FRRO Registration: The Post-Arrival Step Foreign Employees Forget
Getting the employment visa approved isn't the finish line, most foreign nationals must register with the FRRO within 14 days of arrival, a step frequently missed by first-time India relocations.
Foreign nationals on an Employment Visa (and several other visa categories, for stays beyond a threshold duration) are required to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival in India. This is a separate step from the visa itself, and it's commonly missed by companies and employees who treat visa approval as the end of the immigration process.
FRRO registration requires the employee to appear (in person, in most jurisdictions, though some cities have moved parts of the process online) with passport, visa, local address proof, and the employer's registration documents. Missing the 14-day window can trigger penalties and complications for future visa renewals or exit formalities.
For companies relocating foreign employees to India, building FRRO registration into the standard onboarding checklist, not treating it as the employee's personal responsibility to figure out, meaningfully reduces the risk of this compliance step being missed or delayed past the deadline.