Foreigners Regional Registration Office
Also called: FRRO, FRO · Topic: Citizenship: Idea and Indian Law · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) is a regional office under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that keeps track of foreigners staying in India. Its job is to check that they stay lawfully, meaning within the rules of their visa. It registers foreigners after they arrive and issues the Registration Certificate, also called a Residential Permit. It also records changes of address or passport, extends or converts visas, issues exit permits (clearance to leave the country) and protected/restricted area permits, and acts against people who overstay.
FRROs work under the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, which came into force on 1 September 2025. They assist the Bureau of Immigration, which is set up under Section 5 of that Act. Most FRRO services are now online through e-FRRO, which is faceless, cashless and paperless. India has 20 FRROs, and the target is one in every state capital by 2027.
Example
In 2026 an FRRO opened in Aizawl. Before that, foreigners in Mizoram were served by the Kolkata office. Now a foreign student or tourist in Mizoram can extend a visa or get an exit permit in their own state.
Don't confuse with
- Bureau of Immigration: the Bureau is the main body that carries out immigration work under the 2025 Act. FRROs only help it and are not the Bureau.
- Foreigners Tribunals: these are bodies that work like courts and decide whether a person is a foreigner, mainly in Assam. An FRRO does not decide anyone's citizenship. It only deals with foreigners who entered India legally.