Government Launches E-Visa Related Services For Foreign Tourists

Bhubaneswar: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched E-Foreign Related Registration Offices (FRRO) for foreign nationals visiting the country. They need not visit the FRRO personally, as now they will be able to get it from the comforts of their home.

The FRRO for Odisha is based at Hyderabad. Earlier, foreigners had to visit the office personally for visa related services. The MHA has also informed other state governments about the change.

FRRO is the primary agency to regulate the registration, movement, stay, departure and also for recommending the extension of stay in India for foreigners.

Now, foreigners visiting India need not take an appointment and visit the FRRO personally unless specifically called upon, said an official.

The Web based application e-FRRO is aimed to build a centralised online platform for foreigners for visa related services. The key objective is to provide faceless, cashless and paperless services to the foreigners with a user-friendly experience.

Procedure:

1. Using this application, foreigners are required to create their own USER-ID by registering themselves.
2. Using this ID, they can apply for various visa and immigration related services in India including registration, visa extension, conversion, exit permit etc., without any hassle and obtain the service(s) without visiting the FRRO.
3. The necessary immigration/visa documents will be sent by post on the address mentioned. It would also be electronically sent to the foreigners to their registered email ID.
4. However, in certain exceptional cases, the foreigners will be intimated to visit the FRRO on a scheduled date and time for interview.
5. In case of exigency, the foreigners can visit the FRRO directly for grant of service.

However, the rules remain unchanged for Pakistani nationals, officials said.