Recruiting agent service charges in India: what the ₹30,000 cap really covers

Tips · 2026-10-16 · 9 min read

An Indian man reviews paperwork and a receipt beside a laptop at a warmly lit desk at home.

If a recruiting agent in India is asking you to pay to help you get a job abroad, the law already sets a ceiling: under an MEA advisory dated 14 December 2023, no recruiting agent may collect more than Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST in service charges from a prospective emigrant, and they must give you a receipt. Older pages still show a different figure, which is why you may have heard two numbers. For a job in Australia or New Zealand specifically, there is a second, more useful point: a genuinely sponsored role shouldn't need you to pay an agent fee at all, because the employer is required to carry those costs, and charging a candidate for the job itself is illegal in both countries.

What India's recruiting agent fee cap actually says

No person or agency may function as a Recruiting Agent in India without a valid certificate issued by the registering authority, the Joint Secretary (OE) and Protector General of Emigrants (PGE), under Chapter III Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983. That registration is not free: MEA's recruiting agents page sets the prescribed registration fee at Rs. 25,000 under Rule 7, plus a Rs. 50 lakh bank security bond. A properly licensed agent has already paid to set up the business; what they charge you on top of that is a separate, capped amount.

The cap itself comes from an advisory circulated by Indian missions on 14 December 2023: a recruiting agent cannot collect more than Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST in service charges from a prospective emigrant, and must issue a receipt for it. The same advisory tells you how to check an agent is real, using the "List of active RA" link on the MEA advisory on recruiting agent fees and checks, and it tells you to ask to see the agent's original Registration Certificate from the PGE rather than take a sub-agent's word for it — sub-agents are not permitted under the Act at all.

Why you may also have heard Rs. 20,000 or 45 days' wages

An older MEA page, last updated 10 February 2023, still shows the earlier limit: 45 days' wages, subject to a maximum of Rs. 20,000. It has never been taken down, so both figures still circulate in forums, WhatsApp forwards and older articles. The 14 December 2023 advisory is the newer one and the one to rely on today: Rs. 30,000 plus GST, with a receipt.

By April 2026, MEA had flagged 3,505 illegal agents on the eMigrate portal, which gives some sense of how often the registration and fee rules are ignored in practice. That is exactly why the checks below matter more than memorising a number.

If an agent has already taken more than the law allows, or vanished with your money, our guide on where to file a complaint against a fake overseas job agent walks through the PBSK helpline, the PGE and MADAD.

The same agents increasingly sell places in Australia's random visa ballots; our guide to Work and Holiday visa ballot scams in India shows the warning signs and where to report them.

Checks to make before you pay a recruiting agent anything

What to check	Why it matters	How to check it
Registration certificate	Only a certificate holder registered with the PGE may legally act as a recruiting agent	Ask to see the original certificate; a photocopy or a sub-agent's claim is not enough
Active RA listing	Confirms the registration is current, not expired or revoked	"List of active RA" on emigrate.gov.in
Receipt for any amount paid	The Rs. 30,000 + GST cap only protects you if there is a paper trail	Insist on a dated receipt for every payment, however small
No sub-agents	Sub-agents are not permitted under the Emigration Act, 1983	Deal only with the named, registered agent, not someone claiming to work for them

What to do if an agent overcharges you or won't give a receipt

Keep your evidence: receipts, payment records, messages and the exact name the agent gave you.
Check that name against the "List of active RA" on emigrate.gov.in; if it isn't listed, that is itself worth reporting.
Contact the Pravasi Bhartiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) on its 24x7 toll-free helpline 1800 11 3090, WhatsApp +91 74283 21144 or helpline@mea.gov.in, or email the Protector General of Emigrants directly at pge@mea.gov.in.
MEA says that when a complaint is received against a registered agent, it serves a show-cause notice and directs the agency to settle it, failing which the registration certificate can be revoked.

Why an Australia or New Zealand job shouldn't need an agent fee at all

Australia and New Zealand are not among the countries where India's formal Emigration Clearance applies, so the clearance side of the Emigration Act, 1983 is built around other destinations, not these two. That does not stop a dishonest agent from charging you anyway for an Australia-bound role — but it does mean the stronger protection for you sits on the other side of the transaction, in Australian and New Zealand law itself.

In Australia, Home Affairs' guidance on the cost of sponsoring a visa says it is illegal for a person to pay an employer to sponsor them, including through salary deductions, and doing so can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment; cashback schemes, where an employer unreasonably requires someone to pay in exchange for a job, are illegal outright. In New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand's advice on protecting yourself from scams says employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you cover any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. So if anyone tells you a fee is "required by the Australian or New Zealand employer," that is not how either system actually works, and it is a serious warning sign on its own.

It also means you do not need a paid middleman to reach a genuinely sponsored role. MigrateJobs lists sponsored jobs with their terms stated on the ad itself, including IT and technology roles in Australia, a Senior Finance Manager position in Sydney and a CNC Machinist role in Sydney, so you can see the sponsorship conditions for yourself before anyone asks you for a rupee.

Common mistakes

Assuming the old Rs. 20,000 or 45 days' wages figure is still the legal limit, instead of checking the newer 14 December 2023 advisory.
Paying an agent without insisting on a receipt — without one, the fee cap is almost impossible to enforce afterwards.
Dealing with a sub-agent who is not named on the registered agent's certificate.
Believing a fee is normal because it is "required by the Australian or New Zealand employer" — if it is tied to getting or keeping the job, that is a cashback arrangement or a recruitment-cost pass-through, and both are illegal regardless of who collects the money.
Never checking emigrate.gov.in's "List of active RA" before paying anything at all.

Weighing a Gulf contract against an Australian one? The recruitment-cost rules differ between the two, as explained in Gulf return jobs in Australia. And once your visa is granted, our 30-day checklist for Indian professionals arriving in Australia covers what to set up first, from a TFN to a bank account.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current legal limit on recruiting agent fees in India?

Under an MEA advisory dated 14 December 2023, a recruiting agent in India cannot collect more than Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST in service charges from a prospective emigrant, and must give a receipt for whatever amount is paid.

Why does Rs. 20,000 or 45 days' wages still show up as the limit?

An older MEA page, last updated 10 February 2023, still shows that earlier limit and has not been removed, so both figures circulate. The 14 December 2023 advisory is the current one to rely on.

Does this cap apply to agents arranging jobs in Australia or New Zealand?

Australia and New Zealand sit outside India's list of countries where formal Emigration Clearance applies, so the clearance process described by MEA is built around other destinations. The registration check, fee cap and complaint channels in this article are still the official reference point for any recruiting agent based in India, and Australian and New Zealand law separately ban charging a candidate for the sponsorship or the job itself.

How do I check whether a recruiting agent is genuinely registered?

Look up the agent's name in the "List of active RA" on emigrate.gov.in, and ask to see their original Registration Certificate issued by the Protector General of Emigrants. Sub-agents are not permitted under the Emigration Act, 1983, so dealing with one is a risk in itself.

What should I do if an agent overcharges me or refuses a receipt?

Keep your records, then contact the Pravasi Bhartiya Sahayata Kendra on its toll-free helpline 1800 11 3090, WhatsApp or email, or write to the Protector General of Emigrants at pge@mea.gov.in. MEA can serve a show-cause notice and revoke a registration if the complaint is not settled.

Can someone legally ask me to pay toward an Australian or New Zealand visa sponsorship?

No. In Australia, paying an employer, or anyone else, in exchange for sponsorship is illegal, including cashback arrangements, and can lead to visa refusal or cancellation. In New Zealand, an employer cannot charge you for a job or pass on its recruitment costs, even indirectly through a third party.

Key takeaways

The current legal cap on recruiting agent service charges in India is Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST, with a receipt required, set by MEA's advisory of 14 December 2023.
The older figure of 45 days' wages up to Rs. 20,000 still appears online because an earlier MEA page has not been updated — rely on the newer advisory instead.
Check any agent against the "List of active RA" on emigrate.gov.in and insist on seeing their original Registration Certificate before paying anything.
Australia and New Zealand sit outside India's emigration clearance list, but their own laws separately ban charging a candidate for the job or the sponsorship itself.
If an agent overcharges you or won't give a receipt, the Pravasi Bhartiya Sahayata Kendra and the Protector General of Emigrants (pge@mea.gov.in) are the places to complain.

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