There is no IELTS-of-India: no visa, OCI or registration step tests language. The only statutory requirement — speak, read or write one of 22 scheduled languages — appears at citizenship, which few foreigners reach.
Overview
India imposes no language test at any point in its visa system. Employment, Business, Student, Research and e-Visa applications, FRRO registration, visa extensions and the OCI card all proceed without any test of English, Hindi or anything else — there is no Indian equivalent of IELTS thresholds or CEFR levels, and no government language-testing body for immigration purposes. The sole statutory language requirement sits at the very end of the longest road: an applicant for citizenship by naturalisation must have 'adequate knowledge of a language specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution' (Third Schedule, Citizenship Act 1955) — any one of the 22 scheduled languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Punjabi and Urdu. Under the Citizenship Rules 2009, adequate knowledge means the ability to speak or read or write the language — there is no standardised exam; verification happens within the district-level application process. English, notably, is not on the Eighth Schedule. Verified against indiacode.nic.in and mha.gov.in as of June 2026.
Language Requirements by Milestone
| Milestone | Language requirement | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Any visa (Employment, Business, Student, e-Visa) | None | Applications are document-based; forms are in English |
| FRRO registration and extensions | None | e-FRRO portal operates in English |
| OCI card | None | No language condition at any stage, including for spouses |
| Citizenship by registration (s.5, Citizenship Act) | Adequate knowledge of an Eighth Schedule language | Applies to persons of Indian origin and spouses registering as citizens |
| Citizenship by naturalisation (s.6 + Third Schedule) | Adequate knowledge of an Eighth Schedule language | Speak OR read OR write any one of the 22 scheduled languages; no standardised test |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to prove English or Hindi for an Indian Employment Visa?
No. The MHA's Employment Visa conditions test salary (above US$25,000 per year), skill level and sponsorship — there is no language criterion anywhere in the work-visa rules, and no test score to submit. The same is true of Business Visas, Student Visas, e-Visas, FRRO registration and extensions. India simply does not operate an immigration language-testing regime, so money spent on test preparation for Indian immigration purposes is wasted. Your employer may care about English for the job itself, and life in non-metro India is easier with some Hindi or the state language, but the government will never ask.
Is there any language requirement for the OCI card?
None at any stage. OCI eligibility is entirely ancestry- and marriage-based: former Indian citizens, descendants to great-grandchildren, and foreign spouses of Indian citizens or OCI cardholders after two years of registered marriage. No knowledge of Hindi or any Indian language is tested for the application, the card's re-issue after age 20, or any of the miscellaneous services. This makes the OCI permanently lighter than most countries' permanent-residence routes, which typically add language conditions — second- and third-generation diaspora applicants with no Indian language at all are routinely approved.
What is the Eighth Schedule language requirement for Indian citizenship?
An applicant for naturalisation must have 'adequate knowledge of a language specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution' — any one of 22 languages including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu. The Citizenship Rules 2009 set a deliberately low bar: you qualify if you can speak or read or write the language — one mode is enough, so conversational ability with no literacy passes. There is no standardised exam, certificate or fee; the assessment happens within the application process handled through the District Collector and State Government before MHA decides. Note carefully: English is not an Eighth Schedule language, so English alone does not satisfy the rule.
Will daily life and bureaucracy work in English?
Mostly, with state-level exceptions. English is an additional official language of the Union under the Official Languages Act 1963 — central portals (e-FRRO, income tax, passport/PCC services) operate fully in English, as do banks, courts at the higher levels, and corporate workplaces. Friction appears at state and municipal offices: RTOs, sub-registrars, utility offices and local police stations work in the state's official language — Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali and so on, which differ from Hindi. Most expatriates handle these moments with a colleague, landlord or HR support rather than language study. In metro business districts, English alone is entirely workable.
I want to learn Hindi properly — is there an official route?
Yes, though it is optional for every immigration purpose. The Ministry of Education runs two dedicated bodies: the Central Hindi Directorate and the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (Central Institute of Hindi, Agra, with regional centres), which offer structured Hindi programmes including courses designed for non-Hindi speakers and foreign learners. Universities and private institutes in every metro also teach Hindi at all levels. If your future is in a non-Hindi state, consider the state language instead — Tamil, Kannada or Marathi will serve you better in Chennai, Bengaluru or Mumbai's local administration than Hindi. None of these courses produces a certificate any immigration process will ever ask for.
Does my spoken Punjabi or Tamil count for the citizenship requirement even if I can't read it?
Yes. Punjabi and Tamil are both Eighth Schedule languages, and the Citizenship Rules 2009 define adequate knowledge disjunctively — the ability to speak or read or write the language. Spoken fluency without literacy satisfies the requirement on the face of the rules; there is no written exam to fail. Verification is administrative rather than standardised: the district-level authorities processing your naturalisation or registration application assess it as part of the file. Since the rest of the naturalisation test is so much harder — 12 months' continuous residence plus 11 of the preceding 14 years in India, and renouncing your current citizenship — language is rarely the obstacle in Indian citizenship cases.