Guide · The law, in plain words

Punjab's travel agent licence, explained.

A study abroad consultancy in Punjab needs a state licence called the travel agent licence. If you are employed there as a study abroad agent, you work under the consultancy's licence, and the law still touches you every day, in advertisements and at seminars. This is general information, not legal advice.

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Three checks

Three questions an agent asks.

You meet the Act in three places. You meet it in your employer, in the advertisement, and in where you do the work.

  1. Does the office hold a licence?
    Yes. Go to the next questionNo. That is a risk to your name too
  2. Is the licence number on the ad?
    Yes. Go to the next questionNo. Section 7 asks for prior written intimation
  3. Is the work done inside the office, in its name?
    Yes. That is how an agent worksNo. Section 6(1)(f) puts the licence at risk
  4. This is general information, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer about your own situation.

The guide About 4 min

Who the Act applies to.

The law began as the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012. In 2014 it was renamed the Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation Act. Its definition of a "travel agent" in section 2(m) is very wide.

  • Consultancy. It covers consultancy, visa service or guidance for people going abroad for education.
  • Ads. It covers any advertisement that relates to foreign travel, directly or indirectly.
  • Seminars. It covers seminars or lectures that promote emigration.
  • IELTS coaching. This was added by the 2014 amendment.
  • Touts. Intermediaries are covered too.
Read more: The sections an agent meets

Section 3 says nobody can do this work without a licence. Section 4 grants the licence, and section 4(4) makes it valid for five years. Under the Rules, each category has its own licence and fee. The office sends a monthly report of clients and fees (Rule 4(6)), and the police verify its authorised persons (Rule 4(2)).

The sections an agent meets

  • Section 7. An advertisement or a seminar needs prior written intimation, unless the licence number is printed on it. That is why you see a number on every poster, reel and hoarding of a Punjab consultancy.
  • Section 13. Practising without a licence carries not less than 3 years and up to 7 years in prison, and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh.
  • Section 6(1)(f). A licence can be cancelled if the holder lets any other person do this work from their premises or under their name.

Why an agent should know this

  • When choosing an employer. Ask for the licence number at your interview and look it up in the district's public list. The Mohali and Jalandhar lists are public. An office without a licence is a risk to your name too.
  • When making ads and reels. Any post you make for the office must carry its licence number. The Act also looks at a "seminar" or an "open day".
  • Because of section 6(1)(f). If you give "a little help" from home in your own name, you put the holder's licence at risk and bring yourself within section 13. An employee agent works under the consultancy's licence, inside the office and in the office's name.

If you open your own office one day

  • Own licence, own district. Our certificate does not let you open an office. If you run one under someone else's licence, you put their licence at risk under section 6(1)(f) and yourself under section 13. In our coming associate track, every associate will hold their own state licence.
  • Haryana has its own Act. It is Haryana Act 10 of 2025, in force from 9 April 2025. It uses the same definition, asks each office to register for 3 years, and carries 2 to 7 years' imprisonment. Panchkula falls under it.
  • See a lawyer first. Categories, fees, renewal and monthly reporting are set out in the Rules, and they can change.

Where this school stands

Whether a school that only trains falls within the Act is a question of interpretation, and there is no ruling on it yet. The school follows its lawyer's advice on its advertisements, open days and the live floor. The live floor is inside Angels Immigration's office. School of Immigration is a product of Angels Immigration & Education Consultant, which has worked in overseas education and workforce mobility since 2008.

We read everything here from the text of the Act and the Rules in October 2026. Ask a lawyer about your own situation.

Associate track conditions in June 2027, on the Associates pageEvery associate will hold their own state licence, every file will be processed at head office, and anyone will be able to look up an associate code. Nothing is open until then.

Did you know

Enforcement is real.

In February 2025 the state checked 1,274 firms. Cancellations in Mohali district dated September 2026 are on record.

1,274firms checked

Scope. This school only trains people to become study abroad agents. It offers no visa service, no consultancy and no "go abroad" guidance. We train people to work as study abroad agents. This course does not give anyone the right to advise on the immigration law of any country. Where a licence is required, only a licensed professional may advise. Full statement.

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Become an agent who understands the law.

Week 12 teaches you advertising rules, data privacy and records. Batch 1 starts in Mohali on Monday 4 January 2027. Applications are open now and close on 24 December 2026.

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Everything about the course is on the Programme page.

OutcomesThe school is a training institute and does not guarantee a job. Angels Immigration picks some graduates from each batch to work with it, and the rest get help with placement. How it goes depends on the person. After each batch we publish its numbers here. You will see how many enrolled, how many finished, how many Angels hired and how many were still employed at 6 months. What a past batch did is no guarantee of what the next one will do.
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