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A very important news has come out for the foreign citizens coming to India and the people keeping an eye on the visa rules. The Union Home Ministry has made some major and important amendments in the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025. According to these new amendments, now foreign nationals coming to India on visa for 180 days or less will have to change their rules for further stay in the country. If they wish to remain in India even after the expiry of the stipulated period of their visa, they must get themselves registered any time before the expiry of the said period of 180 days.

Government abolished the old rule of 14 days

This new provision, notified by the government on Monday, is going to replace the old rule, which was in practice for a long time. Under the old rule, it was mandatory for foreign citizens to register within the next 14 days after completion of 180 days of their arrival in India. But now the government has completely changed this time limit constraint, which has changed the way the entire process works.

New notification published in the official gazette

This new notification published in the Official Gazette clearly states that major changes have been made in the third provision of sub-rule (1) contained in Rule 12 of the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025. Now the words ‘within 14 days of expiry of 180 days of arrival in India’ will be completely removed from this rule. In its place the words ‘at any time before the expiry of the said period of 180 days’ will now be strictly used.

Permission to stop further will be given only in emergency situations.

According to the new rules, the rules have also been tightened for foreign nationals who have been issued visas for a period of more than 180 days and whose visas have a clear condition that ‘each stay will not exceed 180 days’. Foreign nationals who wish to stay in India for more than this stipulated period, either in a single visit or in the entire calendar year, must register themselves any time before the expiry of the 180-day period. In the new rule, the government has made it completely clear that such registration will no longer be granted as easily as usual, but ‘only in emergency circumstances’.

Children of foreign parents got big and relief relaxation

In this new notification, some relief has also been given by the government to those children, one or both of whose parents are foreign citizens. If we look at the earlier stringent rules, in such cases, immediately after the birth of the child, it was very important for the parents to electronically inform the registration officer within 30 days on the designated online portal or mobile application to avail a new visa and other visa services including permission to leave the country.

But as per the new notification issued now, this sub-rule will not be applicable at all in all those cases where one of the parents is an Indian citizen and they want to retain the Indian citizenship of their child in future also. This step of the government will provide great relief to such families from recurring paper problems.