India

01The country in 30 seconds

India is huge and very different from place to place — from the tech hub of Bangalore, to the mountains of Dharamsala, to the beaches of Goa. Russians currently get a free 30-day tourist e-visa, applied for online.

India has no digital-nomad visa. For a longer stay, the realistic path is a multiple-entry 1-year or 5-year e-Tourist visa plus a visa run every 90 days, or a work or business visa if you have an Indian employer or business partner.

• Free 30-day e-visa for Russians since January 2026
• Max 90 continuous days per entry on the 1-year/5-year visa (180 days only for US, UK, Canada, and Japan citizens)
• Mir cards and regular Russian bank cards don't work
• Budget: roughly $500-1,300 per month per person

Facts checked as of September 2026. Visa rules and fees change quickly — check official sources before you travel.

02Who it's for

India works well if you want a cheap, very varied life, and you're ready to handle visas, money, and paperwork yourself.

• You work remotely for clients or an employer outside India.
• You want to try city life (Bangalore), beach life (Goa), and mountain life (Dharamsala), all in one country.
• You're a freelancer without a fixed office or schedule.
• You're okay doing a visa run every 2-3 months.
• You're interested in yoga, meditation, or spiritual practice (especially around Dharamsala).
• You can live without a normal local bank account for a while.

Not for you if:

• You want official long-term residency without an Indian employer, business, or marriage.
• You need local banking and card access from day one.
• You're not okay with remote work sitting in a legal gray area.
• Street harassment would make you uncomfortable, especially traveling alone.

03Entry & visa

Russia is on India's e-visa eligible list. Most visa types are applied for online, without an embassy visit.

Since January 1, 2026, the 30-day tourist e-visa is free for Russian citizens — a one-off concession announced after President Putin's visit to India in December 2025. It's single-entry, applied for at indianvisaonline.gov.in, and you must enter within 120 days of approval.

Beyond the free 30-day visa, standard paid e-Tourist visas exist too: a 1-year visa (about $40) and a 5-year visa, both multiple-entry. In mid-2026, India sharply raised the standard 5-year e-visa fee, from $80 to $200. Fees are set per nationality, so check the current rate for Russian citizens specifically before applying.

On the 1-year and 5-year visas, you can stay a maximum of 90 continuous days per entry — 180 days is reserved for US, UK, Canadian, and Japanese citizens. There's also a yearly cap: no more than 180 total days in a calendar year on these visas.

You cannot extend an e-visa or convert it to another type from inside India — it has to be arranged before you enter.

India has no separate visa for remote workers or digital nomads.

04Residency & legalization

India has no formal long-term residency or digital-nomad status. For someone without Indian family ties or a real local business, there are really only two paths.

• Employment Visa — needs an India-registered employer and a minimum salary of $25,000/year. The employer applies for it. It doesn't work for someone employed by, or freelancing for, a company outside India.
• Business Visa — needs an invitation from an Indian company and a real business purpose (meetings, setting up operations, investment talks). This isn't for freelancing with foreign clients — you need an actual business connection inside India.

For most people without an Indian job or partner, the real pattern is a multiple-entry 1-year or 5-year e-Tourist visa, plus a visa run every 90 days. This isn't a legal residency status — it's just repeating tourist entries.

Buying property as a foreigner is heavily restricted in India, and it wouldn't give you a visa or residency anyway.

05Work & taxes

Plenty of people do work remotely while on a tourist or business e-visa. But it's not formally legal — tourist visa conditions say you can't "work" in India, and remote work for foreign clients technically falls under that, even if the money never touches an Indian account.

You become an India tax resident if you spend 182 days or more in the country in one financial year (April 1 to March 31). As a resident, your worldwide income is technically taxable in India, though a tax treaty between Russia and India can reduce double taxation. Under 182 days, you're only taxed on income earned inside India.

With the usual pattern — a 1-year/5-year visa plus a visa run every 90 days — most people never get close to 182 days in one financial year. But if you plan to stay in India almost continuously, you need to track this threshold in advance, not after the fact.

India has no simplified tax regime for digital nomads or small freelancers.

06Banks, cards & money

Mir cards do not work in India. India and Russia have discussed accepting each other's Mir and RuPay cards, but as of September 2026, there's still no agreement in place.

Bring a non-Russian card if you can get one, plus some cash in US dollars or euros — easy to exchange for rupees at the airport or a bank.

You cannot open a normal bank account on a tourist e-visa. The only option is an NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) account, valid for up to 6 months. You need a passport, visa, a PAN number (or Form 60 if you don't have one), and proof of address. You can only fund it with money brought in or transferred from abroad.

A full, unrestricted account realistically needs a long-term visa (work or business) plus FRRO registration.

Indian payment apps — UPI, PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm — are tied to an Indian bank account and a local phone number. Without your own Indian bank account, they won't fully work.

07Renting a place

How you find housing depends on the city. In Bangalore, use sites like NoBroker, 99acres, MagicBricks, or Housing.com. In Goa and Dharamsala, Facebook groups, local agents, and word of mouth work better.

Since January 2026, the legal deposit cap in Bangalore is 2 months' rent. In practice, landlords and agents often still ask for more — 6 to 10 months' rent upfront is still common on the market, even though it's technically no longer legal.

Never send money for a place before seeing it in person and meeting the real owner. Pay by bank transfer to an account in the owner's name, not cash to a middleman, and insist on a written contract — for a longer stay, a properly registered and e-stamped one gives you more protection.

Goa and Dharamsala both have plenty of month-to-month options, including co-living spaces with coworking and meals included — pricier than a plain rental, but faster and easier to set up.

08SIM card & internet

The main carriers are Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi). Any SIM card, including a local eSIM, needs in-person KYC: your original passport, your visa (e-visa printout or stamped page), and proof of your local accommodation (like a hotel booking).

• Short tourist SIM plan (days to weeks, with data): about ₹200-500 (~$2.50-6)
• Regular monthly plan, unlimited calls plus 1.5-2GB/day: about ₹200-350/month (~$2.50-4)
• International eSIM (Airalo, Holafly) for your first days, before getting a local SIM: from about $5 for a few GB

Home internet: fiber plans from Jio Fiber or Airtel Xstream start around ₹400-500/month (~$5-6) for about 100 Mbps. Faster plans (300 Mbps+) run about ₹700-1,000/month (~$8-12). Availability depends heavily on your exact address — Dharamsala has far fewer provider options than Bangalore.

09Healthcare & insurance

Public healthcare exists, but India's public schemes (PM-JAY, ESIC, CGHS) are closed to foreign nationals on tourist, business, employment, and most other visas. So there's effectively no free public healthcare option for you.

Almost everyone uses private clinics and hospitals — this is normal, not a last resort. Chains like Apollo, Fortis, Max, and Manipal have international accreditation and English-speaking staff, mostly in big cities.

• GP visit at a private clinic: ₹500-1,500 (~$6-18)
• Standard hospital room per night: ₹5,000-20,000 (~$60-240)
• A standard surgery (e.g. appendectomy): ₹50,000-200,000 (~$600-2,400)

Bangalore has plenty of good private hospitals to choose from. Goa has decent private clinics in its bigger towns (Panaji, Margao), but specialized care sometimes means a trip to Mumbai or Bangalore. Dharamsala has limited options — serious cases usually mean traveling to a bigger city.

10Transport

Bangalore has the Namma Metro, but it doesn't cover the whole city yet — the airport line (Blue Line) is expected in 2026-2027. For everything else, use Ola, Uber, or Rapido (including bike taxis), or auto-rickshaws. To avoid rickshaw overcharging, locals recommend the Namma Yatri app, which uses an honest meter. Traffic is heavy, especially during rush hour.

Goa has no metro or reliable public transport. Renting a scooter or motorbike is the standard way to get around — cheap and common for locals and tourists alike. Buses exist but run irregularly.

In Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj, getting around means taxis, shared jeeps between the hill towns, and walking — the town itself is small and mostly walkable.

11Safety & important laws

India is generally safe for visitors, and the real risks are petty scams, not violence. The most common ones: taxi and rickshaw drivers overcharging or claiming your hotel is "closed" to redirect you elsewhere, fake tourist offices near train stations, and pushy gem or carpet "investment" pitches.

Women traveling alone should be extra aware — unwanted attention and street harassment happen more often than the global average, especially in crowded places and on public transport. That doesn't mean skip India — just factor it into where you stay and how you get around at night.

Photographing military sites, airports, and border areas is officially banned; normal street photography is fine.

Registration: your hotel or hostel usually files a Form C on your behalf within the first day of check-in — confirm that they did. If you're renting privately, ask your landlord whether they filed it for you.

Emergency number nationwide: 112 (free call, covers police, ambulance, and fire).

12How much money you need per month

Total: $500-1,300 per month per person, depending heavily on city and lifestyle

13Step-by-step moving plan

1. Check if you qualify for the free 30-day e-visa for Russians, or apply for a paid 1-year/5-year e-Tourist visa at indianvisaonline.gov.in.
2. Get insurance before you fly — plan for real coverage, not just a bare minimum.
3. Bring cash in US dollars or euros and a non-Russian card if you have one — don't rely on any Russian bank card.
4. Get a local SIM card on arrival, or confirm your pre-bought international eSIM works.
5. Make sure your hotel or landlord files Form C within your first day in the country.
6. Look for longer-term housing through NoBroker/99acres (Bangalore) or Facebook groups and agents (Goa, Dharamsala) — see the place and meet the owner in person before paying anything.
7. Open an NRO account if you're staying more than a few weeks and need to hold rupees officially.
8. Plan a visa run or a fresh entry on your multiple-entry visa if you want to stay longer than 90 days at a time.
9. Track your total days in India for the calendar year — if you're approaching 180, sort out FRRO registration in advance.

14Useful links & Telegram

• India official e-Visa portal
• Foreigners Registration — Ministry of External Affairs, India
• Numbeo — Cost of Living in Bangalore
• Numbeo — Cost of Living in Goa
• PwC — India Individual Tax Residence rules