Regulations applicable to foreigners in India:
The extant Acts dealing with entry, stay and exit of foreigner nationals in the country are:
i. Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920
ii. Foreigners Act, 1946
iii. Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939
S No Acts Description
1 The Passport (Entry in India) Act, 1920 It prescribes specific authorization of
foreigner nationals on their valid travel
documents/ passports for allowing entry into
the country. Under this Act and the Rules
made there under, the foreigners coming to
India are required to get visa from Indian
Missions/ Posts.
2 The Foreigners Act, 1946 It regulates the entry of foreigners into India,
their presence therein and their departure
therefrom.
3 The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 It mandates that certain categories of
and the Registration of Foreigners Rules, foreigners whose intended stay in India is
1992 more than the specified period, or as
provided in their visa authorization, are
required to get themselves registered with
the Registration officer.
Arrival formalities:
Every person entering India by air, land or sea is required to complete the Embarkation/
Disembarkation card (D/E card) proforma (Form ‘D’ – Registration of Foreigners Rules, 1992).
Residential Permit:
Residential permit is issued at the time of registration, its validity being the period of stay specified in
the visa. Application for extension of the Residential Permit should be made at least TWO months
before its expiry to the nearest Registration Officer in the prescribed form.
Report of absence from address:
If at any time a foreigner who is required to register as per para 179 above proposes to be absent from
his/ her registered address for a continuous period of eight weeks or more; or is changing the
registered address; or is finally departing from India, he shall, before leaving, inform in person, or
through an authorized representative, or by registered post to the jurisdictional Registration Officer of
his/ her intention to leave, either temporarily or permanently. In case he/ she is moving to another
address in India, the new address should also be intimated to the Registration Officer.
Departure formalities:
Every registered foreigner who is about to depart finally from India shall surrender his/ her certificate of
registration either to the Registration Officer of the place where he/ she is registered, or of the place
from where he/ she intends to depart, or to the Immigration Officer at the port/ check post of exit from
India. If the certificate is surrendered to any authority other than the Immigration Officer of the post or
check post of exit, a receipt indicating such surrender of the document may be obtained and shown to
the Immigration Officer. It is not necessary for a foreigner (except a citizen of Pakistan or Afghanistan)
to seek exit/ departure clearance from the Registration Officer of his/ her place of registration. Such a
foreigner can straightaway depart from the Immigration Check Point. Those Afghan nationals who
enter India on a visa valid for 30 days or less are exempt from the requirement of exit permission
provided the Afghan national concerned gives his/her local address in India to the Indian
Mission/FRRO/FRO. The Afghan nationals who are issued visas with‘ Exemption from police reporting’
are exempt from Police reporting as well as Exit permission provided they leave within the Visa validity
period. The Afghan nationals who are issued visas with ‘ Exemption from police reporting’ are exempt
from Police reporting as well as Exit permission provided they leave within the Visa validity period.
Diplomats, Officials etc.:
i. Foreign diplomatic and/ or consular officers or officials assigned to India and their spouses
and children are exempt from registration on a reciprocal basis. However, this exemption is
not available to the members of the staff of the missions of the Arab Republic of Egypt and
Syrian Arab Republic.
ii. Officials of the UN and its Specialized Agencies coming to India on duty, their spouses and
dependent relatives, as well as experts under the UN and its Specialized Agencies holding
UN Laissez-Passer or any other document indicating their status with the UN, are exempted
from registration. Such persons are also not issued a residential permit.
Stay at Hotels:
All foreigners who stay at hotels, guesthouses or places of such nature should furnish on arrival
particulars for filling in the hotel register, sign therein, and also furnish the required particulars at the
time of departure.
Prohibited places:
No foreigner can visit or reside in any prohibited place, declared as such under the provisions of the
Official Secrets Act, 1923 without the permission of the jurisdictional authority. For a visit to a
Protected / Restricted Area/ Cantonment Area, prior permission of the competent authority must be
obtained by the foreigner.
Responsibility of the Indian Host/ Sponsor
It is the responsibility of the Indian host/sponsor giving undertaking on behalf of the foreigner
I. To ensure good conduct of the foreigner during his/her stay in India and to inform the FRRO/FRO
office in case of termination of / Business contract to confirm the foreigner’s departure from the
country along with flight details and date of departure.
II. To produce the foreigner in person at FRRO/FRO office within 24 hours in case of withdrawal of
undertaking for the good conduct of the Foreigner. The Indian Host/ sponsor shall also inform the
flight details and date of departure in the event the foreigner decides to leave the country for
good.
