India’s thriving manufacturing and industrial hubs regularly attract foreign technical experts, project managers, and quality engineers for factory installations, equipment maintenance, and production support. These assignments often involve multi-plant deployments and short-term, recurring visits.
However, immigration compliance, especially FRRO registration is frequently overlooked by companies that assume short assignments do not require detailed tracking.
Cumulative stays across trips or project extensions can trigger mandatory FRRO registration. Failing to manage this can disrupt ongoing operations and expose companies to regulatory penalties.
Manufacturing companies often:
Ignoring FRRO registration requirements can result in:
FRRO registration is a legal obligation and the foundation for a foreign employee’s right to stay and work in India beyond short-term visits.
Develop a centralized system to track all trips, extensions, and cross-plant movements for foreign technical experts, project managers, and consultants.
Implement automated alerts at Day 120 and Day 150 to ensure timely preparation for FRRO registration, if needed.
Registration must align with the city where the foreign employee resides, even if the employee works across several plant locations.
Accommodation providers must submit Form C within 24 hours of a foreign national’s check-in. Filing at check-out is operationally helpful but not legally required.
If foreign employees or consultants generate taxable income in India, ensure that:
Visa type does not exempt individuals from Indian tax obligations.
Most registrations, visa extensions, and related immigration processes can now be managed online via the e-FRRO portal, which simplifies compliance steps.
In the manufacturing sector, cross-plant assignments, project extensions, and technical support visits are routine—but FRRO compliance cannot be treated as an afterthought.
Companies must:
A proactive immigration compliance strategy helps protect business continuity, safeguard foreign employees, and ensure smooth, uninterrupted project delivery in India.