Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Labour Department, Government of Goa
- Notified
- 8 May 2026 — published in the Official Gazette, Series I No. 6 (Supplement), dated 11 May 2026
- Objection window
- 30 days from the date of gazette publication — objections/suggestions accepted up to around 10 June 2026, addressed to the Secretary (Labour), Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa, or emailed to dir-gpps.goa@nic.in
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Central Act No. 37 of 2020)
- Supersedes
- Notification No. 24/03/2020-LAB/Part-III/597 dated 1 December 2021, plus the Goa, Daman and Diu Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Rules, 1972; the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1982; and the Goa, Daman and Diu Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1969
- Status as of 20 July 2026
- Still a draft. The 30-day objection window has closed, but the Government of Goa has not yet issued a final notification bringing these rules into force.
In May 2026, India's four new labour codes moved a step closer to full rollout when states began notifying their own rules under the central codes. Goa's Labour Department used this window to publish a single draft rulebook — the Goa Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Labour) Rules, 2026 — covering everything from factory registration to contract labour licensing, health checkups, wage records, and plantation welfare. This guide breaks down what the draft says today, in plain language, so employers, HR teams, and contractors operating in Goa know what to expect once it is finalised.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Establishment registration | Form I | One-time | Within 60 days of commencing business (late fee applies after that) |
| Intimation for establishments with under 10 workers | — | One-time | Within 60 days of commencement of the Rules or of the business |
| Updating registration for establishments already registered under BOCW / ISMW / Motor Transport / CLRA laws | — | One-time | Within 6 months of commencement of these Rules |
| Update of change in ownership / management | — | As & when needed | Within 30 days of the change |
| Notice of commencement / cessation of operations t | Form III | As & when needed | Within 30 days of the even |
| Annual medical examination of employees | Form IV / V | Annual | Once every year from the date of employment |
| Appointment letters for existing employees without one | Form VI | One-time | Within 3 months of commencement of these Rules |
| Notice of fatal accident | Form VII | Event-based | Forthwith, and in any case within 24 hours |
| Notice of non-fatal accident (48+ hours disability) | Form VII | Event-based | Within 12 hours after completion of the 48-hour disability period |
| Safety Committee meetings (150+ workers at a construction site) | — | Quarterly | At least once every quarter |
| Payment of wages, including overtime | — | Every wage period | By the end of each wage period |
| Unified Annual Return | Form XIV | Annual | On or before 1 February following the end of each calendar year |
| Contract labour licence application | Form XVI | One-time per contract | Before commencing the contract work |
| Contract labour licence renewal | — | Before expiry | Not less than 60 days before the licence expires |
| Return journey allowance for inter-state migrant workers | — | Periodic | Once every 12 months (after 180 days of service) |
Key Provisions
What changed under the Code, and what it means for payroll.
Old Law vs. New Law
What employers followed before, against what applies now — point matched against point.
| On this point | Before — earlier law | Now — the new Code |
|---|---|---|
| Governing rules | 3 separate rules — Contract Labour Rules 1972, Inter-State Migrant Workmen Rules 1982, and Beedi & Cigar Workers Rules 1969 | 1 unified rule set — the Goa OSH & WC (Labour) Rules, 2026 |
| Registration | Separate registration under each applicable Act | Single online registration on the government portal using Form I |
| Application mode | Largely paper-based and manual | Fully electronic, digitally signed, with an auto-generated certificate if not processed within 7 days |
| Health checkups | Not uniformly required across sectors | Mandatory pre-employment and free annual medical exam for every employee |
| Appointment letters | Not mandatory under the earlier rules | Mandatory Form VI appointment letter for every employee |
| Registers and returns | Multiple separate registers under different laws | A single set of unified registers and one Annual Return (Forms IX–XIV) |
| Contract labour licence fee | Fixed fee under the 1972 Rules | Slab-based fee of Rs. 800 to Rs. 30,000 depending on worker strength, plus a Rs. 1,000-per-worker security deposit |
| Accident reporting | Reported separately to multiple authorities | Single Inspector-cum-Facilitator system with electronic reporting |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Factories, motor transport undertakings, and building & construction establishments Beedi and cigar manufacturing premises Plantations Contractors and principal employers engaging contract labour Inter-state migrant workers Audio-visual / film production workers Establishments generally employing 10 or more workers
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments (other than factory, mine or port) with fewer than 10 workers — file a simple intimation instead of full registration Contract labour cannot be engaged in the 'core activity' of an establishment, except as allowed under the proviso to section 57(1) of the Code Mines and ports largely follow separate central provisions and are excluded from several chapters, including the accident-notice chapter
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What are the Goa OSH & WC (Labour) Rules, 2026?
They are draft state-level rules that the Goa Labour Department published on 8 May 2026 to implement the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, inside Goa. They combine three older laws on contract labour, inter-state migrant workmen, and beedi & cigar workers into one rulebook.
Are these rules already in force in Goa?
No. As of 20 July 2026, they remain a draft. The 30-day objection window closed around 10 June 2026, but the Government of Goa has not yet published a final notification. Employers should keep following the current rules until a final version is gazetted.
Who has to register an establishment under these rules?
Any employer covered by the Code — factories, construction sites, motor transport undertakings, beedi and cigar units, plantations, and establishments engaging contract or migrant labour — must apply for registration once the rules take final effect.
What is the deadline for registering an establishment?
Under the draft rules, an employer must apply within 60 days of starting business. Missing this triggers a late fee that rises from 25% to 100% of the normal fee depending on how long the delay runs.
Do small establishments with fewer than 10 workers need to register?
No, not in the same way. Establishments other than factories, mines, and ports employing fewer than 10 workers only need to file a simpler intimation with the Registering Officer, not a full registration.
What is Form I and how do I use it?
Form I is the online application for registration, amendment, or updating of an existing establishment's registration. It is filed on the government portal along with self-declarations and, where relevant, an undertaking about not engaging contract labour in core activities.
What fees are payable for registration?
Fees are slab-based, ranging from Rs. 3,200 for establishments with up to 10 employees to Rs. 1,20,000 for establishments with 401 or more employees.
Is an annual health checkup mandatory for all employees?
Yes, under the draft rules every employee must be medically examined once before joining and then once a year, free of cost, with results recorded in Form IV or Form V.
What should an employer do if a workplace accident occurs?
For a fatal accident, the employer must notify the authorities forthwith and within 24 hours using Form VII. For a non-fatal accident that keeps a worker off work for 48 hours or more, the notice must go out within 12 hours of that 48-hour mark.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Official Gazette, Government of Goa, Series I No. 6 (Supplement), dated 11 May 2026 — Labour Department Notification No. 26/36/2026/LAB/220 dated 8 May 2026 (primary source: the draft rules as published)
- → Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Central Act No. 37 of 2020)
- → Government of Goa official web portal, goa.gov.in
For informational purposes only — not legal advice. State rules referenced here are subject to change on final notification. Verify current status with our compliance team before acting.