Ranit Kumar Singh , New Delhi — The Union Home Ministry has drastically revised the Immigration and Foreigners Rules 2025, significantly shortening the registration window for foreign nationals wishing to extend their stay in India. Under the newly notified regulations, foreigners on visas valid for 180 days or less must now register "any time before the expiry" of that 180-day period if they intend to prolong their visit. This major shift replaces the previous framework, which generously granted travelers a 14-day grace period to register after their initial 180 days of arrival had already lapsed.

Furthermore, the stringent timeline applies to foreign nationals holding long-term visas that cap individual visits at 180 days per trip. Anyone intending to exceed this limit on a single occasion, or in the aggregate over a calendar year, must register before their 180 days expire. The ministry emphasized that such extensions will now be granted "only in emergent circumstances," signaling a much tighter administrative grip on visa oversight. The updated notification also introduces overhauled reporting requirements and administrative procedures for hospitals, nursing homes, and medical institutions that provide accommodation to foreign patients.

Conversely, the amendment provides notable relief to multinational families by relaxing electronic intimation rules for newborns. The previous mandate requiring parents to notify registration officers within 30 days of a child's birth to secure visa services has been abolished, provided at least one parent is an Indian citizen who intends for the child to retain Indian citizenship. However, if that child later acquires foreign citizenship while residing in India, the parents must formally notify the authorities within 30 days of the citizenship change.