India Revises Foreigner Registration Rules, Registration Required Before 180-Day Limit

Foreign nationals seeking to remain in India beyond an initial 180-day stay will now have to register before the expiry of that period, following amendments to the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 notified by the Union home ministry.

The changes revise registration timelines for certain categories of foreign visitors, clarify the circumstances under which extended stays may be permitted, ease some requirements relating to children born in India to foreign nationals, and modify reporting obligations for hospitals and similar institutions. According to PTI, the amendments were notified through a gazette notification issued on Monday.

Under the revised rules, foreigners who enter India on a visa valid for 180 days or less and wish to stay beyond that period must register themselves "any time before the expiry of the said period of 180 days". The provision replaces an earlier requirement under which registration had to be completed "within fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days of arrival in India".

The notification said: "... the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), in rule 12, ' (a) in sub-rule (1), '” (i) in the third proviso, for the words "within fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days of his arrival in India", the words "any time before the expiry of the said period of one hundred and eighty days" shall be substituted."

PTI reported that the amended provisions also apply to foreigners holding visas valid for more than 180 days that carry the stipulation that "each stay shall not exceed 180 days". Such individuals, if they intend to remain in India beyond that period either on a single occasion or cumulatively during a calendar year, will be required to register before the expiry of 180 days.

The revised rules further make clear that registration permitting such extended stays will be granted "only in emergent circumstances".

The notification also provides some relief in cases involving children born in India to parents where either or both are foreign nationals. Earlier rules required parents to electronically intimate the registration officer within 30 days of the child's birth in order to avail visa-related services, including the grant of a new visa and exit permission through the designated online portal or mobile application.

According to PTI, that requirement will no longer apply where either parent is an Indian citizen and wishes to retain the Indian citizenship of the child.

However, the notification states that if the child later acquires the citizenship of a foreign country while in India, either parent must inform the registration officer within 30 days of the acquisition of that foreign citizenship.

The amendments also revise provisions relating to reporting requirements and administrative procedures applicable to hospitals, nursing homes and other medical institutions that provide medical, lodging or sleeping facilities on their premises, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)