Every Gulf recruitment drive in India starts with two papers from the foreign employer: a demand letter and a power of attorney. For a registered recruiting agent, these two documents decide everything that follows. They decide whether you can legally advertise the vacancy, whether the Protector of Emigrants will grant emigration clearance, and whether your candidates fly on time or sit at home with a visa they cannot use.
This guide is for owners and operations staff of Indian recruitment agencies placing workers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. It sets out what the Ministry of External Affairs requires, what to check in each document before you spend money on sourcing, and how to keep candidate files clean from day one.
What the law asks you to produce
The Ministry of External Affairs' emigration clearance guidelines are clear about what a recruiting agent must produce when it seeks emigration clearance for skilled or semi-skilled workers (MEA β Emigration clearance guidelines):
- The worker's passport, valid for at least six months, with a valid visa.
- The original employment contract, demand letter and power of attorney from the foreign employer.
- The challan for the prescribed fee.
- An insurance policy under the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY).
The same guidelines add stricter conditions for some categories. For women workers and unskilled workers, the employment documents have to be attested by the Indian Mission in the destination country, and attestation of the visa, contract and demand letter by the Mission, together with a deposit by the foreign employer in specified cases, is a pre-condition for clearance. Requirements change by category and over time, so confirm the current rules on the eMigrate portal or with your Protector of Emigrants office before every new client.
The demand letter: what to check
A demand letter is the employer's written request for workers. Before you advertise, check that it contains:
- Employer details β full legal name, address, commercial registration or licence number, contact person and signature with company stamp.
- Positions and numbers β exact trade titles and the number of workers for each. Vague titles like "labour β 50" cause problems at visa and emigration stage.
- Salary and benefits β basic salary, allowances, food, accommodation, transport, overtime and working hours for each position.
- Contract period and probation, if any.
- Eligibility β age range, experience, qualification and whether GCC experience is required.
- Date β a recent date. An old demand letter is a warning sign that the requirement may already be filled.
Cross-check the trade titles against the visas the employer can actually issue. In Kuwait, for example, a 2026 circular requires a worker's job title to match the qualification and actual work, so a mismatch between the demand letter and the candidate's certificate can block the visa later (see our Kuwait visa documents guide).
The power of attorney: what to check
The power of attorney is the employer's legal authorisation for your agency to recruit on its behalf. The MEA describes it as a power of attorney duly executed by the foreign employer authorising the agent to recruit workers on its behalf. Check that it:
- Names your agency exactly as registered on eMigrate, with your registration number if possible.
- Is signed by an authorised signatory of the employer, with the company stamp.
- States what you may do β advertise, interview, select, process visas and emigration β and for which positions.
- Has a validity period that covers your full recruitment timeline.
- Is attested where the rules for that category or country require it.
A power of attorney naming a different agency, or a "general" one with no employer details, is not enough. If a third party offers you a "ready demand and POA" without contact with the employer, treat it as a red flag.
Red flags that should stop a drive
- The employer cannot be reached on its official phone or email.
- Salary in the demand letter is far below or far above market rates for the trade.
- The demand letter asks candidates to pay for visa or ticket costs that the destination country makes the employer's responsibility.
- Someone asks you to use sub-agents. The MEA's guidance for intending emigrants warns that the Emigration Act does not permit sub-agents (MEA β Emigration and You).
- The trade titles in the demand letter do not match the visa categories the employer is issuing.
Walking away from one bad drive protects your licence, your reputation and your candidates. Special rules also apply to some categories, such as nurses and women workers going to ECR countries, so read the MEA's answers on overseas recruitment before you accept such a demand (MEA β FAQ on recruitment from India).
Keep candidate files clean from day one
Once the documents check out, the next risk is inside your own office: CVs in ten different formats, wrong passport numbers, missing ECR status and experience dates that do not match certificates. Each of these becomes a delay at the client interview, at visa stamping or at emigration clearance.
Three habits that help:
- One CV format for every candidate, with trade title, passport details, ECR or ECNR, GCC experience and certificates in the same place. Resume Arab's business dashboard lets candidates build Gulf-format CVs through your agency link, so every file arrives in the same shape. Our guide on CV software for recruitment agencies in India explains how agencies use it.
- Match before you shortlist. Compare the CV trade title with the demand letter title and the candidate's certificate before the client interview.
- Track ECR candidates separately. They need emigration clearance and, depending on category, Mission attestation. Our ECR and eMigrate guide is a good one-page brief to share with candidates.
FAQ
What documents does a recruiting agent need for emigration clearance?
For skilled and semi-skilled workers, MEA guidelines list the worker's passport (valid at least six months) with visa, the original employment contract, demand letter and power of attorney from the foreign employer, the fee challan and a PBBY insurance policy. Extra attestation applies to some categories.
Does the demand letter need to be attested by the Indian Mission?
For women workers and unskilled workers, MEA guidelines require the employment documents to be attested by the Indian Mission. Check the current rules for your category on eMigrate before you start.
Can I recruit through sub-agents in other states?
No. MEA guidance says the Emigration Act does not permit sub-agents. Recruit directly as a registered agent.
How do I verify that a Gulf employer is genuine?
Contact the employer on its official phone and email, check its commercial registration, compare the salary to market rates, and refuse any demand that asks candidates to pay costs the employer should bear.
Put your drives on Resume Arab
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