
Employee of an Indian company
- What to have in your folder
- Letter on company letterhead with your role, salary, years of service, the purpose and dates of the trip, who pays, and that you remain on the Indian payroll
Owner or partner of a firm
- What to have in your folder
- GST registration, incorporation certificate or partnership deed, recent ITRs, current account statements, and correspondence or invoices with the US buyer or supplier
Conference or trade-show delegate
- What to have in your folder
- Registration confirmation, the programme, and an invitation or acceptance letter if you are presenting
Doctor or academic
- What to have in your folder
- Hospital or university letter approving the leave, plus the conference registration; our conference visa guide for doctors covers the hospital letter
Short-term training
- What to have in your folder
- Your employer's letter and the host's training schedule, showing the training is short and that you return to your job
Settling an estate
- What to have in your folder
- Legal papers showing your role in the estate and the matter to be settled
An invitation from the US company helps explain the meetings, but it is not a required document, and no fixed bank balance is set. What the officer weighs is your explanation at the interview, so carry the papers you will refer to and know them well.
How much is the US business visa fee for Indians?
There is no separate business-visa fee. The B-1/B-2 costs the standard $185 machine-readable visa (MRV) fee, paid in rupees at the consular rate, which the Embassy set at 98 rupees to the dollar from 25 May 2026. The fee must be paid whether or not a visa is issued and is never refunded, and Indian B visas carry no extra issuance fee. Passport return at a paid collection point, or doorstep delivery, costs ₹1,500 per application from 15 October 2026. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
Plan backwards from the event. The waiting is for an interview date: when our Knowledge Base last recorded the State Department's table, updated 17 September 2026, a B visa interview in New Delhi averaged 7.5 months and in Mumbai 11 months. Once you have been interviewed and approved, processing is typically seven to ten working days.
- Start the DS-160 and pay as soon as the trip is likely. The fee receipt can be used to schedule for 365 days.
- Urgent business may qualify for an expedited interview. You must have booked a normal date first, show documentary proof of the urgency, and you can file only two requests.
- Annual conferences do not qualify. The appointment service says a regular business, academic or professional conference should be planned with a normal appointment well in advance.
- A 221(g) letter adds time. Administrative processing is usually resolved within 180 days of the interview.
Frequent travellers renewing a B-1/B-2 that is still valid or expired within the last 12 months may qualify for the interview waiver, which the appointment service says takes up to three weeks from drop-off. The conditions are strict: at least 18 at the last issuance, all 10 fingerprints taken then, no unresolved refusal, and an application in your own consular district.
Why do US business visas get refused for Indian applicants?
Business files are judged under the same section 214(b) presumption as tourists: the officer starts by assuming you intend to immigrate. You must show a legitimate business purpose, a specific limited period, funds for the trip, and a residence outside the US that you have no intention of abandoning, with ties that will take you home.
The trip sounds like a job
"I will work with the client team in Dallas for a few months" describes employment, not a B-1 visit. Describe the specific meetings, the conference or the contract talks, and make clear that your salary and your role stay in India.
No agenda, no end date
USCIS expects a specific, limited period. A business trip with no named companies, no dates and an open return reads as a cover story. Give the officer the schedule in one sentence and the return date in the next.
A business the officer cannot see
A self-employed applicant who cannot show GST registration, ITRs or a running account gives the officer nothing to weigh. Bring the firm's papers, and be able to say plainly what the business does, how big it is and why the US trip matters to it.
DS-160, letter and answers that disagree
Your employer's letter, your DS-160 and your spoken answers must match on job title, salary, dates and who pays. Signing the DS-160 certifies it is true, and misrepresenting facts can make you ineligible.
Ignoring a request for more papers
A 221(g) letter means information is missing or the case needs administrative processing. Send exactly what it lists through a document drop-off office such as Chandigarh or Jalandhar, and do not book travel until the case is closed.
A 214(b) refusal cannot be appealed. A new application, with a new DS-160 and fee, makes sense once something real has changed, such as a confirmed contract, a new position or a stronger business record. For the reasoning behind a refusal, our guide to a 214(b) refusal and what to do next applies to business files too.
Tips for a stronger file
- One page from your employer is enough. Role, salary, length of service, trip purpose, dates, who pays, and confirmation that you return to the same job.
- Name the US side. The company, the person you will meet and the city. If you are attending a convention, have the registration on paper.
- Show the business, not just the balance. For owners, ITRs and GST returns explain the firm far better than one large bank figure.
- Keep payments simple. If the US company covers hotel or flights, say so; any fee for work done in America raises the employment question.
- Carry old passports. Earlier trips to the US, UK, Schengen or Canada that you completed on time are strong evidence.
- Rehearse the purpose, not a script. You should be able to explain the trip in two sentences without notes.
Can your family travel with you on a business visa?
Not as your dependants. USCIS says the spouse and children of a B-1 traveller are not eligible for a dependent visa; each one applies separately for a B-2 visitor visa and follows its rules. In practice, families usually apply at the same time. The appointment service lets spouses, children, parents and other relatives with provable family ties book together using the "Dependent" option, but each person still files a DS-160, pays $185 and attends the interview. Children under 14 skip the fingerprint visit at the VAC but still come to the interview.
Our US visitor visa guide covers the B-2 side in detail, including the interview waiver for renewals.
What happens at the US airport?
The visa lets you travel to a port of entry; it does not decide your entry. The Embassy explains that the immigration officer there decides if you are admitted and for how long, after reviewing your passport and visa and taking your photo and fingerprints again. Keep your business papers in your hand luggage: the officer may ask about the trip again, and some travellers are sent to secondary inspection for more questions.
Your permitted stay is recorded electronically on Form I-94, which you can look up online through CBP. Leave by the I-94 date, which can be earlier than the visa's expiry. For every other American route, see the United States country page.
Official sources
- B-1 Temporary Business Visitor, USCIS
- Visas, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Nonimmigrant Visas, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa, U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Arrival in the U.S., U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India
- Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
