NOC Letter Format: What It Typically Includes, With Three Examples

A no objection certificate (NOC) is a letter in which an organisation, usually your employer, states that it does not object to something you plan to do: apply for a passport, travel, study, take a second job or join another company. The reader is almost always a third party such as a passport office, an embassy or a new employer. They want to see who is giving permission, for what, and how to check it.

Before you ask HR for one, it is worth confirming that the reader actually needs it. Then use the format below.

First, check whether you need an NOC at all

NOC requirements are set by the organisation asking for the document, not by a universal rule, and they change. Two examples show why it pays to check:

• Changing jobs in the UAE. Khaleej Times reported in May 2026 that in most cases employees do not need an NOC to move to a new employer, because the UAE has largely removed mandatory NOC requirements under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Conditions still apply. During probation, for example, Article 9(3) of the Decree-Law requires a worker who wants to move to another UAE employer to give the current employer at least one month’s written notice, and the new employer compensates the original employer for recruitment costs unless agreed otherwise. Check your case with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) on 600590000 before you assume either way.
• Indian passports for government employees. India’s passport service publishes a specific NOC form, Annexure G, for applicants employed by a government ministry, department or office. It is a fixed format, so an ordinary employer letter will not do.

If a form or checklist names a template, use that template. The general format below is for cases where the reader asks for “an NOC from your employer” and leaves the content to you.

The six parts every NOC needs

1. Issuer details on letterhead. Registered name, address, phone and email of the organisation, so the reader can verify the letter.
2. Reference number and date. Readers often treat an NOC as current only for a limited time. The Indian Annexure G, for instance, states that it is valid for six months from the date of issue.
3. Who the letter is about. Full name as in the passport, passport or ID number, job title and date of joining.
4. The specific activity. What the organisation does not object to, with dates, destination or other limits where relevant. Vague wording (“for any purpose”) is more likely to be questioned than a narrow, clear one.
5. Conditions, if any. For example, that you will return to work on a set date, or that a second job must not conflict with your duties.
6. Authorised signature. Name, title and signature of someone entitled to speak for the organisation, plus the company stamp where the reader expects one, and a contact for verification.

Format 1: employer NOC for travel or a visa application

This is the version most private-sector employees are asked for. The example is illustrative; names and numbers are invented.

[Company letterhead]

Ref: HR/NOC/2026/0310 | Date: 3 November 2026

To: The Visa Section, [Embassy name]

Subject: No Objection Certificate

This is to confirm that Mr Ravi Example, passport number X0000000, has been employed with Example Engineering LLC as a Project Engineer since 15 January 2022. His current monthly salary is [amount and currency].

He has been granted annual leave from 10 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 and will resume duty on 4 January 2027. We have no objection to his travel to [country] for tourism during this period.

For verification, please contact hr@example.com or +000 0000 0000.

[Signature]

Name, HR Manager

[Company stamp]

Why each line is there:

• Role, salary and length of employment answer the reader’s real question: does this person have a job and a reason to return? The UK Home Office’s visitor guidance, updated October 2026, suggests applicants may provide a letter from their employer on company headed paper detailing role, salary and length of employment. Other countries set their own lists, so check the official checklist for your visa.
• Approved leave dates and a return date tie the permission to a specific trip.
• The destination and purpose keep the permission narrow. If you need the letter for several trips, ask for separate letters.

If the embassy or visa centre is in a country whose official language is not the letter’s language, check whether a certified translation is required. For UK applications, the Home Office requires a full translation of any document not in English or Welsh, with set details about the translator.

Format 2: the Indian government-employee NOC (Annexure G)

This is an official format, so you fill it in rather than design it. Annexure G, as published on the Passport Seva portal, has:

• the heading of the issuing ministry, department or office, with a reference number and date;
• the applicant’s name (with title) and parent’s name;
• a photograph of the applicant, attested by the issuing officer with signature and rubber stamp;
• the applicant’s current post and the date since which they have been employed in that office;
• statements that the applicant is an Indian national, is employed in the office, and that the office has no objection to the applicant obtaining a passport;
• the signature, name and official stamp of the controlling or administrative authority, with telephone, fax and email for verification.

The form states that it is valid for six months from the date of issue. Download the current version from the Passport Seva portal rather than copying an old one from a colleague, as forms are updated.

Format 3: NOC for a second job, study or other activity

Some employees need their employer’s written consent to take on outside work, start a course with fixed attendance, or join a professional body that asks for employer confirmation. These letters carry more risk for the employer, so they tend to be more detailed. A useful structure is:

1. Confirmation of your current employment, title and working hours.
2. A precise description of the outside activity: the organisation, role or course, and the hours or days involved.
3. The employer’s statement that it has no objection, followed by any conditions, such as no overlap with working hours, no work for competitors and no use of confidential information.
4. Whether the permission can be withdrawn, and how.
5. Authorised signature and contact.

In the UAE, the Labour Law lists “not working for others, in violation of the provisions hereof” among a worker’s obligations (Article 16(9)), and allows part-time work for one or more employers (Article 7). Whether a second role is allowed, and what paperwork MoHRE needs, depends on your work pattern and permit. Check with MoHRE before you start. This is general information, not legal advice.

Common reasons an NOC is rejected

Asking HR for the letter

Send a short request that lists the addressee, the purpose, the dates, whether salary should appear, any official template, and your deadline. Attach your passport copy. Asking once with everything in one email is faster than correcting the letter afterwards.

When you receive it, save a signed PDF. If an online portal limits file size or wants one combined upload with your passport copy and bank statement, the PDF merge and compression tools handle that. If the NOC is for a move to a new employer, check that your CV dates match the letter; the ATS resume score checker is a quick way to review the rest of the CV before you apply.

Sources

• UAE job change rules: How to avoid a one-year work permit ban, Khaleej Times
• Annexure G: No-Objection Certificate, Passport Seva, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
• Visiting the UK: guide to supporting documents, UK Home Office (GOV.UK)
• Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its amendments (Articles 7, 9, 16), Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
• Progressive workforce interaction channels (MoHRE contact numbers), Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (UAE Labour Market Observatory)