How do you renew or extend a long-stay visa in India in 2026?

File before expiry while the visa and underlying basis remain valid. Employer HR in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, or Gurugram usually drives Employment Visa extensions weeks ahead. You still own the portal account: register with your email and an Indian mobile number for OTPs: Get a mobile phone.

Select Visa Extension, choose the correct FRRO or FRO jurisdiction for your address, and upload clear PDFs. Employment packs commonly need passport and visa pages, registration certificate or residential permit, residence proof, employment contract, company request letter, undertaking, and income-tax or TDS evidence: File taxes and Get a PAN. Pay only after the portal notifies the fee. Officers may summon you for interview; clean files often finish without a counter visit.

Official visa-provision tables mark Employment, Business, and Student visas as extendable in India, while ordinary Tourist visas are not. e-Tourist products are generally non-extendable and non-convertible: Apply for an e-visa. Do not treat a tourism ETA as a silent work bridge: Get a work permit.

Changing employers, passport numbers, or addresses can trigger separate e-FRRO services rather than a simple extension. Keep bank and lease records matching the renewed file: Open a bank account and the wider paperwork after moving chain. First-issue pathway choices still sit in Apply for a residence permit.