Relocation guide
🇮🇳 Moving to India: Language & Your First Week
Moving to India means learning Hindi — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are FRRO/FRO registration (often within 14 days for certain visa types) through the online e-FRRO portal, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.
India is vast and multilingual, and English is an official language of business and much administration — so you can operate in English. But Hindi is the lingua franca across the north (Delhi, the NCR, much of the Hindi belt), and it transforms markets, autos, landlords and everyday warmth.
Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's Hindi curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →
Do you need to speak Hindi to move to India?
Yes — you’ll need practical Hindi for the essentials. Moving to India means handling FRRO/FRO registration in Hindi, plus the doctor, the bank and your landlord. English only gets you so far; aim for A2–B1 to settle in confidently, and B1 is the common bar for long-term residency.
Moving to India: key facts
| Language you'll need | Hindi |
| Main registration | FRRO/FRO registration |
| Who needs a visa / permit | Movers enter on an employment, business, student or entry (X) visa; many visa categories require FRRO registration after arrival. |
| Level to aim for | A2–B1 for daily life (B1 for long-term residency) |
| First thing to do | Register your address / residency — FRRO/FRO registration (often within 14 days for certain visa types) through the online e-FRRO portal. |
| Free phrasebooks | 8 Hindi topics |
Which app should you use to learn Hindi for moving to India?
Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to India, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the Hindi that decides your first months: FRRO/FRO registration, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.
- Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
- Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
- Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 Hindi pointed at settling in India, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
- 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.
What to do in your first week in India?
- Register your address / residency — FRRO/FRO registration (often within 14 days for certain visa types) through the online e-FRRO portal.
- Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
- Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
- Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
- Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.
Visa & permits: Movers enter on an employment, business, student or entry (X) visa; many visa categories require FRRO registration after arrival. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.
Hindi phrasebooks you'll need
What do expats say about language in India?
- Hindi is written in Devanagari, where a top line connects the letters.
- It shares deep roots with Urdu — spoken, they're largely mutually intelligible.
- Hindi has borrowed and lent words to English: shampoo, jungle, bungalow.
- Verbs usually come at the end of the sentence.
- India has 22 official languages — Hindi is one of the most widely spoken.
Land in India ready.
Language Lab teaches the Hindi you actually need to settle in — with a live AI tutor. Coming soon.
Join the beta →