Visa Services India

Foreign nationals visiting India for more than 180 days on student visa, business visa, medical visa, research visa or employment visa are required to get themselves registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival. Pakistan nationals visiting India are required to register with the FRRO with 24 hours of arrival. Afghanistan and Bangladeshi nationals are required to register within 7 days of arrival.

Any expat registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) is required to report their change in address with the FRRO whenever they move from one accommodation to another within India.

Any expat leaving the country after their visa expiry is required to apply for an exit permit at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in the location where they has been registered. It is however advisable to exit the country before the visa expiry.

Expats whose assignments in India is extended further are required to apply for visa extension at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in India 30 to 45 days prior to their visa expiry. Their accompanying family members on entry visa also need to extend their visa along with the main applicant on employment visa.

There are three basic types of attestations:

• State Attestation – State attestation is required before MEA attestation, where depending on the type of document, relevant state attestation is required. For example in case of educational documents, attestation from State Education Department is required. In case of personal documents, Home Department or General Administration Department of the concerned state should attest the document prior to attestation by the MEA.
• MEA Attestation or Apostille – MEA attestation or apostille is done only after attestation by the relevant state authorities.
• Embassy Attestation – Embassy attestation is done after the MEA attestation/apostille.

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is issued to India Passport holders in case they have applied for Residential Status, Employment or Long term visa of for immigration. PCC cannot be issued for persons going abroad on Tourist visa.

(i) Multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long visa to visit India;

(ii) Exemption from reporting to Police authorities for any length of stay in India; and

(iii) Parity with NRIs in financial, economic and educational fields except in the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

A foreign national, – (i) who was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after 26th January, 1950; or (ii) who was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January, 1950; or (iii) who belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947; or (iv) who is a child or a grandchild or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or (v) who is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or (vi) who is a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India – is eligible for registration as OCI cardholder. Besides, spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application is also eligible for registration as OCI cardholder. However, no person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, shall be eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder.

Aadhaar card is a 12-digit unique identity number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Aadhaar card establishes uniqueness of every individual on the basis of demographic and biometrics – fingerprints and retina scans.

Aadhaar number can also be linked to services like banking, mobile phone connections and other Government and Non-Government services. It is very convenient to use as it can be easily verified online and therefore lowers the risk of fake ID proofs.

Important: As per recent updates by the Foreigner’s Registration offices in India, we understand that it will soon be mandatory for every expat to obtain an Aadhaar Card and this Aadhaar card may become one of the mandatory documents for immigration formalities in India.

Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a code that acts as an identification for Indian & foreign nationals, especially those who pay Income Tax. It is a unique, 10-character alpha-numeric identifier, issued to all judicial entities identifiable under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961.

It is issued by the Indian Income Tax Department under the supervision of the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) and it also serves as an important proof of identification.

The PAN is mandatory for a majority of financial transactions such as opening a bank account, receiving taxable salary or professional fees, sale or purchase of assets above specified limits etc.; especially high-value transactions.

The primary purpose of the PAN is to bring a universal identification to all financial transactions and to prevent tax evasion by keeping track of monetary transactions, especially those of high-net-worth individuals who can impact the economy.

Important: Pan card is one of the mandatory documents required for immigration formalities in India.

Outbound Visa and Immigration Services

• Employment visas for employees on assignment from India to any part of the Globe
• Business visas for employees from India attending meetings in any part of the Globe

Inbound Visa and Immigration Services

• Employment visas for employees on assignment from any part of the Globe to India
• Business visas for employees coming to India for meetings from any part of the Globe

Third Country visa applications

• Assistance with work permit from India whereby approval from the visiting country’s Embassy is obtained by our Partner based in the visiting country