Recruitment Agency Register

Official online lookupHas not ratified ILO C181

Recruitment agency licensing in India

Licensing authority: Ministry of External Affairs, Overseas Employment and Protector General of Emigrants (OE and PGE) Division, which registers recruiting agents for overseas employment.1

How to check an agency in India

Registered agents must display their licence number at their office and in advertisements. The Ministry of External Affairs advises checking the List of active RA on the eMigrate portal.1,2

Open the official lookup

Who needs a licence

Recruiting agents placing Indian workers in jobs abroad must be registered under the Emigration Act 1983. The Ministry of External Affairs says recruitment by unregistered agencies violates the Act.1

Fees charged to workers

Under the Emigration Act 1983, a recruiting agent may not collect more than Rs. 30,000 plus 18 percent GST from an emigrant as service charges, and must give a receipt, according to a Ministry of External Affairs advisory.1

Reporting an unlicensed agency

Complaints against recruiting agents can be registered on the eMigrate portal or sent to the Protector General of Emigrants, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Its MADAD consular grievance portal, launched on 21 February 2015, lists Recruiting Agent Problems among its complaint types. The MEA advisory also points emigrants abroad to the Community Welfare Wing of the Indian Embassy.2,3,1

ILO Private Employment Agencies Convention (C181)

Not ratified4

Main law

Checked 28 October 2026. This page describes the licensing system. It does not list or rate individual agencies.

Sources

  1. Ministry of External Affairs, OE and PGE Division (circulated by the Government of Goa), Advisory on overcharging by agents for overseas recruitment, offering fake overseas jobs and illegal recruitment (27 March 2024)
  2. Ministry of External Affairs, FAQ on Issues of Intending Emigrants
  3. Ministry of External Affairs, Consular complaints and grievances (29 June 2026)
  4. Government of the Netherlands, Treaty Database, Convention concerning Private Employment Agencies, Geneva, 19-06-1997 (29 January 2026)