The Union Home Ministry has amended provisions under the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025, changing the timeline within which foreign nationals must register if they intend to stay in India beyond 180 days, while also introducing relaxations in certain cases involving children born to foreign parents.
According to a notification issued by the ministry and published in the official gazette on Monday, foreigners arriving in India on visas valid for 180 days or less will now have to complete their registration process “any time before the expiry of the said period of 180 days” if they plan to remain in the country beyond the permitted duration.
The revised provision replaces the earlier requirement that allowed foreigners to register “within
fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days of their arrival in India”.
The notification stated, “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.”
The updated rules also apply to foreigners holding visas exceeding 180 days, but containing a condition that “each stay shall not exceed 180 days”.
Such individuals, if they wish to continue staying in India either on a single visit or cumulatively during a calendar year beyond the prescribed limit, will now have to register before completing 180 days in the country.
The government has additionally clarified that approvals for such registrations beyond the stipulated stay period would now be granted “only in emergent circumstances”.
The amended rules also bring relief in matters related to children born in India where one or both parents are foreign nationals.
Earlier provisions required parents to electronically inform the registration officer within 30 days of the child’s birth in order to access visa-related services, including obtaining a new visa or exit permission through the designated online portal or mobile application.
Under the revised framework, this rule will not apply where either parent is an Indian citizen and wishes to retain the Indian citizenship of the child.
However, the notification adds that if the child later acquires citizenship of another country while residing in India, either parent must notify the registration officer within 30 days of the child obtaining foreign citizenship.
The latest notification also revises reporting obligations and administrative procedures applicable to hospitals, nursing homes and other medical institutions offering treatment, lodging or sleeping facilities on their premises.
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