How do you get an Employment Visa to work in India in 2026?

Ministry of Home Affairs work-visa guidance expects a highly skilled or qualified professional engaged by an Indian company, organisation, or project. Employment Visas are not meant for routine clerical roles that qualified Indians can fill. The foreign national should generally draw salary above USD 25,000 per year. Invest India clarifies that the floor includes cash salary and allowances plus taxable perquisites such as rent-free accommodation when those items count as salary for income tax. Published exceptions include ethnic cooks, non-English language teachers or translators, and certain embassy staff.

Apply from your country of nationality or a country where you have lived permanently for more than two years. Typical packs include the appointment letter or contract, CV, educational certificates (often apostilled in the issuing country: Apostille documents), company registration proof, and an employer undertaking. The visa sticker names the sponsoring organisation. Tourist or e-Tourist ETAs are not a quiet substitute: Apply for an e-visa.

Register through e-FRRO when your Employment Visa is valid for more than 180 days: FRRO registration. Get a PAN so payroll TDS works, open an Indian bank account, and keep Form 16 ready for later filings: File taxes. Extensions run through e-FRRO Visa Extension with fresh employer and tax evidence: Renew a residence permit.

Changing employers usually means a new Employment Visa file, not a casual transfer stamp. Sequence the wider settlement checklist in Paperwork after moving and the pathway overview in Apply for a residence permit. Office culture and hours still vary by metro once compliance is done: Work-life balance.