Government launches e-FRRO scheme to facilitate hassle-free travel for foreigners

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched web-based application e-FRRO (e-Foreigners Regional Registration Office) to allow foreign tourists and travellers to avail of paperless and cashless visa-related services.
e-FRRO eliminates need for any human interface and using it foreigners touring India will be no longer need to physically visit office of Foreigners Registration Office or Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRO/FRRO) for visa-related services including registration and visa extension.

e-FRRO scheme

Objectives

• Build centralized, transparent online platform for foreigners to avail visa related services.
• Provide faceless, cashless and paperless services to foreigners with user friendly experience.

Salient features: Online FRRO Service delivery mechanism without requirement of visiting FRRO/FRO office barring exceptional cases.
In this online system, foreigners can get as many as 27 visa and immigration-related services in India from comfort of their place of stay. Using e-FRRO application, foreigners can apply online on portal and obtain services through email and post without appearing in person at FRO/FRRO office.
Using this application, foreigners are required to create their own User ID by registering themselves. Afterwards, they can apply online through registered user ID for various visa and immigration related services in India viz. registration, visa extension, visa conversion, exit permit etc.
The e-FRRO scheme is being implemented on Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) with negligible extra expenditure, taking  cue from already successfully running e-visa scheme that has earned revenue of more than Rs. 1400 crore since its launch in November 2014.

Background

In present system, foreigners staying in India on Visa duration of more than 180 days have to get themselves registered with their respective FROs/FRROs. Similarly, foreigners requiring different kind of visa related services such as Visa extension, Change of address, Visa Conversion, Change of Educational institutions, Exit permits etc. are currently required to visit the FROs/FRROs office.
e-FRRO has been running successfully as pilot project in four FRROs (Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai) since February 2018. Now it has been rolled out in remaining eight FRROs across the country – namely Kolkata, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Hyderabad, Calicut, Lucknow and Ahmedabad.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2018