Foreigners' registration and visa services (FRRO)
How foreigners living in Telangana get registration (RC/RP), visa extension or conversion, a change of address or passport, and an exit permit from FRRO Hyderabad on the e-FRRO portal; and where and how a Protected or Restricted Area Permit (PAP/RAP) is needed.
About this guidePending verification
Published on 12-11-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
For whom: Foreign nationals living in or coming to Telangana, with or without an OCI card, and their families. Services for diplomatic and official passport holders are separate. Not for Indian citizens, in India or abroad (NRIs): FRRO registration, visa services and area permits are only for foreigners.
Answer the questions below first. Then the documents and steps open.
1Your situation
We show only what your answers need.
- Which of these are you?
- What do you need?
Your answers stay on this phone.
Each step below says who it is for. Confirm yours at the office, then change your answer here.
2Documents you need
Tick the ones you have. They are kept in this browser.
Details
The passport cover page, the photo page with your name, date of birth, nationality and expiry date, and the Indian visa page. As PDF, each PDF up to 1 MB.
Sources: 1
Details
For example proof of address or an undertaking. The rest depends on the service. As PDF, each PDF up to 1 MB.
Not confirmed: The full list of documents for each service appears on the portal only after you choose the service; we could not see it without logging in.
Sources: 1
Details
What the photo must look like- The full face, front view, eyes open. The head centred in the frame, the whole head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin.
- Passport size: 3.5 × 3.5 cm or 3.5 × 4.5 cm.
- A plain light-coloured or white background; no shadows on the face or the background.
- No border; upload the photo part only.
- Not tilted, distorted or blurred.
- Photos edited or changed with Photoshop or any other software or mobile app are rejected.
- A JPG file, up to 1 MB.
- File for an online form: up to 1024 KB, JPG
Not confirmed: The portal gives two sizes (3.5 × 3.5 or 3.5 × 4.5 cm) and no pixel sizes, so no single print size is set here. If the FRRO asks for a photo, take the same one.
Sources: 1
Details
Not confirmed: This is from the Bureau of Immigration's exit permit page as we saved it on 31 October 2026; the page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026. See the documents e-FRRO asks for when you choose the service, or ask FRRO Hyderabad.
Sources: 1, 12
Details
Not confirmed: This is from the Bureau of Immigration's exit permit page as we saved it on 31 October 2026; the page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026. See the documents e-FRRO asks for when you choose the service, or ask FRRO Hyderabad.
Sources: 1, 12
Nothing to get ready before these steps.
3Your steps
· Do them in order. Tick each one when it is done.
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP)
Check whether you must register.
If your visa is valid for more than 180 days, apply for registration within 14 days of arriving in India. You need not register if: you came on a visa of 180 days or less and leave within 180 days (unless your visa says you must register); your visa is valid longer but says each stay may not exceed 180 days, and you do not stay more than 180 days at a time or in a calendar year in all; you are under 12; or you hold an OCI card. If you came on a visa of 180 days or less and want to stay longer, register before the 180 days are over. On a visa that limits each stay to 180 days, registration to stay longer is given only in emergencies, and must also be asked for before the 180 days are over. If you entered India other than on a visa and mean to stay, register before the period you were permitted to stay on arrival ends. If you were a citizen of India living in India and have ceased to be one, register within 30 days of ceasing to be a citizen of India. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan who come from Nepal or Bhutan by land or air need no passport or visa to enter, stay in or leave India; they show the immigration officer an identity document. If they come from or go to any other country they need a passport, and if they travelled through China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan, a passport and a visa.
Not confirmed
The Rules say government orders set other time limits for citizens of some countries; we could not find those orders. The Bureau of Immigration's pages, as we saved them on 31 October 2026, said: Pakistan nationals register within 24 hours of arrival (within 7 days on a Medical visa), unless the visa says 'Exemption from police reporting'; Bangladesh nationals who will stay more than six months at a stretch register within 14 days of arrival; citizens of Nepal and Bhutan need not register. Those pages did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026. The Exemption Order does not say which identity document citizens of Nepal and Bhutan show. Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29880374).
Sources: 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 10
- Do this nowIf: Visa extension or change of visa type
Apply for a visa extension or conversion on e-FRRO well before your present visa ends: e-FRRO advises applying at least 2 weeks ahead.
Staying in India beyond the period of your visa is an offence under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (section 23).
Open the official pageSources: 1, 8
- Do this nowIf: My address or passport changed
If you are changing your address, or will be away from it for 8 weeks or more, tell the FRRO on e-FRRO before you leave ("Change of Address").
If any detail in your registration certificate changes, such as a new passport, report it within 14 days ("Change of Passport" for a new passport).
Open the official pageSources: 2, 1
- Do this nowIf: An exit permit to leave India
If you have overstayed your visa or broken its conditions, you need an exit permit before you leave.
If your passport is lost: report it at once to the nearest police station and to FRRO Hyderabad; get a new travel document from your country's embassy; then apply for the visa service you need on e-FRRO. Foreigners adopting an Indian child through CARA (OCI cardholders too) need exit permits.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
When an exit permit is needed, what to do when a passport is lost, and the exit permits for adoptions through CARA are as the Bureau of Immigration's exit permit page said when we saved it on 31 October 2026. That page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026, and no official page we could open says it. Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29880374).
Sources: 1, 12
- Do this nowIf: A child was born in India (one or both parents foreign)
If one or both parents are foreign, tell the FRRO through e-FRRO within 30 days of the birth.
If both parents are foreign, apply for a new visa or exit permit for the child within 90 days of the birth. If one parent is Indian and the child keeps Indian citizenship, you need not tell the FRRO; but if the child later takes another country's citizenship while in India, tell the FRRO within 30 days.
Open the official pageSources: 2, 3, 1
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP) / Visa extension or change of visa type / My address or passport changed / An exit permit to leave India / A child was born in India (one or both parents foreign)
On the e-FRRO portal, register online and create a user ID and password with your own e-mail and an Indian mobile number.
OTPs and alerts all go to these. You can apply for family members from the same ID, but fill a separate form for each. Telangana is under FRRO Hyderabad.
Open the official pageSources: 1, 5
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP) / Visa extension or change of visa type / My address or passport changed / An exit permit to leave India / A child was born in India (one or both parents foreign)
Log in, choose the service (Registration, Visa Extension, Visa Conversion, Exit Permit and so on) and fill in the application carefully.
Upload the photo and documents and submit; note the Application ID. The application counts as submitted only when the uploads are done. Apply at least 2 weeks ahead.
Open the official pageSources: 1
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP) / Visa extension or change of visa type / My address or passport changed / An exit permit to leave India / A child was born in India (one or both parents foreign)
After the visa officers check the application, they tell you by e-mail or SMS the fee to pay, if any.
Pay it online through the bank payment gateway on the portal. The fee is not refunded, and the payment cannot be cancelled or changed. Without the fee, the application is not submitted.
Open the official pageSources: 1
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP) / Visa extension or change of visa type / My address or passport changed / An exit permit to leave India / A child was born in India (one or both parents foreign)
Check your e-mail every day.
If you are asked to re-upload documents or called for an interview, do it by the date given: delays can bring fines or prosecution. You need not go to the office unless the FRRO calls you. When granted, the RC/RP, exit permit and so on come by e-mail, or you can download them after logging in.
Open the official pageSources: 1
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP) / My address or passport changed
The keeper of your hotel, rented home, hostel, paying guest house or home stay must send your details to the FRRO online in Form III within 24 hours of your arrival and of your departure.
If you rent a home, tell the owner and give them your details.
Open the official pageSources: 2, 8
- Do this nowIf: Registration with the FRRO (RC/RP) / Visa extension or change of visa type / My address or passport changed / An exit permit to leave India / A child was born in India (one or both parents foreign)
In an emergency you can go straight to the FRRO Hyderabad office (phone 040-29880374, 040-29880375; e-mail frrohyd@nic.in).
Make sure the service given there is recorded electronically: a manual permission can cause trouble at airport immigration.
Sources: 1
- Do this nowIf: A permit to visit a Protected, Restricted or Prohibited area (PAP/RAP)
Look at the lists of protected and restricted areas in the Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025.
Protected areas: the whole of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim; parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand (as set out in the Order's appendices). Restricted areas: the whole of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and listed Tibetan settlements, monasteries and institutions in several states. Telangana is not in these lists. "Prohibited places" (those under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, or named by the Central Government) need a separate permit.
Open the official pageSources: 4, 8
- Do this nowIf: A permit to visit a Protected, Restricted or Prohibited area (PAP/RAP)
Apply for the Protected or Restricted Area Permit (PAP/RAP), or a Prohibited Place Permit, online on the e-FRRO portal (indianfrro.gov.in) or the "Indian Visa Su-Swagatam" mobile app.
The permit is issued electronically. Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan, and people of origin there, get a permit only with the Central Government's prior approval.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
The Order does not say how many days ahead to apply, which documents to upload or what it costs. The Bureau of Immigration's page, as we saved it on 31 October 2026, said: if you are in India, apply at least 15 days ahead; from abroad, apply through the Indian mission at least 30 days ahead. That page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026. Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29880374, frrohyd@nic.in).
Sources: 4, 1, 13
- Do this nowIf: Foreign national with an OCI card
OCI cardholders need no FRRO registration, however long they stay.
But if you live in India, tell the FRRO online (on e-FRRO) or by e-mail (FRRO Hyderabad: frrohyd@nic.in) whenever your permanent address or occupation changes. Show your passport and OCI card when you arrive in India, and produce your passport within 24 hours if an officer asks. The keeper of the place you stay must send Form III for you too.
Sources: 2, 7, 1
- Do this nowIf: Foreign national with an OCI card
Research; missionary, Tabligh, mountaineering or journalistic work; an internship or job in a foreign diplomatic mission; or visiting a Protected, Restricted or Prohibited area: OCI cardholders too need special permission first.
Apply for it online on ociservices.gov.in. Telangana is not in the lists of protected and restricted areas in the Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025.
Open the official pageSources: 6, 7, 4
If something goes wrong
If it is rejectedIf a service is refused, you are told by e-mail or SMS.
If a service is refused, you are told by e-mail or SMS. If a visa extension is refused, remember that staying beyond your visa is an offence under the Act (section 23). Contact FRRO Hyderabad to learn the reason and ask whether you can apply again.
FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad · Open the official page
Sources: 1, 8
If it is lateCheck the status on your portal dashboard and your e-mail.
Check the status on your portal dashboard and your e-mail. If there is no answer, call FRRO Hyderabad (040-29880374, 040-29880375) or write to frrohyd@nic.in. If your visa is close to expiring, do not wait: in an emergency go to the FRRO directly.
FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad · Open the official page
Sources: 1
If you are asked for more moneye-FRRO needs no agent or middleman: you apply online yourself.
e-FRRO needs no agent or middleman: you apply online yourself. Do not trust anyone who asks for money to get it done quickly. The fee is paid only on the portal, and only the amount told by e-mail or SMS. If you are charged twice, it is refunded within 7 days; SBIePay help 1800221401; if you paid through the Axis Bank gateway, +91-022-7131-2125/2126.
FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad · Open the official page
Sources: 1
AlsoOverstaying, acting against the conditions of your visa, not registering or otherwise breaking the Act or its Rules can be punished with up to three years in prison, a fine of up to ₹3 lakh, or both (Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, section 23).
Overstaying, acting against the conditions of your visa, not registering or otherwise breaking the Act or its Rules can be punished with up to three years in prison, a fine of up to ₹3 lakh, or both (Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, section 23). If you are late, apply on e-FRRO at once or contact FRRO Hyderabad.
FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad · Open the official page
Sources: 8, 1
AlsoTo ask about telling the FRRO of a change of permanent address or occupation, call FRRO Hyderabad's OCI number 040-29881088, or write to frrohyd@nic.in.
To ask about telling the FRRO of a change of permanent address or occupation, call FRRO Hyderabad's OCI number 040-29881088, or write to frrohyd@nic.in. Special permission is applied for on the OCI portal (ociservices.gov.in).
FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad · Open the official page
Sources: 1, 7, 6
Official websites for this work
- OCI services OCI card applications and changes
- e-FRRO Foreigners' registration and visa services
Related guides
The 13 official pages and papers this guide is written from
- e-FRRO Online Portal: home page (About eFRRO; How to Apply; Information: Instructions, Photo & Documents Requirement, FAQs; Guidelines and Penalty; Contact Us)Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs (e-FRRO portal, developed by NIC), About (apply yourself, no agents); How to Apply steps 1–8 (own e-mail and an Indian mobile; upload; scrutiny; fee by e-mail/SMS, paid online; status; RC/RP by e-mail or download; exigency at the FRRO office); Instructions (e-FRRO mandatory; interview when called; check e-mail daily; fines for delay; apply at least 2 weeks ahead; documents as indicated against each service); Photo & Documents (PDF up to 1 MB; photo JPG up to 1 MB, 3.5 × 3.5 or 3.5 × 4.5 cm, plain light or white background); FAQs (no visit unless called; family members from one ID; fees not refundable; SBIePay refunds within 7 days, help 1800221401); Guidelines and Penalty (child born in India: tell within 30 days, new visa or exit permit within 90 days if both parents are foreign; acquisition of foreign nationality; 180-day rule; overstay penalty table); Contact Us (FRRO Hyderabad: Sardar Vallabhai Patel BoI OCR Complex, Shamshabad-Pahadishareef Road, near GMR Township, Mamidipally, Shamshabad, Telangana 501218; 040-29880374, 040-29880375, 040-29881088 OCI/PIO; e-mail frrohyd@nic.in, shown as an image); the portal's service forms (Registration, Change of Address, Change of Passport, Visa Extension, Exit Permit) · read on 02-11-2026
- Notification G.S.R. 596(E), 1 September 2025: the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(i)), Rule 12(1) (register within 14 days of arrival, on the e-FRRO portal or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app; provisos on visas of 180 days or less, on visas with "each stay shall not exceed 180 days", and on countries with their own timeline by order), 12(2) (birth of a child to foreigners: tell within 30 days), 12(4) (no registration: visas of 180 days or less not overstayed, the 180-day-stay visas within 180 days, children under 12, OCI cardholders), 12(5) (OCI cardholders resident in India report a change of permanent address or occupation electronically); rule 11(1) (passport and visa or OCI card produced on arrival); rule 14(1) (passport produced within 24 hours of demand); rule 15(1), (2), (6) (absence of eight weeks or more or a change of address reported before leaving; changes in the certificate's particulars within 14 days); rule 17 (Form III by the keeper of any accommodation, including rented accommodation and home stays, within 24 hours of arrival and of departure; includes OCI cardholders) (01-09-2025) · read on 02-11-2026
- Notification G.S.R. 424(E), 1 June 2026: the Immigration and Foreigners (Amendment) Rules, 2026Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(i)), Rule 2 (rule 12(1): a foreigner on a visa of 180 days or less who wishes to stay longer registers any time before the 180 days end; registration for the 180-day-stay visas granted only in emergent circumstances; rule 12(2): not where an Indian parent keeps the child's Indian citizenship, but the parents tell the Registration Officer within 30 days if the child later takes a foreign citizenship while in India) (01-06-2026) · read on 02-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 3986(E), 1 September 2025: the Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii)), Paragraph 14 (permit for a Protected or Restricted area; application electronically on indianfrro.gov.in or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app; permit issued electronically; citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and people of origin there only with the Central Government's prior approval); paragraph 15 (Prohibited places: permit applied for electronically); Third Schedule (Protected areas) and Fourth Schedule (Restricted areas: Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Tibetan settlements, monasteries and institutions) (01-09-2025) · read on 02-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 3991(E), 1 September 2025: Foreigners Regional Registration Officers as Registration Officers, and their jurisdictionMinistry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii)), Table, item 8: Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Telangana (01-09-2025) · read on 02-11-2026
- Online OCI Services: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division), Government of India: Online OCI Services portal, "FAQs regarding OCI Benefits, Restrictions and Special Permissions", Q1 (note) and Q4: prior permission or special permit for OCI cardholders, applied for online at ociservices.gov.in · read on 11-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 1050(E), 4 March 2021: rights of Overseas Citizen of India cardholdersMinistry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii)), Right (1) proviso (iv): special permit for Protected, Restricted or prohibited areas; right (2): no FRRO registration, but those normally resident in India e-mail the FRRO when their permanent address or occupation changes (04-03-2021) · read on 02-11-2026
- The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (No. 13 of 2025)Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 1, No. 13), Section 3(q), (s) (Protected area, Restricted area), section 6 (foreigners register with the Registration Officer on arrival), section 8 (keepers of accommodation report foreigners), section 11 (no entry into a Protected or Restricted area or Prohibited place without a special permit or permission), section 23 (overstay, breach of visa conditions or of the Act, rules or orders: imprisonment up to three years, fine up to three lakh rupees, or both), section 36 (repeals the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, and others) (04-04-2025) · read on 02-11-2026
- Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025 (S.O. 3997(E)), as amended by S.O. 6027(E) of 4 November 2026Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Paragraph 3(1)(b): citizens of Nepal and Bhutan · read on 10-11-2026
- Registration RequirementsBureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Note: citizens of Nepal and Bhutan are exempt from the requirement of visa and registration (copy saved on 31 October 2026; the page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026) · read on 31-10-2026
- Special Categories (registration)Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Pakistan (register within 24 hours of arrival, unless the visa is endorsed "Exemption from police reporting"; on a Medical visa within 7 days); Bangladesh (staying more than six months at a stretch: register within 14 days of arrival) (copy saved on 31 October 2026; the page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026) · read on 31-10-2026
- Exit PermitBureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Loss of passport (police station and FRRO; new travel document from the embassy; then the visa service on e-FRRO); adoptions under CARA (exit permits, also for OCI parents); overstay or violation of visa conditions: exit permit (copy saved on 31 October 2026; the page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026) · read on 31-10-2026
- Entry to Restricted/Protected/Prohibited AreasBureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, How to obtain a RAP/PAP: through the Indian mission at least 30 days in advance if residing outside India; to the jurisdictional FRRO at least 15 days in advance if in India (copy saved on 31 October 2026; the page did not open on 2 and 10 November 2026) · read on 31-10-2026