The Centre has notified changes to the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025, introducing new timelines for foreigners seeking to extend their stay in India beyond 180 days. The revised provisions, issued by the Union Home Ministry and published in the official gazette on Monday, replace an earlier rule that allowed registration after the completion of 180 days in the country.

Under the new rules, foreigners who enter India on a visa valid for 180 days or less and wish to remain in the country beyond the permitted period must now register themselves before the completion of the 180-day stay. Earlier, they were required to register within 14 days after completing 180 days from their arrival in India.

The notification stated, "... the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025, in rule 12, 'in sub-rule, ' in the third proviso, for the words "within fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days of his arrival in India", the words "any time before the expiry of the said period of one hundred and eighty days" shall be substituted."

The revised provision also applies to foreigners holding visas valid for more than 180 days, where a condition specifies that each stay in India cannot exceed 180 days. Such individuals, if they intend to remain in the country beyond 180 days on a single visit or cumulatively during a calendar year, must complete the registration process before the expiry of the 180-day period.

The government has further clarified that permission for such extended stays will be granted only under exceptional situations. According to the notification, registration beyond the prescribed stay limit will now be allowed "only in emergent circumstances".

The amended rules also bring some relief for children born in India to parents where either one or both are foreign nationals. Earlier provisions required parents to electronically inform the registration officer within 30 days of the child's birth. This notification was necessary to access visa-related services such as obtaining a new visa or securing exit permission through the designated online portal or mobile application.

However, the latest notification exempts certain cases from this requirement. The rule will not apply when either of the parents is an Indian citizen and wishes to retain the Indian citizenship of the child. This change is expected to simplify procedures for families where one parent is Indian and the child remains eligible for Indian citizenship.

At the same time, the government has specified that if such a child later acquires the citizenship of a foreign country while residing in India, either parent must inform the registration officer within 30 days of the acquisition of foreign citizenship. The notification makes it mandatory for families to report the change in nationality status within the stipulated period.

Apart from visa and citizenship-related provisions, the amended rules also revise reporting obligations and administrative procedures for hospitals, nursing homes and other medical institutions that provide medical care along with lodging or sleeping facilities on their premises. While the notification updates compliance requirements for these establishments, it aims to strengthen monitoring and record-keeping mechanisms under the Immigration and Foreigners Rules framework.

The latest amendments are part of the government's efforts to streamline immigration procedures, improve monitoring of foreign nationals staying in India and bring greater clarity to registration requirements. The changes also seek to address practical issues related to children born to foreign nationals while ensuring that citizenship-related information is reported to authorities in a timely manner.