In this article, Sanghamitra Sengupta discusses the legal consequences of overstaying in India.
Entering a country on any visa requires you to leave at some point. Stretching your visit over a period of time can result in a legal fiasco. There are different reasons for one’s visit or stay in India such as education, tourism, employment, internship, business, conference, medication, and transit. Whatever the reason be, just like any other country, India too does not tolerate one’s stay in their country, after their visa has expired.
What is a visa?
- A travel visa is granted by a country to a foreigner visiting the country for a specific period of time. The travel visa authorizes the foreigner’s stay in the country. Every country has different rules, with regard to travel visas.
- For instance, Qatar easily grants a visa on arrival on payment of a small fee which can be charged on the spot on a credit card. Such a system does not involve any tedious procedure before travel journey to a foreign country commences. Some countries which provide a visa on arrival may require you to provide evidence of solvency and hotel booking.
- Some countries like Algeria require a foreigner to apply for a visa long before their travel to the foreign country and even carry an authorization letter from their government.
- Some countries exempt citizens of a particular country from obtaining a visa. For instance, Nepalese do not require a visa to travel to India when traveling from Nepal. Similarly, U.S citizens do not require a visa to stay in Japan for 90 days.
Who needs a Visa to visit/stay in India?
- If you are a foreigner, i.e., not an Indian citizen, you require a visa to travel or stay in India.
- Only citizens of Nepal and Bhutan have been exempted from obtaining a visa to travel to the country. Nationals of Maldives do not require a visa to stay in India for tourism purposes for maximum 90 days.
- One cannot depend on their Indian origin to not obtain a visa to travel to India. The visa must be approved before you travel to India.
- Currently, there are 12 different types of visas offered by India. You can opt for one, as per your type of stay and visit to the country.
- Indian visas are usually granted for a period of 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or 10 years, depending on one’s citizenship, type of visa and fee paid.
- A foreigner can now apply for a visa online by clicking here. An interview may then be conducted where documents required for processing of visa will have to be submitted.
FRRO Registration
- Every foreigner entering India on a visa that is valid for 180 days or more has to register themselves with the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO), within 14 days of arrival.
- Pakistani nationals have to register with the FRRO within 24 hours of arrival and not 14 days.
- Foreign diplomats, OCI, children aged 16 years and below need not register themselves with the FRRO.
- If a foreigner does not stay in India for 180 continuous days, no registration is required.
- FRRO monitors and regulates the stay of foreigners in the country. A late registration with the FRRO would attract a fine and a lengthy process of explanations and justifications.
- A foreigner may extend his visa if he wishes to do so by seeking permission of the FRRO before the visa expires. Tourist, internship and transit visas cannot be extended.
- A visa is extended only on reasonable grounds, for instance, medical reasons.
- A visa granted by India can be extended at least 60 days prior to the expiry of the visa.
- You must carry your confirmed air ticket, copies of your passport photo, and a photocopy of your passport in order to obtain an extension of visa. Carry extra copies to be on the safer side.
- In case of overstay in India, a foreigner has to obtain an exit visa from the FRRO.
FRRO OFFICES
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Amritsar 123-D, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar-143001  0183-2508250 |
Bangalore/Bengaluru Office of the FRRO, 5th Floor, ‘A’ Block, TTMC, BMTC Bus Stand Building, K.H. Road, Shantinagar, Bangalore – 560027 080-22218196, 080-22218195 |
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Chennai Shastri Bhawan, 26, Haddows Road, Chennai-600006 044-23454970(O) 044-23454971(FAX) 
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Delhi East Block-VIII, Level-II, Sector-1, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066 011-26711384 (O) 011-26711348 (FAX) |
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Hyderabad Office of the FRRO, Old Begumpet Airport, Begumpet, Hyderabad 040-27900214(O) 040-27900388(Fax) |
Kolkata 237, Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose, Road, Kolkata-700020 033-224700549 (O) 033-22470549 (FAX) |
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Mumbai 3rd floor, Special Branch Building, Badruddin Tayabji Lane, Behind St. Xaviers College, Mumbai-400001 022-22621169 (O) 022-22620721 (FAX) |
What is an exit visa?
Exit visas have to be obtained by those who had entered the country without a visa, for instance, a foreigner’s child born in the country and those who have overstayed their visa in the country.
- In order to avoid punishment and imposition of fine, the foreigner is expected to extend the visa if an extended stay is desired or apprehended.
- This is because not extending a visa by approaching the FRRO on time results in overstaying which is a punishable offense in the country.
- Foreigners must submit an application for extension of visa at least 60 days prior to its expiry to the Bureau of Immigration or the FRRO.
- FRRO can condone or regularise overstay up to three months beyond the validity of the visa, excluding tourist visa. However, the grounds of overstay must be reasonable. The FRRO charges an overstayal fee of US$ 30. A fee of US$ 40 is also charged for the extension of visa.
- No charge is imposed for obtaining an exit visa.
- A foreigner wishing to obtain an exit visa may apply for one online by clicking here. It is a government initiative to digitize the application process, making it easier for foreigners.
- It must be noted that the State Government or Union Territory administration along with FRROS have powers to grant an exit visa to foreigners holding Tourist/X Visas who have overstayed for three months or less. This is subject to no local objection, no LOC, no court case pending, and on payment of fees or penalty.
- FRRO offices are currently present in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.
Steps to get an exit visa
The process is quite cumbersome and dreadful as it takes days to process an exit visa considering the number of formalities involved. Show up early at the FRRO, to get a chance to produce your documents early. Note down clearly the documents the officer at the FRRO demands from you as you’ll be asked to head back even if one document is missing. To be on the safer side, carry at least 2 copies of all documents required. Make sure all the copies of your personal documents are self-attested. All corporate documents should be attested by a gazetted officer. Lastly, be patient and friendly.
What happens if someone overstays?
- Overstaying in India amounts to a criminal offense and is dealt with seriously. A foreigner who overstays in the country may have to pay a fine, face imprisonment and even be barred from entering the country in the future if the circumstance demands so.
- A fine of 30$ has to be paid for overstaying in India when caught for overstaying.
- Regardless of whether one’s overstay is for a long or short period, the individual will be regarded as an illegal migrant.
- Under Section 14 of the Foreigner’s Act, 1946, a foreign national who overstays his visa will be penalized. This section of the Act provides for penalizing a foreign national who remains in India for a period exceeding the period allowed by the visa. The penalty may extend to an imprisonment term of 5 years along with a monetary fine.
Deportation of a Foreigner for overstaying
Deportation means sending a foreigner back to his country for not abiding by the immigration rules of a particular country. Such a person who faces deportation is not easily allowed to enter the country again. Under the Foreigner’s Act, 1946, the Central Government is empowered to deport a foreigner who has overstayed in India, by virtue of Section 3(2)(c) of the Act. The Central Government has delegated this power to all the state governments and UT administrations too.
In fact, the police also have the power to arrest a foreign national living illegally in India, by virtue of Section 4 of the Passport Act, 1920. According to norms, the police authorities must inform the embassy concerned with the arrested foreigner about his arrest and even offer a visit from an official of the embassy to the arrested foreigner. The Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs too must be intimated about the arrest.
Legal steps to take when you have overstayed
Stay calm. There are a couple of solutions which will lessen the hassle.
- Reschedule the flight
Often, people realize that their visa expires before their date of departure from India. In such a scenario, they are quite apprehensive about rescheduling their flight owing to increased airfare. But, it’s a wise option to not overstay in the country and reschedule your travel by departing earlier.
- Extend the visa
If your stay is necessary in India beyond the period specified in the visa, approach the FRRO and ask for a visa extension. It is not an easy task as a lot of questions will be directed to you making the process long and tiring. But, this seems to be a straightforward move. The authorities may require a proof of the residence as well for this purpose.
- Request for an exit visa
How to avoid overstaying in India
You must remember that the validity of your visa starts from the day it is issued to you. Most people confuse the validity of their visa to start from the day they have departed for India or have arrived in India. This is a highly erroneous understanding and can land you in problems. It is advised that you make your final travel schedule after obtaining the visa.
Conclusion
Being jailed or snubbed in a foreign country can be an individual’s biggest nightmare. Make sure you follow these guidelines to avoid any legal hassle in your trip.
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I overstayed for 12 days without realizing my visa is valid only 30 days. All my bags were checked in and passed through security and then comes the senseless immigration department. They sent me back saying that I have to deal wit FRRO office. I went to their office and no help there and told me to do everything online. Then comes the more dreaded application process. The unnessary docs they require which makes no sense and people of Indian origin come to their families to meet. They need tenant verification, then rc/rp.
and without uploading all these docs your application will not go through. No one will pickup the phone to get help at Mumbai office and finally I got hold of Delhi office and they did not help and told me to call Mumbai office. No luck. Finally I called Delhi office and screamed on them to help with online application. what does it matter if it is Mumbai office or Delhi office. After that they still needed few docs and then comes the hefty 300 dollars. Very unreasonable fee. why is that a surprise. Why can’t they tell clearly this is the fee of this service. Payment has to be done on website. The don’t take cash and they do not accept US Visa or AMEX cards. So I had to borrow my friends card and pay him cash. Another thing, every time you make a mistake of putting wrong card information, you have to wait half an hour before you can put new info. How ridiculous. so in trial of putting all my US Cards, I wasted 3 hours just to send payment. SHape up guys.
All your actions are senseless ! You were stupid not to see how long was your visa valid upto before you boarded the flight to India. You were further stupid not to check before you arrived at airport. You were, I am sure, equally stupid at departure place, to think that just because you are leaving….they have to pardon you ! Ignorance of law, and, in your case, utter stupidity and arrogance , is not an excuse!!
Quick question bro my wife (Indian) and 2 kids (american/ages 3 years and 6months) are in India right now.. my wife wasnt paying attention to the e-tourist visa and just realized it expires February 2nd so like in 11 days..! You think the kids can get a little extension since their mother is an idiot ?
Hello everyone, my friend came from italy to india and has overstayed for almost 3 years as she has 2 kids both are born on indian soil, the father of one kid is missing and the other one refuses to take responsibility of the child. Please advise me on any help which is possible for her.
Sir
I came from Trinidad 2007 as a minor with my parents who hold an Indian passport. The Trinidadian passport expired in 2010. Being a minor I could not return to Trinidad as my legal parents stayed in India due to my mother’s illness. At present, I wish to regularize my citizenship in India. What steps I can take to regularize my stay.
Hello everyone!
Me and my cousin have medical visa and we want to extend our visa for more 3 months.
Q1: Is there any way to extend it?
Q2: what if we over stay for more 3 months after our visa expires, how much should we pay for these 3 months!?
Hello I am from Bangladesh. I have overstayed since last 2.5 years due lost my passport and Visa expire.i fear to complain register in fro some financial problem. so now I want return my home without any problem anyone help me or suggest me what can I do now.
i overstayed 5 years
I married an Indian girl and had a son that’s 4 now I have overstayed 5 years now running from city to city as I wasn’t allowed to exit with a criminal case for a stupid fight, I was going to get an OCI card but eventually I got 2 more cases for fighting and i let my passport and visa expire. How do I get deported.
will I have to do prison time until my cases are closed? I can’t even get a job now and sleep in the streets. My wife left me and can’t see my son. The embassy and consulate are useless I’ve told them how I was incriminated unintentionally.
My friend has over stayed for 4 months now much will be the penalty fine ?
I overstayed because I had an accident and head injury leaving me in bed with concussion for a month and rehabilitating my brain the next month.
I was alone without much access to therapy and doctors but did see a neurologist in first week in Apollo hospital.
I didn’t even realize I’d overstayed till I got to the airport because I was counting 90 days since last tourist visa entry but this time there was an expiry date but my brain was damaged in the accident and mistook the numbers of the date
So what’s the best way to relieve my anxiety now?
Where do I get legal advice?
Will a medical certificate be what I need?
Getting C forms also isn’t easy.
Hotels won’t even allow us to stay if overstayed.
Hello there i m an malaysia came to settle some family issues and had to stay longer than expected and i had same issue last time but i had to apply in effro and run to the office in chennai and so many formalities.. Is it posibble for me to pay the penalty in the airport and fly back once i finish my work here? They had this system last time where if u stay longer than 45 days can pay the penalty in airport and went back.for malaysia visa max stay is 45 days although we have multiple entry of visa.can anyone suggest should i redo the effro formalities or can i pay the penalty in airport…
Hi, my brother have a visa of medical with his wife and his child , suddently he died today due to heart attack but he is in overstay period of 3 years , what are the procedure follow to take my brother body to my native Srilanka please help me
All the information is very useful as per Indian government it said the penalty for overstaying in India is 30 US dollar, but what confusing me is that, in Chennai my friend has paid 300 US dollar for only one day. what is the difference between frro office in Chennai and other frro office in other states.
All am saying some students parents cannot afford this 300 US dollar because it really too much please.
Hi guys , I m from Afghanistan registered as a asylum seeker in UNHCR with my family we overstayed for 2 years? and now we recognise that UNHCR don’t care of refugees in here , so we would like to close my case and go back to Afghanistan, then will go to other country.
QUESTION IS THAT HOW MUCH WILL BE ONE PASSPORT PENALTY FOR 2 YEARS. ANY BODY CAN HELP ME FOR CALCULATION
salamualikom!! mohammed brother.
I’m also from afghanistan and staying in bangalore. If you are currently registered with UNHCR office, they should have given you temporary document papers for staying in india. Or your case is not officially processed or accepted by them?
Based on what circumstance have you overstayed in india with your family? Is your case of Refugee seeking updated with FFRO if you have proceed the refugee seeking process accordingly then there should be no hustle for you to exit as you can metion and submit your documents of prove while applying for exit.
Than you
If you overstay your visa I highly recommend applying for an exit visa online. It’s a long boring form to fill in and you have to upload photos and proof of your type of stay (we uploaded photos to prove we were there for tourism) and we also had to provide information of where we stayed. For a hotel, this comes in the form of a C form which no hotel would help us with. So luckily I have a friend in Mumbai who said he would pretend to be our host and wrote a letter to say that we stayed with him. We had to upload his ID, proof of address and a letter.
It took 1 week to receive an email demanding payment of 7,200 rupees.
I paid for my exit visa online but due to the weekend, my visa didn’t arrive on time. Despite providing proof that I’d already paid, FRRO at Delhi airport still made me pay $300 for a new exit permit to leave the country. They claim that it’s the penalty and didn’t have any proof to show us that this was the real price of overstaying. Even just for our knowledge that the money wasn’t going in their pockets, they couldn’t provide anything. One guy kept saying “it’s on the website” but wasn’t able to give us the name of said website. They were really unhelpful and it has put us off ever returning. Which is a huge shame because travelled there for fundraising and charity reasons.
Dasha, The last day of the visa is written on the stamp in your passport. In your case it will probably be the 29th. If you want to stay longer you should apply for an exit permit. If you go to the FRRO office there are private consultants that will help you for about 200 rupees. You can try to do this online as well.
Hello everyone,
anybody knows how they count 60 days for evisa? I have arrived 31october. According to google 60 days from that date is 30th December. Does that mean I have to leave India 30th including or excluding? The last day is 30th or 29th? I have emailed the indian gov and my embassy but it’s xmas, so no reply. The thing is that I desperately need to fly off on 30th.
A friend overstayed his visa tryed everything but they always say that they need another form and another and another his process has not even been started even though he filled out the form right away online. He even went to the police pleading to arrest him!!! He simply wants to go home! Overstayed one day due to sickness. His father is dying. He needs to go back to England! Noone seems to be able to help. What can he do????
The current FRRO in chennai are taking advantage of the online application and overcharging the penalty fee, someone was charged a fine of 300 dollars for an overstay of less than 90 days, hence the legal fee is supposed to be 30 dollars.
Thanks
Very useful
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