INDIA – Employers to Provide EPFO ID Number
Recently, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), has become more proactive in ensuring that companies are compliant with the EPFO’s rules. Companies – particularly those employing foreign workers – have a legal obligation to add to the fund. Each month, employers and employees must contribute 12% of an employee’s monthly salary and employers are to pay 1.61% in administrative costs. Effective immediately, employers must provide their EPFO identification number on all employment visa applications. Any foreign nationals from social security agreement exempt nations must provide a certificate from the home country’s social security authorities to evidence that they are covered by the home country. Countries currently included are Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland. The EPFO and establishment numbers will also be requested at the time of registration at the Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRROs). When extending visas in-country, providing these identifiers will be optional. It should be noted that failure to provide requirement identification may delay processing of the employment visa.