A senior foreign national who joins an Indian employer normally needs an employment visa issued before arrival, a registration with the foreigners registration office after arrival and separate visas for the family. The rules differ by nationality and by the Indian mission handling the case, and they change often, so what follows describes the usual route and the order of steps rather than anything final.
Before the offer is made
Companies tend to start with the contract, because the visa application is built on it. Indian missions ask for a signed employment contract and an offer letter from the Indian company, together with proof of the company's registration.
Candidates are usually asked early for passport validity, degree certificates and evidence of professional experience. If the family will come, marriage and birth certificates are gathered at the same time.
Offer letters commonly say that the start date depends on the visa being issued.
The employment visa
The employment visa is for a skilled or qualified professional in a senior-level position. Missions describe it as unavailable for unskilled, routine or clerical work. The visa is applied for at an Indian mission abroad, and the Indian government's e-Visa portal states that an e-Visa is not allowed for employment and that a regular visa is to be applied for instead.
The mission pages ask for the contract, the offer letter, the Indian company's registration certificate and proof of qualifications and experience. Some missions accept applications only from their own citizens or residents, and others from further afield, so the mission covering the candidate's country is the first place to ask.
The initial visa is generally granted for up to one year. Extensions up to a total of five years from the date of issue are available. The first extension is handled by the Ministry of Home Affairs and later ones by the state government or the local foreigners registration office, according to the Indian mission page in Budapest. A change of employer is described on one mission page as needing a new visa application.
Is there a minimum salary for the employment visa?
Yes, mission pages state one. The Zagreb mission page says the annual salary should not be less than USD 25,000 or the equivalent in another currency, and lists exemptions for specialist chefs and ethnic cooks, language teachers other than English, translators, embassy staff and honorary workers with registered NGOs.
Other mission pages do not word it the same way. The Beijing page, for example, gives a figure in rupees. Because the figure, the currency and the exemptions differ between pages, the current threshold is the one on the page of the mission that will receive the application, and the Ministry of Home Affairs publishes FAQs on work-related visas.
Registration with the FRRO after arrival
A foreign national who enters on a visa valid for a stay of more than 180 days is required to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) within 14 days of arrival. The Ministry of External Affairs states this on its FRRO services page, and the Zagreb and Budapest mission pages say the same for employment visa holders.
Registration is done through the e-FRRO portal, where visa-related applications are submitted online. The Ministry of External Affairs page describes a visit to the FRRO or FRO office to follow, and the portal states the current steps. The Registration Certificate or Residential Permit is collected from the office, or endorsed on the passport, once processing is complete.
The FRRO brochure says that uploading an application or booking an appointment does not by itself count as registering within the deadline, and that a late fee can apply. The current rule on this is on the portal. The registration certificate is surrendered on final departure. Exit permission is also listed among FRRO services.
Can an OCI holder skip the visa?
Where the hire already holds an Overseas Citizen of India card, the route is different. The Indian embassy page on OCI describes the card as a lifelong visa for visiting India for any purpose and states an exemption from FRRO registration for any length of stay.
Eligibility for the card is set by the Indian government and is based on descent or marriage. The embassy page lists former Indian citizens and their descendants, minor children of Indian citizens and foreign spouses of Indian citizens or OCI holders after a registered marriage of at least two years, and excludes people with Pakistani or Bangladeshi ancestry.
The page also lists restrictions: no vote, no constitutional posts, government employment not normally allowed, prior permission for missionary, mountaineering and journalism work, and no purchase of agricultural or plantation property. Companies tend to check with the mission whether the particular role raises any question, and the OCI card is applied for by the individual.
Bringing the family to India
Family members of an employment visa holder are generally granted an X visa, according to the Budapest mission page, which says its validity may match the principal's visa or be shorter, subject to security checks and eligibility. The Beijing page describes the family visa as an E-X visa under the employment category that ends when the principal's visa does.
Mission pages describe the X visa as a dependant visa. Mission pages do not say whether a spouse may take up work in India, so families usually confirm the position with the Indian mission or the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Family members who stay more than 180 days are also covered by the FRRO registration rule, with the same 14 days from arrival, and the portal has the current steps.
How does tax residence work, in general terms?
The Income Tax Department's guidance states that an individual is resident in a tax year if they stay in India for 182 days or more in that year, or for 60 days or more in that year together with 365 days or more in the four preceding years. The department's FAQ says the test is the same under the Income-tax Act, 2025, which applies to tax years starting on or after 1 April 2026, and that for those years the 60 and 365 day test also counts earlier years.
Special wording applies to Indian citizens and people of Indian origin, and residents are further classed as ordinarily resident or not ordinarily resident. A foreign national's tax position depends on the person's own facts and on any tax treaty, so companies tend to arrange individual tax advice, and the department's pages are the source for the rules.
Provident fund for international workers
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has a category of international workers, and it runs a separate section of its website for them. It covers foreign nationals employed at covered establishments, with different treatment where India has a social security agreement with the person's home country. EPFO's own pages are the source for who is covered, the contribution basis, any certificate of coverage under an agreement and the withdrawal rules, which are set by country.
Employers tend to ask their payroll or compliance adviser to check the position at the time the contract is drawn up, because it affects the cost and net pay of the package.
The usual order of steps
The order is generally the same. The offer and contract come first, with a start date subject to the visa. The documents are collected, and the employment visa is applied for at the Indian mission. The employee travels, registers with the FRRO through the e-FRRO portal within 14 days of arrival and collects the registration certificate or residential permit. Dependants apply for their own visas, usually alongside or soon after the principal.
Most delays described by missions and the portal come from incomplete documents, so firm start dates tend to wait until the visa is in the passport. The e-FRRO portal advises applying at least two weeks ahead of a deadline and cautions against agents who promise faster grants.
What about driving, schooling and housing?
On driving, the Parivahan portal is the official source for licences in India, and the question of how long a foreign licence is accepted, or when an Indian licence is needed, is decided by the transport authority of the state where the family lives.
Schooling and housing are not legal matters in the same way, but they often decide whether a family settles. In general practice, places at the larger international schools in the big cities fill early, and many companies arrange a short furnished stay while the family looks for a lease.
Questions clients and candidates ask
Does the employer or the employee apply for the visa?
The employment visa is applied for at an Indian mission, with documents from the Indian employer and from the employee. The OCI card is applied for by the individual.
Can the employment visa be applied for as an e-Visa?
No. The e-Visa portal states that e-Visa is not allowed for employment and that a regular visa is to be applied for.
Does an OCI holder register with the FRRO?
The Indian embassy page on OCI states an exemption from FRRO registration for any length of stay. Companies still tend to check the current position with the FRRO.
Where are the current rules published?
The official sources are the Indian mission that will receive the application, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, the e-FRRO portal, the Income Tax Department and EPFO. Rules, fees and thresholds change often.
Sources
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