r2i forum

Hi Everyone,

My company is temporarily relocating me from US (Chicago) to Hyderabad for a period of about 6 months. I wanted to get some input on things I need to be aware of when moving to India for this short period of time. Just so you know, we have a newborn baby (no other kids). Some issues I can right away think of are:
a) Finding a temporary housing in hyderabad. Since it will be for a period of 6 months (at most), I don't plan to buy furniture, appliances, etc. Any ideas on how to get a furnished apartment on a month-to-month lease (preferably).
b) Transportation while in Hyderabad. I do not have a driving license in India and I am not used to driving there at all. Do you recommend local transportation like rickshaws, taxis, there for this short period or it is better to get own car even for 5-6 months.
c) Other things like getting cell phone, home phone, internet, cable, etc, etc. How easy is it to get those services initiated and get them removed in few months time.
d) Tax issues. Will I be required to pay taxes in India as well as US. I will be continuing on US salary during this period. I have heard expat tax laws are complicated, to say the least.

Let me know any other things that I should be aware of. Please help, any advice will be appreciated.

Few things first

1) Location of your work
2) Age of kids

adesai79;304048

a) Finding a temporary housing in hyderabad. Since it will be for a period of 6 months (at most), I don't plan to buy furniture, appliances, etc. Any ideas on how to get a furnished apartment on a month-to-month lease (preferably).

www.deccan.com - Is the local english daily news paper. They have a scanned copy of the actual paper online. You can go through classifieds section and should be able to find a good rental including a furnished one.

adesai79;304048

b) Transportation while in Hyderabad. I do not have a driving license in India and I am not used to driving there at all. Do you recommend local transportation like rickshaws, taxis, there for this short period or it is better to get own car even for 5-6 months.

Driving license you can contact any agent nearby or even look them up in the paper. You should be able to get your license. Do you have a PAN card ? There are plenty of cab services available for you that you can call them and they come right to your home to pick you up. Pretty reliable I must say with obviously few exceptions. Also if you are in the city, then there are autos everywhere. Initially I would suggest you try the cab services before going to an auto.

adesai79;304048

c) Other things like getting cell phone, home phone, internet, cable, etc, etc. How easy is it to get those services initiated and get them removed in few months time.

For cell phone / Home phone and internet you should have some identification. I would go with BSNL and if you are working from Home, then get a Tata's Photon+ card as well. Removing them should not be a problem, But getting the wired phone and internet might take a little bit of time. For BSNL I would suggest 2 weeks.

If you are working from home you might need a battery back up as well.


I think it's important to select an area where you would like to stay. If your work is in Hitech city area, then you will find lots of apartment rentals with decent amenities.