Employment Visa

Employment Visa for India 2026: Fees, Documents, Letters & FAQs Fargo Worldwide · Immigration Guides · Updated 14 Aug 2026 Employment Visa for India: The Complete 2026 Guide to Eligibility, Documents, Letters & Fees Everything a foreign professional or sponsoring Indian company needs to know before applying for an Indian Employment Visa — salary threshold, application process, letter formats, government fees and High Commission/VFS addresses. DA Devendra Kumar Arya Director, Fargo Worldwide · Gurugram, India $25KMin. annual salary threshold (USD) 4Sub-categories: E-1, E-2, E-3, Project Visa 14Days to complete FRRO registration 5 yrsMaximum extendable validity Home › Blog › Employment Visa for India: Complete 2026 Guide On this page 1. Overview 2. What Is an Employment Visa? 3. Benefits of an Employment Visa 4. Who Can Apply 5. Application Process 6. Documents & Letters Needed 7. Government Fee 8. High Commission / VFS / ICAC Addresses 9. Letter Formats 10. Conclusion 11. 20 FAQs 12. About the Author 1. Overview For a foreign professional joining an Indian company, or an Indian entity bringing in specialised overseas talent, the Employment Visa is the only lawful route — a Business Visa or Tourist Visa simply will not cover paid work in India, and using the wrong category is one of the fastest ways to get an application flagged or a company blacklisted from future sponsorship. This guide walks through what the Employment Visa actually is, who qualifies, the documents and letters a sponsoring company needs to prepare, current government fees, and where to submit an application — country by country. At Fargo Worldwide, we prepare Employment Visa documentation for foreign hires across technology, manufacturing and consulting every month, and this article reflects what we actually see work — and what routinely causes delays. 2. What Is an Employment Visa? An Employment Visa is granted to a foreign national who is a “highly skilled and/or qualified professional” being engaged by a registered Indian entity, for a role that cannot easily be filled by local talent. It permits the holder to legally reside and draw a salary in India for the duration of their employment contract. It is commonly split into sub-categories: Common Sub-Categories E-1 — direct employment with an Indian company E-2 — intra-company transfer of an expatriate employee E-3 — employment with an NGO Project Visa — specialists/technicians on defined power or steel-sector projects Not the Same As Business Visa — commercial visits, no employment Entry (X) Visa — dependants; residence but not work e-Visa — short-term, non-employment purposes only 3. Benefits of an Employment Visa Legal, salaried work in India — the only visa category that permits drawing an Indian salary. Multi-year presence — issued for up to one year or the contract length, and extendable via FRRO up to five years. Dependant coverage — spouse and children can accompany on an Entry (X) Visa. Path to long-term compliance — supports tax residency planning, PAN card issuance and continued FRRO-registered stay. Company credibility — sponsoring correctly (rather than misusing a Business Visa) protects the Indian entity from penalties and blacklisting. 4. Who Can Apply for an Employment Visa? Eligibility centres on two things: a genuine sponsoring Indian entity, and meeting the salary threshold (with defined exemptions). Salary threshold — visualised Standard thresholdUS$25,000 / yr IIT/IIM/NIT/IISER faculty₹9.10 lakh / yr PIO/spouse of Indian citizen₹3.60 lakh / yr Ethnic cooks / non-English teachers / embassy staffExempt Bars are illustrative proportions relative to the standard US$25,000 benchmark, not exact currency conversions. Confirm exact figures with the Indian Mission at the time of application. Eligible profiles include senior executives, technical specialists, IT/engineering professionals, academic faculty (at the specified institutions), consultants engaged on a fixed-fee contract basis, and intra-company transferees. Not eligible: routine clerical or manual roles that can be filled locally, and general BPO/ITES staff (who are not eligible for the salary-threshold exemption even in listed categories). The sponsoring employer must be a registered Indian entity — a private limited company, LLP, branch/liaison/project office, or an Indian client formally engaging a foreign consultant. Foreign companies without an Indian legal entity generally cannot sponsor an Employment Visa directly. Hiring a foreign national for your Indian entity? Fargo Worldwide prepares complete Employment Visa documentation — contracts, undertaking letters, salary certificates and FRRO filings — so your application goes in clean the first time. WhatsApp Our Team Book a Consultation 5. Application Process 1Confirm eligibilityVerify salary threshold, role type and sponsoring entity status. 2Prepare employer lettersContract, undertaking letter, company registration proof. 3Complete online formindianvisaonline.gov.in/visa — print and sign for regular visa. 4Submit at Mission/VFS/BLSBy appointment, with biometrics where required. 5Mission decisionApproval rests solely with the Indian Mission — not the service provider. 6Arrive & register with FRROWithin 14 days of arrival if the stay exceeds 180 days. India processes a very high volume of Employment Visa applications annually, with indicative processing windows commonly cited around 10–30 working days — but this depends heavily on nationality, role and documentation completeness, and is never guaranteed. 6. Documents & Letters Needed to Apply From the Applicant Passport valid 6+ months with blank pages Compliant photograph (51×51mm, plain background) Signed online application form Proof of qualifications / professional experience Signed employment contract or appointment letter CV/resume supporting the specialised role claim From the Sponsoring Indian Company Certificate of Incorporation / company registration Company undertaking/sponsorship letter Board resolution or authorisation, where applicable Salary certificate confirming the annual package Company profile / latest financials, if requested GST or other registration proof, where applicable Need these drafted correctly the first time? Get in touch with our team — incomplete or inconsistent employer letters are the single most common reason Employment Visa applications stall. 7. Government Fee for Employment Visa The Employment Visa is issued as a regular (paper) visa — there is no e-Visa route for employment. This means the government fee follows the same nationality-based reciprocity schedule that each Indian Mission publishes for regular visas generally (the same table used for Business and other paper-visa categories for that country), rather than one flat