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Issue 30
·
February 2016
·
I
ndia
B
riefing
Registering an Indian
Employment Visa
Expatriates first in-country encounter with Indian
bureaucracy often occurs at the Foreign Regional
Registration Office (FRRO). After obtaining an
Indian visa, registering the visa at an FRRO is often
an afterthought for expatriates. Unfortunately,
however, registering a visa is a cumbersome
process.
If the duration of the visa exceeds sixmonths (180
days), the visa holder must register the visa within
14 days of arrival at an FRRO. The only exception
to this is for Pakistan nationals, who must register
within 24 hours.
Long-term visa holders should plan to register
their visa as soon as possible; failing to register a
visa within the specified time period can result in
a fine, and in some cases, an investigation, which
can take several weeks. In addition, investigations
may complicate any future visa applications or
renewals.
Registration Documents
Before visiting an FRRO to register an employment
visa, a visa holder needs to prepare the registration
documents required by Indian authorities.
Like the visa application, both the visa holder
and their employer must provide support
documents to register the visa. This process
requires coordination between the visa holder
and their employer, who should plan to allow 2-3
days to gather and complete these documents.
The visa holder must ordinarily provide:
• A completed visa registration application form
• Six passport size photos of the applicant
• A copy of the photo page within the passport
• A copy of the visa page within the passport
• Proof of address, such as a driver’s license or
utility bill, from the visa holder’s home country
• A notarized copy of a lease deed/agreement
or a C-Form from a hotel of residence
• Visa registration fees
The employer must ordinarily provide:
• Two copies of a permission letter that requests
approval for the applicant’s visa registration
• Two copies of a sponsorship letter that pledg-
es responsibility for the applicant’s activity in
India and promises to repatriate the appli-
cant at company cost if any adverse conduct
comes to notice
• Two copies of a letter confirming the visa
holder’s residential address in India
• Two copies of an employment contract that
specifically states the monthly salary, designa-
tion, tenure of employment, etc.
• The company’s Incorporation Certificate
All documents, with an exception for the
Incorporation Certificate, must be original copies,
drafted on company letterhead, signed by a senior
manager, andmarkedwith the company’s official
stamp.
Mumbai
Chennai
Kolkata
West Bengal state
FRRO Locations in India
Tamil Nadu state
Maharashtra state
Delhi
National Capital Region
Delhi
National Capital Region
Ahmedabad
Gujarat state
Amritsar
Punjab state
Bangalore
Karnataka state
l r
t te
Cochin
Kerala state
Hyderabad
Telangana state
Panaji
Goa state
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh state
Trivandrum
Kerala state
ri
r
Calicut
Kerala state