Who this is for
You are about to pay a consultancy in Kerala, Punjab, or another state for a job in the Gulf or Europe. The office has a board, a licence number on the wall, and a stack of photos. You want to know if the agent is allowed to recruit, and, separately, if the job exists. Those are two checks. Families who do only the first still lose money on the second.
The licence, where Indian law requires one
The Emigration Act regulates recruiting agents who send emigrants abroad. The MEA tells job seekers to use a registered agent and to check the licence on eMigrate (emigrate.gov.in; complaints and how to check). Ask for the licence number. Look it up yourself. Match the name of the firm, not the name of the person who met you in a different town. The MEA says a registration is not a licence to work through sub-agents, and that the business should be done from the place on the certificate (recruiting agents).
The same page states the service charge: not more than 45 days' wages under the contract, and not more than ₹20,000. Confirm that figure on the page when you pay. A receipt should exist. Cash to a personal account is not a receipt.
This machinery is sharpest for ECR countries, including the UAE. Most European destinations are not ECR. An agent can still be taking money unlawfully, and can still be selling a job that does not exist, even when eMigrate is the wrong stamp for that particular flight. Do not let "Europe does not need eMigrate" become "pay anyone". And do not let a copied licence number for a Gulf job replace the lookup.
The licence is not the job
A registered agent can still pass you a false offer. An unregistered tout can sometimes name a real employer. The job is confirmed by the employer, not by the frame on the wall. Find the company without the agent's link. Ask the company whether they offered you the work and whether this agent represents them. If you want that ask done independently, send the file to Testiy.
Country pages add the local register where one exists. A Polish agency that places workers has a KRAZ question. A Romanian agency has the WorkinRomania register. A Maltese agency needs a DIER licence to file. A Serbian agency needs a labour-ministry licence. Those are checks on the foreign agency, not on the Indian shop. Do both when both appear in the story. The guides are on the country hub.
Kerala consultancies
Many of the offers we see start in a consultancy that does not look like a licensed recruiting agent at all. It looks like a travel desk that also does "Europe visas". Travel booking is not recruitment. If they are recruiting for an ECR country, the licence should exist. If they are selling Europe, the employer should still confirm the job, and the country guide should match the document they gave you. A photo on the wall of a client at an airport is not a register.
Our experts can speak with you in Malayalam, Hindi and English.
Red flags
- No licence number, or a number that does not match the firm on eMigrate.
- A sub-agent who says the licence is "with the main branch" in another city, and will not let you see it.
- A fee far above the MEA ceiling, described as a package.
- Payment before the employer confirms the offer. See agent asking for money.
- A visit visa sold as the job. See visit visa jobs.
- The agent forbids contact with the employer.
- The agent runs the only website that "verifies" the permit.
- Your passport is kept at the office.
- The Europe document does not match the country guide at all.
- You are told a government emblem on the brochure means the shop is a government office. It does not. Testiy is not a government office either.
Two checks, in order
Do the public licence lookup first because it is on a government site and it takes minutes. If the firm is not there and the destination is an ECR country, stop. If the firm is there, or the destination is not ECR, go to the second check the same day: the employer. Write down the company name as the agent spelled it and as the letter spells it. If those two spellings differ, ask why before you look anything up. Then find the company without the agent's link.
A Kerala office can be courteous, air-conditioned and still be selling a file from another state. Politeness is not a register. The register is eMigrate where it applies, the foreign country's agency list where the guide names one, and the employer in every case. Testiy takes the employer confirmation. You keep the licence lookup, because you should see the government page with your own eyes.
What Testiy does
You send the offer and the agent's papers. A human expert confirms the case with the employer. You receive a certified report and a public verify link. We do not issue licences and we do not replace eMigrate. The licence lookup is yours to do on the government site, because it is public. The employer confirmation is the part we take on. Packs start at ₹1,600 including GST. See pricing and the sample report. The desk is open 10:00–22:00 IST.
If you already paid
Write down the licence number, the account you paid, and the promises. Report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. Use the MEA complaints route for a recruiting agent. Tell the police. Do not pay a further sum to "release" the file.
FAQ
How do I check a recruiting agent?
Where the Emigration Act applies, look up the licence on emigrate.gov.in and match the firm name. Then confirm the job with the employer. The licence alone is not the job.
The licence is real. Can I pay?
You can discuss a fee inside the published ceiling, with a receipt, after you understand the job. You should still confirm the employer before a large transfer. A real licence has been used to sell bad offers.
The agent says Europe does not need a licence. Is that the end of it?
It may mean eMigrate emigration clearance is not the step for that destination. It does not mean the job is real or that any fee is acceptable. Open the country guide and confirm the employer.
What is the maximum fee?
The MEA recruiting-agents page states 45 days' wages and a maximum of ₹20,000. Read the page yourself in case it has been updated.
How does Testiy fit?
The expert confirms the case with the employer and sends a certified report with a public verify link. We do not "approve" the agent.
How long does that take?
See pricing. Many cases are decided the same day while the desk is open, 10:00–22:00 IST.
What do I get?
A certified report and a public verify link.
Can I speak with Testiy in Malayalam or Hindi?
Yes. Our experts can speak with you in Malayalam, Hindi and English.
What if the agent already has my passport?
Ask for it back in writing. Report the case on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in if they refuse. Do not pay a new fee for the passport.
Keep reading
Talk to an expert before you pay
Human expert · confirmed with the employer · certified report with public verify link