Foreigners’ registration offices in all State Capitals by 2027: MHA

A Foreigners Regional Registration Office, or FRRO, is a government office that manages services and compliance for foreign nationals in India. It helps visitors remain in the country lawfully and supports the Central government’s immigration system. Its work covers people arriving for tourism, medical treatment, education, and other purposes.

FRROs register foreign nationals after arrival and issue Registration Certificates and Residential Permits. They can update personal and travel details, grant permission to visit protected areas, and issue exit permits in specific cases. They also provide visa extensions, conversions, immigration compliance support, and legal clearances.

The offices work under the framework of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, with assistance from the Bureau of Immigration. India now has 20 FRROs, and the government plans more offices so foreign nationals can access these services closer to where they stay.

The Union government plans to establish Foreigners Regional Registration Offices in all State capitals by 2027. The aim is to create a broader, more accessible institutional network for managing foreign nationals visiting India. This expansion responds to rising arrivals for tourism, medical treatment, and education.

The country currently has 20 FRROs. Since 2025, five new offices have been established, including two that became operational in 2026. These include offices in Jaipur, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Aizawl, and Amravati. New offices have also been notified in Kohima, Agartala, and Bhubaneswar.

The plan is not yet complete. Nine States still do not have an FRRO: Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Meghalaya. Establishing offices there would bring services closer to foreign nationals and strengthen coordination between Central and State authorities.

FRROs are already present in Rajasthan, Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The network also includes offices in Delhi and Chandigarh, which are listed separately from States in the Ministry’s office list.

The nine States still awaiting an FRRO are Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Meghalaya. Some newly created offices have taken over areas previously handled from distant locations. For example, Aizawl moved from Kolkata’s jurisdiction, while Amravati moved from Hyderabad’s.

The government plans to cover the remaining States as part of its target of placing FRROs in every State capital by 2027. The intended result is easier access to services and stronger local coordination over foreign nationals’ stays.

The Ministry links the expansion to a rise in foreigners arriving in India for tourism, medical treatment, and education. More visitors create greater demand for immigration and consular services. A wider FRRO network gives the government a stronger institutional structure for managing these visitors across different regions.

The offices are intended to improve access to visa extensions, conversions, registration, legal clearances, and immigration compliance support. New local offices also reduce reliance on distant FRROs. Before Aizawl’s office opened, for example, the area was handled by Kolkata; Amravati was handled by Hyderabad.

The expansion also serves regulatory and national-security goals. The Ministry expects better coordination between Central and State authorities, stronger enforcement of immigration laws, and support for India’s effort to attract international visitors. The government plans to complete coverage of all State capitals by 2027.

Having an FRRO nearby can reduce the practical burden of accessing immigration services. Foreign nationals could seek visa extensions and conversions, registration help, compliance support, and legal clearances closer to where they live. Local access is especially relevant as arrivals increase for tourism, medical treatment, and education.

FRROs handle post-arrival registration, issue Registration Certificates and Residential Permits, and update personal and travel details. They can also grant permission for visits to protected areas and issue exit permits in specific cases. New offices replace arrangements in which distant FRROs handled entire regions.

Aizawl illustrates the change: it was previously under Kolkata but now has its own operational FRRO. Amravati similarly moved from Hyderabad’s jurisdiction. The government expects this local network to improve compliance with immigration rules, strengthen Central-State coordination, and support national-security requirements.

Under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, the Bureau of Immigration is assisted by FRROs authorised by the Central government. FRROs regulate and facilitate the lawful stay of foreign nationals. They provide the administrative services that support the broader immigration system, from registration to exit permissions.

Their responsibilities include post-arrival registration, issuing Registration Certificates and Residential Permits, updating personal and travel details, and granting permissions for protected-area visits. They also issue exit permits in specific cases. The Ministry says the offices provide immigration compliance support and legal clearances as well.

The expanded network gives State authorities a closer institutional contact point while keeping FRROs within the Central government’s framework. The Ministry expects this to improve coordination between Central and State authorities. It also aims to strengthen enforcement of immigration laws and national-security requirements as foreign arrivals increase.

The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, is a single statutory framework governing the entry, stay, movement, and exit of foreign nationals in India. It replaced the arrangement in which four earlier laws dealt with immigration and foreigners separately. The article identifies consolidation as the Act’s central change.

The Act also defines the institutional role of the Bureau of Immigration and the FRROs authorised by the Central government. Under this framework, FRROs handle post-arrival registration, Registration Certificates, Residential Permits, personal and travel-detail updates, protected-area permissions, and certain exit permits.

The article does not give a separate explanation for why the four laws were combined beyond creating one consolidated framework. It connects the Act with the current FRRO expansion, which is intended to improve access to services, regulatory compliance, coordination, immigration-law enforcement, and national-security requirements as foreign arrivals rise.