Before you start

An employment visa sponsored by an Indian employer, or another long-stay category
Proof of address in Gurgaon
Appointment letter and employment contract
Proof of annual income meeting the employment visa threshold

Step-by-step

1
Confirm your visa category before travelling
The employment visa requires employer sponsorship and a minimum annual salary. A business visa does not permit employment, and the category generally cannot be changed from inside India.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
2
Register with the FRRO covering your Gurgaon address
Not Delhi's. Jurisdiction follows where you live. Foreigners who work in Delhi but live in Gurgaon — or the reverse — routinely register with the wrong office and have to redo it.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 14 days of arrival
3
Complete e-FRRO registration within 14 days
Mandatory for employment visas valid over 180 days. Fully online — application, documents and delivery — with no agent required and usually no office visit. Apply at least two weeks before any deadline.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 14 days of arrival
4
Get address proof first
Registration needs a rent agreement or equivalent. Finding and registering a Gurgaon flat inside 14 days while starting a job is hard; a company guest house or serviced apartment letter bridges the gap, and you update the address later.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
5
Apply for a PAN card in parallel
The Permanent Account Number gates banking and salary, and its absence means a higher rate of tax deducted. Foreign nationals can apply online.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
6
Update e-FRRO if you move — including to Delhi
Moving between Gurgaon and Delhi is a change of state and of registering authority. Update the portal; an out-of-date registered address causes real problems at visa renewal.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with a valid employment visa
Registered rent agreement or equivalent Gurgaon address proof
Appointment letter and employment contract
Proof of annual income
Passport photographs to Indian specification

Things most newcomers don’t know

Gurgaon and Delhi are different states, and almost everything administrative follows that.

FRRO jurisdiction, stamp duty on your rent agreement, vehicle registration and road tax, school admissions and liquor licensing all change at the boundary — which is twenty kilometres from central Delhi and crossed by tens of thousands of commuters daily. Newcomers treat the NCR as one city administratively. It is not.

Source: Bureau of Immigration — registration requirements

FRRO jurisdiction is determined by residential address. Someone living in Gurgaon and working in Delhi registers in Haryana. Getting this wrong means the registration is invalid and has to be redone, usually discovered at the worst moment — a visa extension or an exit permit.

Source: Bureau of Immigration — registration requirements

e-FRRO is fully online and agents are unnecessary.

The portal was built to be faceless, cashless and paperless, and states explicitly that no intermediary is required. Agents market aggressively to arrivals in the corporate corridor. You do not need one.

Source: e-FRRO — about the service

No PAN means a higher rate of tax deducted at source.

Indian law permits a higher withholding rate where no PAN has been furnished, which noticeably reduces early pay packets and is recoverable only by filing. Apply in week one.

Source: Income Tax Department