New Delhi, 02 November (H.S.): The Central Government has accelerated the expansion of Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) across the country to make registration and immigration-related services more accessible to foreign nationals. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has directed that FRROs be established in the capitals of all states by 2027. With the latest expansion, the number of FRRO offices in the country has risen to 20.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, five new FRRO offices have been established since 2025. Of these, offices in Jaipur, Chandigarh and Guwahati became operational in 2025. Two more offices have been established this year in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, and Amravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. In addition, three new FRRO offices have been notified in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland; Agartala, the capital of Tripura; and Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha.

Previously, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Guwahati fell under the jurisdiction of the FRRO offices in Delhi, Amritsar and Kolkata, respectively. Similarly, Aizawl was under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata FRRO, while Amravati came under the Hyderabad FRRO. Kohima and Agartala were also administered by the Kolkata office, while Bhubaneswar fell under the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad FRRO.

The country now has 20 FRRO offices located in Ahmedabad, Amravati, Amritsar, Aizawl, Agartala, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chennai, Kochi, Chandigarh, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kohima, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.

According to the Ministry, the process of establishing additional FRRO offices is also being pursued in Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya. The expansion is expected to enable foreign nationals visiting India for tourism, medical treatment and education to access services such as visa extensions, visa conversions, registration and other immigration-related assistance locally.

The government is also providing 35 online services to foreign nationals through the e-FRRO portal. These include registration, visa extensions, visa conversions and other eligible immigration-related services. The online facility is expected to reduce the need for foreign nationals to visit government offices in person and make access to essential services more convenient.

According to the government, the expansion of FRROs is intended not only to facilitate the legitimate travel and stay of foreign nationals in India but also to ensure effective compliance with immigration laws and national security requirements. It will also strengthen coordination with state governments and enhance institutional capacity at the local level.

Notably, the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, consolidated four earlier laws relating to immigration and foreign nationals into a uniform legal framework. Under this framework, the Bureau of Immigration, functioning under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is assisted in carrying out its responsibilities by authorised Foreigners Regional Registration Officers.

FRROs are responsible for monitoring and regulating the lawful stay of foreign nationals in India. Their functions include registering eligible foreign nationals after their arrival, issuing Registration Certificates and Residential Permits, recording changes in passport details and residential addresses, and granting permission to visit protected and restricted areas.

The offices also handle exit permits and related legal procedures in cases involving foreign nationals whose visas have expired or who have overstayed their permitted period of stay in India.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar