Before you start

A signed appointment letter from an entity registered and operating in India
Gross annual salary meeting the employment visa threshold, which the Bureau of Immigration sets at more than ₹16.25 lakh for most applicants and at ₹3.60 lakh for people of Indian origin and the spouse or children of an Indian citizen, PIO or OCI cardholder
A passport valid well beyond the intended stay
A Kolkata address you can evidence within fourteen days

Step-by-step

1
Confirm the employment visa is the right category
Business visas do not permit taking up employment and tourist visas permit nothing. Anyone with Indian ancestry or an Indian spouse should look at the OCI card first — it removes the visa cycle and FRRO registration entirely.
Via employerWho: You and your Indian employer
2
Apply from your country of residence
Apply through the Indian Visa Online portal and submit at the Indian mission or its outsourced centre where you live. Your employer supplies the appointment letter, company proof and salary commitment. An initial one-year grant, extendable in India, is normal.
OnlineWho: You, with employer documentsStart 4–8 weeks before travel
3
Note the arrival stamp date
Fourteen days runs from the immigration stamp, not from when you find a flat. This is the most common failure among new arrivals in India.
In personWho: YouDay 0
4
File the registration on e-FRRO under FRRO Kolkata
Register at indianfrro.gov.in against FRRO Kolkata at 237 A.J.C. Bose Road. Upload passport, visa, photograph, employment letter and Kolkata address proof. Normally decided online, with an office visit only if you are called.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 14 days of arrival
5
Run the PAN application in parallel
Foreign nationals use Form 49AA through Protean or UTIITSL — the Aadhaar-based instant e-PAN is unavailable to you. Start it in week one rather than waiting for registration.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
6
Sort a Protected Area Permit before any north-east travel
Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Sikkim. It is separate from your visa and takes time. FRRO Kolkata is the office that deals with this for the whole region.
OnlineWho: YouWeeks before the trip

Documents you’ll need

Passport with the employment visa and arrival stamp
Appointment letter, employment contract and the employer's registration proof
Proof of Kolkata address — a stamped rent agreement, with the landlord's Form C where applicable
Proof of annual income meeting the visa threshold
Passport photographs to Indian specification

Things most newcomers don’t know

FRRO Kolkata covers ten states, and it is the gateway to the north-east.

The office at 237 A.J.C. Bose Road covers West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Assam left this list in November 2025 when a new FRRO opened at Guwahati, so older write-ups claiming Kolkata covers the whole north-east are out of date. Much of the remaining territory sits under Protected Area Permit rules, which foreign nationals need in addition to a valid visa. Living in Kolkata therefore means your registering office is also your permit office for the most interesting travel in India — a genuine advantage, provided you start the permit weeks rather than days before a trip.

Source: Bureau of Immigration — jurisdiction of registration authorities/FRROs

The fourteen-day clock is running before you can plausibly hold a lease.

Registration requires proof of address, and finding, agreeing and stamping a Kolkata flat inside two weeks while starting work is difficult. Register against an employer guest-house or serviced-apartment letter, then file an address change on e-FRRO once you move. Ask your employer for that letter before you fly.

Source: Bureau of Immigration — registration requirements

A Protected Area Permit is not the same thing as a visa, and it is not issued at the border.

Parts of the north-east and Sikkim require a permit for foreign nationals regardless of visa type, with different rules for different states — some require groups, some restrict nationalities, and some areas remain closed. The regime tightened rather than loosened: the relaxation that had exempted Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland since 2010 was withdrawn by the Home Ministry on 17 December 2024, putting all three back under permit. Nationals of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan need separate Home Ministry approval. People fly to Bagdogra or Guwahati assuming their employment visa is sufficient and are turned back. Start the application from Kolkata, in advance, through the FRRO.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs — protected and restricted areas

The salary threshold drops sharply for people of Indian origin and Indian families.

The employment visa's standard floor is a gross salary above ₹16.25 lakh a year, but people of Indian origin and the spouse or children of an Indian citizen, PIO or OCI cardholder need only ₹3.60 lakh. In a city where salaries sit well below Bengaluru or Mumbai levels, that difference can decide whether a role is viable at all — and many applicants never check whether they qualify.

Source: Bureau of Immigration — work in India; Consulate General of India — employment visa criteria

Common mistakes to avoid

Counting fourteen days from when you moved in rather than from the arrival stamp.
Entering on a business visa intending to take employment.
Booking north-east travel without a Protected Area Permit.
Delaying PAN and taking penal withholding on your first pay packets.
Trying to complete registration during Durga Puja week, when nothing moves.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.