India · South Asia
Moving to Hyderabad
Hyderabad quick facts
India at a glance
South Asia
Economy
World Bank · 2025Religion
% of populationCIA World Factbook / national censuses
Cost of living in Hyderabad
Can you move to India?
Pick your passport to see whether you can enter India — and what it takes to stay.
Entry rules come from github.com/imorte/passport-index-data, updated 17 February 2026. They change without notice — confirm with the official immigration service before booking.
Getting set up in India
Employment visas, e-FRRO and the 14-day clock
India's employment visa is employer-sponsored and carries a minimum annual salary threshold. Registration with the FRRO is mandatory within 14 days of arrival for visas valid over 180 days, and is done online through e-FRRO. Hyderabad's advantage over Delhi or Mumbai here is volume — the FRRO handles a smaller caseload, and the process tends to move faster.
Read the full step-by-step guideThe Telangana RTO, and the orbital that makes driving work
You may drive on a valid foreign licence with an International Driving Permit for a limited period after arrival, then need an Indian licence from the Telangana RTO covering your address. Unusually for India, driving here is genuinely viable: the 158km Outer Ring Road and the wide roads of the western corridor mean traffic works considerably better than in Bengaluru or Mumbai, and many foreign professionals do drive themselves.
Read the full step-by-step guideOpening an Indian bank account as a foreign national
Which account you can open depends on your residential status under FEMA, not your visa. A foreign national resident in India for employment can generally open an ordinary resident savings account. Everything requires a PAN card and thorough KYC. Branches in the HITEC City and Gachibowli corridor handle foreign documentation routinely because of the tech-sector population.
Read the full step-by-step guidePrivate hospitals, cleaner air than Delhi, and summer heat
Employer group cover is the normal route, and Hyderabad has excellent private hospitals — Apollo was founded here — at a fraction of Western prices. The air is meaningfully better than Delhi's, which is a genuine argument for this posting over a northern one. The local health considerations are heat, water quality and the mosquito-borne diseases that follow the monsoon.
Read the full step-by-step guideGetting an Indian SIM as a foreign national
India requires full identity verification for every SIM, and for foreign nationals that means passport, visa, photographs, local address proof and sometimes a reference, followed by verification. SIMs issued to foreigners carry validity tied to the visa. Losing the number locks you out of UPI and bank one-time passwords, so it is worth doing properly the first time.
Read the full step-by-step guideIndian income tax, Telangana professional tax, and the April year
You are tax-resident in India if you spend 182 days or more in a financial year, or 60 days or more in the year plus 365 across the preceding four. The new regime under section 115BAC has been the default since AY 2024-25 — lower rates, very few deductions — with the old regime available by election. Note that Hyderabad is not classified as a metro for the house rent allowance formula, which reduces the old regime's advantage relative to Mumbai or Delhi.
Read the full step-by-step guideEach guide has verified costs, timelines, required documents, and the non-obvious gotchas — sourced from official government pages. Last verified August 2026.
Essential Telugu phrases
Reading a list isn’t learning it. Globe Quest turns these into a trainer — hear each phrase spoken, drill them with spaced repetition, and get scored as you say them out loud.
What to know before you go
Register with e-FRRO within 14 days if your visa is over 180 days
CriticalEmployment visa holders with a visa valid for more than 180 days must register with the FRRO covering their Hyderabad address within 14 days of arrival. The process is fully online through e-FRRO — no agent needed and usually no office visit. You need passport, address proof, appointment letter, employment contract and proof of annual income.
Get a PAN card immediately
CriticalThe Permanent Account Number gates banking, salary and most financial transactions, and without it your employer must deduct tax at a higher rate. Foreign nationals can apply online. Start it in week one because everything else waits on it.
Telangana levies professional tax — Delhi and Haryana do not
ImportantTelangana charges a small monthly professional tax on salaried employees, deducted at source, on top of national income tax. It is a modest sum, but it is one of several ways state choice affects an Indian package, and it is worth knowing it exists rather than being puzzled by a line on your payslip.
West Hyderabad and the old city are two different cities
ImportantHITEC City, Gachibowli and the Financial District are planned, wide-roaded and full of gated communities and glass offices. The old city around Charminar is dense, historic and largely a different world. Most foreign professionals live and work entirely in the west and visit the east — which is a shame, because the old city is the reason Hyderabad is interesting.
This is the easiest of India's big tech cities to live in
ImportantHyderabad has better roads than Bengaluru, cheaper housing than either Bengaluru or Mumbai, cleaner air than Delhi, and a planned western corridor with an eight-lane orbital that actually functions. The trade is a smaller startup scene than Bengaluru and a smaller international community than Delhi or Mumbai. For quality of daily life on a tech salary, it is the strongest option in the country.
Water is the constraint the city does not advertise
ImportantHyderabad sits on the Deccan plateau with no major river supply, and summer water stress is real. Gated communities rely on a mix of municipal supply, borewells and tankers. Ask where a building's water comes from and whether it has ever run short in April and May — the answer varies enormously between developments a kilometre apart.
Top industries & employers
Technology & global capability centres
Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Salesforce, Qualcomm
Microsoft's and Amazon's largest campuses outside the United States are both here, and the global capability centre model — multinationals running large engineering operations in India — is more concentrated in Hyderabad than anywhere except Bengaluru.
Pharmaceuticals & life sciences
Dr. Reddy's, Aurobindo, Divi's, Bharat Biotech, Biological E
Genome Valley makes Hyderabad one of the world's largest vaccine manufacturing centres — a significant share of global vaccine doses are produced in and around the city.
Aerospace & defence
Tata Advanced Systems, Lockheed Martin joint ventures, DRDO, Bharat Dynamics
A substantial and growing cluster, with several defence research laboratories and international manufacturing partnerships based here.
Financial services & insurance back offices
Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Deloitte, Franklin Templeton, JPMorgan
The Financial District in Gachibowli hosts large operations for global banks, weighted to technology and analytics rather than front-office roles.
Film & media
Ramoji Film City, Annapurna Studios, Prasads
Telugu cinema is one of India's largest film industries by revenue, and Ramoji Film City is the largest film studio complex in the world by area.
Engineering & manufacturing
Bharat Heavy Electricals, Cyient, Megha Engineering
A long-standing engineering base predating the tech boom, still substantial and employing heavily in the north and east of the city.
Where to go in Hyderabad
Charminar & Laad Bazaar
Landmark · Old City
A 1591 monument of four minarets at the crossing of the old city, ringed by bangle sellers, pearl merchants and food.
Local tip: You can climb it, and almost no visitor does. Go early, then eat at one of the Irani cafés nearby. During Ramzan the whole quarter stays open through the night and is at its best.
Golconda Fort
Landmark · West of the city
A vast 16th-century hill fort with acoustics engineered so a clap at the gate is audible at the summit a kilometre away.
Local tip: Go at opening or an hour before closing to avoid the heat and the crowds. The Qutb Shahi tombs next door are quieter, beautifully restored and often skipped entirely.
Hussain Sagar & Necklace Road
Nature · Between Hyderabad and Secunderabad
A 16th-century artificial lake with a monolithic Buddha on an island, ringed by a promenade the whole city walks.
Local tip: Necklace Road at dusk is where Hyderabad exercises and socialises. The lake water itself is polluted — enjoy the promenade rather than the boat rides.
Chowmahalla Palace
Culture · Old City
The Nizams' palace complex, with the durbar hall, a collection of vintage cars and the world's largest manuscript library on some subjects.
Local tip: Far less visited than Charminar a few minutes away and considerably more rewarding. The Nizam's 1912 Rolls-Royce is in the courtyard.
Ramoji Film City
Culture · 40 minutes east
The largest film studio complex in the world by area, at around 2,000 acres, and a working production centre as well as a visitor attraction.
Local tip: Genuinely enormous and genuinely a working studio — you may see shooting. It is a full day and best done on a weekday.
Ananthagiri Hills & the Deccan plateau trails
Hidden gemNature · 90 minutes west, near Vikarabad
Forested hills on the plateau edge with trekking, an ancient temple and a genuine break from the city's heat.
Local tip: Most people in Hyderabad's tech corridor have never been, and it is the closest real forest to the city. Go in the monsoon or just after, when the plateau is green rather than brown.
Emergency numbers in Hyderabad
Compare Hyderabad with…
Side-by-side cost of living, language, climate and careers — to help you choose.