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Loading🛠️ Working abroad
Not a holiday — a livelihood. If you hold an ECR passport and are heading abroad for work, the rules protect you — if you follow them. Here’s whether you need Emigration Clearance, how to get it the legal way, and the recruitment traps that strand thousands of Indian workers every year.
The one check that decides whether you can legally fly out for the job.
United Arab Emirates: Emigration Clearance required
You hold an ECR passport and are going to United Arab Emirates for work — you need Emigration Clearance (EC) from the Protector of Emigrants via the eMigrate system before you fly. Your employer/recruiter must be eMigrate-registered.
Verify the recruiter on eMigrate
Only deal with a Recruiting Agent (RA) holding a valid licence, or a directly-registered foreign employer. Check the licence on emigrate.gov.in before paying anyone.
Get the job offer + contract attested
A written employment contract with wages, hours, job role and benefits — attested by the Indian mission in the destination country. Read it; don’t sign a blank or different-from-promised contract.
Take mandatory insurance (PBBY)
Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana is compulsory for ECR workers — ~₹10 lakh cover for accidental death/disability plus other benefits. Premium is modest (a few hundred rupees for 2–3 years). Keep the policy.
Medical fitness + visa
Complete the GAMCA/employer-required medical and get the work visa stamped. The visa type must be a WORK/employment visa — never travel on a visit visa for a job.
Emigration Clearance via eMigrate
The employer/RA raises the EC application; the Protector of Emigrants (POE) grants clearance. Your passport gets the emigration clearance — then you can fly.
🚩 “Free visa” or work on a visit visa
There is no ‘free visa’. Working on a visit/tourist visa is illegal in Gulf states and leaves you with no legal protection — a top cause of stranded workers.
🚩 Agent asks to keep your passport
Passport confiscation is illegal. Your passport is yours — never hand it over to a recruiter or employer to hold.
🚩 Fee far above the legal cap
A licensed RA may charge at most the notified service fee (₹30,000 + GST as of the current rules) — not lakhs. Huge upfront fees are the classic trafficking red flag.
🚩 Contract differs from what was promised
Verify wages against the Minimum Referral Wage set by the Indian mission for that country. A lower on-arrival contract (‘contract substitution’) is a known scam.
🚩 Unregistered agent / no receipt
If they’re not on eMigrate or won’t give a GST receipt, walk away — you’ll have no recourse when things go wrong.
Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC)
1800 11 3090 (toll-free, 24×7)
Government helpline for Indian workers abroad — advice, complaints, distress.
eMigrate portal
emigrate.gov.in
Verify recruiters, register, and track emigration clearance.
MADAD (consular grievances)
madad.gov.in
Register a grievance against an employer/agent or for consular help.
Indian Embassy / Consulate
In the destination country
Your first port of call in a crisis — save the number before you fly.
Raahi presents visa and entry information for the Indian passport compiled from public datasets. This is general information for planning, not legal or immigration advice.
Visa rules, fees, and processing times change frequently and without notice, and the underlying data can be outdated, incomplete, or wrong. Requirements also depend on your specific situation — purpose of travel, length of stay, past travel history, and connecting/transit countries.
Before you book or travel, always confirmwith the destination country's official embassy, consulate, or immigration website, and with your airline. Raahi holds no responsibility for travel decisions made using this information.