Going abroad for a job, safely
You know whether your agent is genuine, whether you need emigration clearance, which insurance to take, and whom to call if you are in trouble abroad.
About this guidePending verification
Published on 12-11-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
For whom: People of Telangana who want to go abroad for a job (especially to the Gulf), those already working there, and their families.
In an emergency, call at once
18001103090Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (Ministry of External Affairs), 24 hours; free from IndiaAnswer the questions below first. Then the documents and steps open.
1Your situation
We show only what your answers need.
- Which of these are you?
- Is "ECR" printed in your passport?
- Where is the job?
- How did you get this job?
Your answers stay on this phone.
Each step below says who it is for. Confirm yours at the office, then change your answer here.
Another route for you
Emigration clearance and PBBY insurance are for citizens of India (the ECR category is for Indian citizens' passports). An OCI cardholder is a foreign national holding a foreign passport, not a citizen of India (Ministry of Home Affairs notification S.O. 1050(E), 2021).
→ For trouble abroad, contact the embassy of the country whose passport you hold.
Sources: 10, 8, 11
Another route for you
Emigration clearance and PBBY insurance are for citizens of India (the ECR category is for Indian citizens' passports). This guide does not apply to foreign nationals.
→ For trouble abroad, contact the embassy of the country whose passport you hold.
Sources: 10, 8
2Documents you need
Tick the ones you have. They are kept in this browser.
Details
Sources: 10, 2
Details
Any one of: class 10 (matriculation) pass or higher certificate; proof of being over 50; a two-year diploma recognised by NCVT/SCVT or a three-year polytechnic diploma; a recognised nursing qualification; a professional degree; proof of income tax paid last year (not a nil return) with PAN; proof of more than three years spent abroad; being a gazetted government servant
Not confirmed: Attach a self-attested photocopy and show the original at the counter. The gazetted, income-tax and professional-degree categories also cover the spouse and dependent children; the three-years-abroad category also covers the spouse. There are a few more categories (seamen, holders of a permanent residence visa, children); ask at the Passport Seva Kendra.
Sources: 10
Details
Signed by the foreign employer, the agent (if any) and you, with the job, the salary and other benefits written in it
If you don't have it: The employer or the agent gives it.
Sources: 5, 2
Details
Not a tourist visa
If you don't have it: The employer arranges it.
Sources: 5, 2
Details
If the employer is registered on eMigrate: the Job ID, the Job Code and the signed contract. If not: a demand letter attested by the Indian Mission, the signed contract and a copy of the visa
If you don't have it: The employer must give them to you.
Sources: 2
Details
If you don't have it: Online on eMigrate, or from an insurance company registered with IRDAI.
Sources: 8, 1, 15
Details
If you don't have it: The agent must give it for what you pay.
Sources: 5
Nothing to get ready before these steps.
3Your steps
· Do them in order. Tick each one when it is done.
- Do this nowIf: In one of these 18 countries: UAE (Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan (the passport booklet's list has Brunei and not South Sudan: if your job is in either, check on eMigrate or ask PBSK)
eMigrate's home page says the issue of emigration clearance for Libya and Yemen is at present suspended; if your job is in either, ask PBSK (1800 11 3090) before you pay anyone or travel.
Sources: 1
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India
If you go through an agent: before you pay, check on the eMigrate website, under "List of active RA" (or "Find Recruiting Agent"), that the agent is registered with the Ministry of External Affairs.
A registered agent has a licence number, shown in their office and in their advertisements. Do not trust "agents" who talk only on WhatsApp or Facebook and will not give their address.
Open the official pageSources: 5, 2
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India
If you go through an agent: a registered agent may not take more than ₹30,000 + 18% GST from you as the service charge.
Ask for a receipt for what you pay.
Sources: 5
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India
Before you leave, have the employment contract in your hand: signed by the foreign employer, the agent (if any) and you, with the job and the salary written in it.
Go for work only on an employment visa, never on a tourist visa.
Sources: 5
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India
Before you travel, attend Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT), where you learn about conditions in the country you are going to.
By the eMigrate list, the PDOT centres in Telangana are: ITI Mallepally Campus, Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad; Government ITI, opposite Ujjwala Park, Karimnagar; ITI (Boys) Campus, Nizamabad. Phone: 040-23342040, 79979 73358. The e-mail eMigrate gives for these centres is that of TOMCOM (Telangana Overseas Manpower Company), the Telangana government company. By the same list, training runs Monday to Friday (at Karimnagar and Nizamabad, depending on registrations), 9 am to 5 pm; those who come late are not let in. If you walk in, a centre takes you only if it has seats, after checking your eMigrate ARN or Job ID; carry that number (ask your agent for it if you go through one).
Not confirmed
Whether there is a fee is not on the pages we read. We could not open the TOMCOM website (tomcom.telangana.gov.in). Phone and ask.
Sources: 5, 1, 14, 6
- Do this nowIf: I do not have a passport yet
Get a passport first.
If you passed class 10 or are over 50 (or fall in another Non-ECR category), mark "Non-ECR" as yes in the application and give the proof; otherwise ECR is printed in the passport. Come back to this guide once you have it.
Open the official pageSources: 10
- Do this nowIf: Yes, it says ECR
If ECR is printed but you now fall in a Non-ECR category (for example you have passed class 10, or are over 50), you can apply for a re-issue of the passport for "ECR Deletion".
Once ECR is removed, you do not need emigration clearance for a job. For a job in Iraq, eMigrate registration is still needed even with a Non-ECR passport; the airport checks it before you travel.
Open the official pageSources: 10, 2
- Do this nowIf: No, ECR is not printed anywhere
As ECR is not printed in your passport, you do not need emigration clearance to go for a job.
If you wish, you can register on eMigrate voluntarily and take PBBY insurance. Iraq is the exception: for a job there, eMigrate registration is compulsory even with a Non-ECR passport (the employer enters your details from its own login), and the airport checks it before you travel. On PBBY, the 2017 scheme also names workers in the Emigration Act's job categories whatever their passport, while eMigrate's answer on Iraq says it is not compulsory for Non-ECR workers; ask PBSK.
Open the official pageSources: 1, 2, 8
- Do this nowIf: No, ECR is not printed anywhereIf: In one of these 18 countries: UAE (Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan (the passport booklet's list has Brunei and not South Sudan: if your job is in either, check on eMigrate or ask PBSK)
If you are going as a nurse: nurses going to these 18 countries need emigration clearance even with a passport without ECR.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
This is in eMigrate's instructions to employers; we did not find the order that sets the rule. Ask PBSK (1800 11 3090) or the Protector of Emigrants' office who may recruit nurses and how.
Sources: 4, 1
- Do this nowIf: Yes, it says ECRIf: In another country
Even with ECR in your passport, you do not need emigration clearance for a job outside these 18 countries.
Check the agent, the contract and the visa as above.
Sources: 1, 10
- Do this nowIf: Yes, it says ECRIf: In one of these 18 countries: UAE (Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan (the passport booklet's list has Brunei and not South Sudan: if your job is in either, check on eMigrate or ask PBSK)
Take Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) insurance: it is compulsory for those who need emigration clearance.
It pays ₹10 lakh for accidental death, or for permanent disability that ends your job, while working abroad; hospital costs up to ₹1 lakh (up to ₹50,000 each time); up to ₹45,000 for court costs in a job dispute, if the Indian Mission certifies the case is needed; and in some cases repays your fare home, on the Mission's certificate. It gives no benefit if there is a war or internal conflict in the country you went to work in, or where the Government has advised against travel. Your nominee also gets a copy of the policy. If you go through a registered agent, the agent must buy it for you.
Open the official pageSources: 8, 1, 5, 2
- Do this nowIf: Through a registered recruiting agent
Your agent registers your details on eMigrate (Emigrant Registration) and applies for emigration clearance (EC).
The Protector of Emigrants (PoE) grants the clearance online through eMigrate. Get the application number (ARN) from the agent and check the status yourself on eMigrate.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
eMigrate says a fee is paid online for the clearance, but the pages we read do not give the amount. See it on eMigrate when paying, or ask PBSK.
Sources: 2, 1
- Do this nowIf: Directly from the foreign employer (no agent)
Apply yourself on eMigrate: Emigrant → "Apply for Registration for ECR Countries".
If the employer is registered on eMigrate, fill in the form with the Job ID, Job Code and contract; if not, with the demand letter attested by the Indian Mission, the contract and a copy of the visa, and upload them. Track the status with the ARN you get. Iraq is different: the employer must be registered on eMigrate and enters your details from its own login, the job papers must be attested by the Indian Mission in Iraq, and jobs in five provinces are not allowed (Nineveh, Salahuddin, Diyala, Anbar, Kirkuk).
Open the official pageNot confirmed
The pages we read do not give the clearance fee; see it on eMigrate when paying. The FAQ says the full list of required documents is in the "Online Kit for Emigrants" on eMigrate, which we did not read.
Sources: 2, 1
- Do this nowIf: Yes, it says ECRIf: In one of these 18 countries: UAE (Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan (the passport booklet's list has Brunei and not South Sudan: if your job is in either, check on eMigrate or ask PBSK)
Women with ECR passports may be recruited for these countries only by state government recruiting agencies.
If you are a woman, check on eMigrate whether the agent is a government agency.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
This is only in an instruction to agents on eMigrate; we did not find the order that sets the rule, or other conditions such as age. Ask PBSK (1800 11 3090) or the Protector of Emigrants' office.
Sources: 4
- Do this nowIf: Yes, it says ECRIf: In one of these 18 countries: UAE (Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan (the passport booklet's list has Brunei and not South Sudan: if your job is in either, check on eMigrate or ask PBSK)
At the immigration counter in the airport, your clearance is checked online.
Without it, an ECR passport holder is stopped from leaving for a job in these countries.
Sources: 1, 10
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen already working abroad
If you hold an employment visa and are going back after a short visit to India, you do not need clearance from the Protector of Emigrants again.
Not confirmed
This is from the passport application booklet. If your job or employer changes, ask PBSK (1800 11 3090) whether you need a new clearance.
Sources: 10
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India
Before you leave, save these numbers in your phone and give them to your family: the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) 1800 11 3090 (free from India, 24 hours), +91-11-2688-5021 (from abroad, charged), WhatsApp +91 74283 21144, e-mail helpline@mea.gov.in; and the number of the Indian Embassy in the country you are going to.
Sources: 3, 1, 2, 5
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India / Indian citizen already working abroad
If you have trouble abroad with the job, the pay, the agent or the employer, you or your family can phone, WhatsApp or e-mail PBSK.
It works 24 hours, in 11 Indian languages. They register the complaint, give you a number and send it to the Protector of Emigrants or the Embassy.
Sources: 3, 1, 2, 5
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India / Indian citizen already working abroad
Contact the Indian Embassy or Consulate in the country where you are.
Its Community Welfare Wing can also tell you about conditions in that country.
Sources: 5, 3
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India / Indian citizen already working abroad
You can complain about an agent or a foreign employer yourself on eMigrate (Emigrant → Submit Grievance), or phone PBSK and they register it.
Track it with the number you get.
Open the official pageSources: 2, 1
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India / Indian citizen already working abroad
For people of Telangana: in 2024 the state government announced a "Pravasi Prajavani" centre at Praja Bhavan, Hyderabad, as part of Prajavani, to deal quickly with complaints of Gulf workers and other Telangana people working abroad.
Not confirmed
This is from an announcement of September 2024. We found no later official page saying whether the centre is working now, on which days or how to complain. Ask at Praja Bhavan or at the Prajavani of your District Collector's office.
Sources: 12
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India / Indian citizen already working abroad
If someone with PBBY insurance has an accident: tell the insurance company within 30 days; file the claim within 90 days of the death or permanent disability.
The claim can be registered on eMigrate under "PBBY Policy". Keep the insured person's passport and a copy of the policy ready: if eMigrate does not find the passport number, the form asks you to upload both. The insurer must accept the certificate given by the Indian Embassy.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
How to register a claim on eMigrate is from a 2016 instruction; the option's name may have changed. The insurer's toll-free number is on the policy.
Sources: 8, 9, 4
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen, now in India / Indian citizen already working abroad
In 2024 the state government announced ₹5 lakh ex gratia for the family of a Gulf worker who dies abroad, and free education in Gurukul institutions, with priority in admission, for the children of Gulf workers.
Ask at the District Collector's office how to apply.
Not confirmed
This is only a 2024 announcement: we found no government order (G.O.), eligibility or way to apply. In February 2026, when it paid ₹5 lakh to the families of the Medina bus accident victims, the government said there was no policy of compensation for deaths outside the country and that it paid on humanitarian grounds. So confirm at the Collector's office or Praja Bhavan when it applies.
Sources: 12, 13
If something goes wrong
If you are asked for more moneyIf an agent asks for more than ₹30,000 + GST, or gives no receipt, complain on eMigrate or tell PBSK.
If an agent asks for more than ₹30,000 + GST, or gives no receipt, complain on eMigrate or tell PBSK. You can also write to the office of the Protector General of Emigrants at pge@mea.gov.in.
PBSK / eMigrate grievance · Open the official page
Sources: 5, 2
AlsoIf an unregistered "agent" takes your money and cheats you, tell PBSK and complain on eMigrate.
If an unregistered "agent" takes your money and cheats you, tell PBSK and complain on eMigrate. The Ministry's advisory says recruiting for jobs abroad without its licence breaks the Emigration Act, 1983 and is a punishable criminal offence. For a police complaint see the "File an FIR" guide; if you paid online, see the "Report a cyber fraud" guide.
PBSK
Sources: 5, 3, 2
If it is rejectedIf the clearance application is refused or sent back, check its status on eMigrate with your ARN (Track Application Status) and any e-mail eMigrate has sent you.
If the clearance application is refused or sent back, check its status on eMigrate with your ARN (Track Application Status) and any e-mail eMigrate has sent you. Contact the office of the Protector of Emigrants, Hyderabad: 2nd Floor, Regional Passport Office Building, 73 Red Cross Road, Secunderabad 500003; phone 040-27772557; e-mail poehyd@mea.gov.in.
Protector of Emigrants, Hyderabad
Sources: 7, 1, 2
If it is lateIf the clearance or a complaint is delayed, check the status on eMigrate with the ARN or the complaint number, and phone PBSK.
If the clearance or a complaint is delayed, check the status on eMigrate with the ARN or the complaint number, and phone PBSK.
PBSK · Open the official page
Sources: 2, 3
AlsoIf a PBBY claim is stuck: claims registered on eMigrate are handled by the office of the Protector of Emigrants, Mumbai (phone 022-26520060, poemumbai@mea.gov.in).
If a PBBY claim is stuck: claims registered on eMigrate are handled by the office of the Protector of Emigrants, Mumbai (phone 022-26520060, poemumbai@mea.gov.in). Tell PBSK too.
Protector of Emigrants, Mumbai
Sources: 9, 7
Official websites for this work
- Passport Seva Passport application, appointment, status
- eMigrate Work abroad: emigration clearance, list of agents
Related guides
The 15 official pages and papers this guide is written from
- eMigrate: home page (About eMigrate; ECR countries/regions; Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana; PBSK and KPSK; Protector of Emigrants; voluntary registration for ECNR passport holders; offices by state)Ministry of External Affairs, Overseas Employment and Protector General of Emigrants Division (eMigrate portal), Home page texts (the portal's English language pack) and its map of offices by state (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh); the 18 ECR countries/regions and the sentence on Libya and Yemen (issue of emigration clearance suspended) · read on 12-11-2026
- eMigrate: Frequently Asked QuestionsMinistry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal), Emigrant: What is emigrant registration?; recruited through an RA/PE/employer; recruited directly; Know Recruiting Agent; Raise Grievance; track grievance; notified countries; General Public: MEA Helpline; Track Application Status · read on 12-11-2026
- About PBSK (Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra)Ministry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal), 24x7 Helpline Services; Services Offered · read on 12-11-2026
- eMigrate portal instructions (the portal's English language pack)Ministry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal), Instructions to foreign employers on raising a demand (nurses); recruiting agents' monthly return (ECR women workers) · read on 12-11-2026
- Advisory on overcharging by agents for overseas recruitment, offering fake overseas jobs and illegal recruitmentMinistry of External Affairs, OE & PGE Division (14-12-2023) · read on 01-11-2026
- Pre-Departure Orientation Training: details of PDOT centresMinistry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal), Note 1 (training 9 am to 5 pm; latecomers not allowed); table, Nos. 9 to 11 (TOMCOM: ITI Mallepally Campus, Vijaynagar Colony, Hyderabad, 040-23342040, 7997973358; Government ITI opposite Ujjwala Park, Karimnagar; ITI (Boys) Campus, Nizamabad; Monday to Friday) · read on 02-11-2026
- Address and Jurisdiction of PoE offices in India (as on 01 August 2024)Ministry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal), No. 2 (PoE Mumbai), No. 14 (PoE Hyderabad) (01-08-2024) · read on 01-11-2026
- Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana, 2017 (G.S.R. 864(E))Ministry of External Affairs (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), paras 2 and 4 (10-07-2017) · read on 01-11-2026
- Instruction for PBBY claim submission (office memorandum No. 13019/34/2015 of 15.01.2016)Ministry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal) (15-01-2016) · read on 01-11-2026
- Instructions for filling of passport application form and supplementary form (booklet V3.0)Ministry of External Affairs, Passport Seva, Column 2.15 (Non-ECR categories, emigration clearance, the note on returning with an employment visa); Section D, Table 2, No. 15 (ECR Deletion) · read on 01-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 1050(E): rights of Overseas Citizens of India cardholdersMinistry of Home Affairs (Gazette of India), para (5) and Explanation (1) (04-03-2021) · read on 01-11-2026
- Telangana Praja Palana Dinotsavam (the Chief Minister's address)Government of Telangana (Telangana State Portal), The paragraph on Gulf workers (17-09-2024) · read on 01-11-2026
- Hon'ble CM Shri A. Revanth Reddy handed over ex gratia compensation to the families of those who lost their lives in the bus accident near Medina in Saudi ArabiaGovernment of Telangana (Telangana State Portal), Press release of February 2026 · read on 01-11-2026
- G.O.Ms.No.22, 02.07.2015 (as listed in the G.O. register): Opening/formation of a new Corporation by name TOMCOM (Telangana Overseas Manpower Company)Labour, Employment, Training and Factories Department, Government of Telangana (Telangana G.O.I.R.), The register's entry for the order: its number, date, department and subject (TOMCOM is the Telangana Overseas Manpower Company, a corporation the state government permitted to be formed); the order itself was not read (02-07-2015) · read on 12-11-2026
- eMigrate: Purchase PBBY Policy (online selection of a PBBY insurance agency)Ministry of External Affairs (eMigrate portal), Home page Quick Links "Purchase PBBY Policy" and the menu item "Select PBBY Agency", both opening this page (read in the portal's program code) · read on 01-11-2026