Foreign tourists attend the Hornbill Festival at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama. (Morung File Photo)
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New 24-hour e-reporting mandate for foreigners in hotels, hospitals and hostels
Dimapur, February 9 (MExN): The office of the Commissioner of Police-cum-Foreigners Registration Officer in Dimapur has issued a public notification detailing the compliance requirements and certain categories of individuals and institutions are legally bound to furnish information regarding the arrival and stay of foreigners to the Registration Officer having jurisdiction.
The directive comes in the wake of the newly enacted new single consolidated legislation on foreigners and immigration ‘The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025’ and its corresponding ‘Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025’, which came into force nationwide on September 1, 2025.
The notification clarifies that with the enforcement of this new single, consolidated legislation, several laws namely the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; The Registration of Foreigners Act. 1939; The Foreigners Act, 1946 and The Immigration (Carriers Liability Act, 2000) “stands repealed.”
The notification issued by Aotula T Imchen, IPS, Commissioner of Police-cum-Foreigners Registration Officer, Dimapur emphasised the statutory duties imposed on various categories of individuals and institutions to furnish information regarding the arrival and stay of foreigners, including Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cardholders, to the jurisdictional Registration Officer.
It highlighted the Section 8(1) of the 2025 Act, which mandates that the “keeper of accommodation” to submit prescribed information about foreigners staying in their premises. The definition of “accommodation” under Rule 17(7)(a) is expansively defined to include any boarding house, club, dak-bungalow, rest house, hostel, paying guest house, sarai, rented accommodation, homestay, tents, hospital or other premises of like nature, premises of religious institutions, charitable trusts, any other trusts, public organisations or any other organisations or entity of social and religious or of public nature, furnished or unfurnished.
In parallel, Section 10 of the Act imposes a separate obligation on every hospital, nursing home or any other medical institution providing medical, lodging or sleeping facilities to report details of any foreigner taking “indoor medical treatment or their attendant” for whom such lodging or sleeping facility has been provided to the Registration Officer.
The procedural rules for compliance are detailed and time-bound. As per Rule 17(1), every keeper of accommodation must require every foreigner, including an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder, seeking accommodation to furnish necessary particulars, for recording and sign, upon arrival and departure, the date and time, and maintain these details electronically for at least one year. These details “shall at all times be available for Inspection,” on demand by Registration Officer, District Magistrate or Police officer, not below the rank of a Head Constable, the notification stated.
Significantly, Rule 17(5) stipulates that within 24 hours of a foreigner’s arrival, the accommodation keeper must electronically transmit a copy of the duly filled ‘Form-III’ (which replaces the erstwhile Form ‘C’) to the Registration Officer via a designated online portal or mobile application.
An identical 24-hour reporting timeline via Form-III is mandated for hospitals and medical institutions under Rule 18(5). The notification specifies the designated online portal as https://indianfrro.gov.in and the mobile application as “Indian Visa Su-Swagatam” for this purpose.
The reporting net is cast wider by Rule 16, which requires every university, educational institution, including school or any other institutions, admitting any foreigner or OCI Cardholder to furnish information in ‘Form-II’ (also replacing Form ‘C’) to the Registration Officer for those provided with hostel accommodation.
The notification underscored the critical importance of Form-III, describing it as a “crucial piece of document” essential for complying with Indian immigration laws and also to “ensure national security.”
“Therefore, keeping in view the sensitivity and importance attached to the requirement of Form-III for complying with Indian Immigration laws while also Supporting national security efforts, all concerned are requested to ensure accurate and timely reporting,” the CP Dimapur stated.
The statement also reminded of the legal consequences of non-compliance, cautioning that, “failure to comply with the provisions of the Act and Rules shall attract penal action, as provided under law.”
