Exit Visa Permit: Here We Have Shared the Complete Guide for Foreigners in India
Exit Visa Permit:- A Complete Guidance from the Immigration Expert
An Exit Visa Permit is a legal certificate that allows foreigners to leave the country. Millions of foreigners Travel to India for travel, yoga, Meditation, business, and work purposes. In 2020, as per the Times of India report, 40,000 foreigners overstayed their stay in India after their stay expired due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After that, thousands of foreigners Overstayed in India due to a lack of information about Immigration Law, medical emergencies, loss of documents, or many other reasons.
What is an Exit Permit?
An Exit Visa Permit is a legal document that is granted to an individual foreign national who overstayed in India, lost their documents, has a newborn child of a foreigner, or breaks the Immigration laws in India. It is taken care of by the Bureau of Immigration in India. It is a part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Immigration authorities monitor the foreigners’ entry, stay, and exit in India for country safety. Foreigners have to follow the immigration laws and leave the country before the visa expiry in India to avoid the circumstances in India.
If someone overstays in India, they need to face a lot of difficulties and also have to pay a huge amount as a penalty to the FRRO as per their overstay in India.
Who Needs an Exit Permit?
Who Needs to Apply for an Exit Visa Permit?
- A foreigner who overstayed in India: Individuals who arrived in India on an e-visa or a regular visa and overstayed due to medical issues, lack of information, or any other reason, need to inform the local police station and file an online application on the e-FRRO portal to obtain an Exit Visa Permit.
- Loss of documents: A foreigner who arrives in India on an Indian visa and loses their documents during travel needs to inform the local police station and lodge an FIR as soon as possible to avoid problems related to the misuse of the documents. After that, along with all the required documents, they need to file an Exit Visa Permit application on the E-FRRO portal.
- Acquiring a foreign nationality: An Indian passport holder who acquires a foreign nationality needs to surrender their Indian passport at the Regional Passport Office (RPO) and submit an online application for an Exit Visa Permit to obtain it. They also need to apply for the cancellation of their ration card and election card in India.
- Newborn Child of Foreigners – A newborn child of foreign nationals needs an Exit Visa Permit from the FRRO to leave the country. Parents of the newborn child need to provide the hospital discharge summary, parents’ passports, child’s passport, and birth certificate to obtain an Exit Visa from the FRRO.
Who doesn't need an Exit Permit?
How to Get an Exit Visa Permit?
- A valid Indian Visa holder—a foreigner who arrived in India on any visa and has a valid Indian visa—does not need an Exit Visa Permit to leave the country. They can leave the country without informing any authority in India before the visa expiry.
- Business Visa/Employment Visa holder who registered their visa with the FRRO—a foreigner who has arrived in India on a Business, Employment, or Entry visa and registered their visa with the FRRO within 14 days of arrival in India, doesn’t need an exit visa permit.
- FRRO registration—a foreigner who arrives in India on an e-visa with 30/90/180 days of stay permission and registers their visa with the FRRO also needs to justify to the FRRO for not registering their visa and requires an Exit Visa Permit to leave the country.
- OCI Cardholder — An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder who is staying in India for an indefinite period does not require an Exit Visa permit to fly out of the country. If he/she loses the OCI card, then he/she needs to apply for a new OCI card under the OCI miscellaneous services. Under the miscellaneous OCI services, you can apply for the following:
- A foreigner who has new foreign passport details (each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age).
- In case of any change in address/occupation/contact/spouse name details.
- Obtaining a new foreign passport (once a new passport is issued after completing 20 years of age).
- Loss/damage of OCI card.
Step-by-Step Process for Getting an Exit Permit
The Process of Obtaining an Exit Visa Permit is complicated if you are not aware of the Immigration laws in India. Here we have shred you guide to obtain an Exit Visa form e-FRRO.
Step 1: Check if You Need an Exit Visa Permit
An Exit Visa Permit is not required for anyone unless you break the immigration laws and come under some categories like – a newborn child, or an Indian national who acquired foreign nationality in India.
Firstly, you have to check your visa type and your stay on it. If your visa is valid and your stay permission has expired, then you have to apply for an Exit Visa permit to fly out of the country. Also, if you lose your foreign passport and visa in India.
Foreigners need to check their visa type, duration of stay, and visa validity before applying for it.
Step 2: Ensure you have all the required documents as per your visa type
Before applying for an Exit Visa permit on e-FRRO, you have to prepare a file with all the required documents so you can get the approval easily. We have shared some common documents required, which include:
- Foreign Passport: A valid passport copy.
Address Proof in India: Proof of address needs to be submitted in an Exit Visa permit application. - Indian Visa Copy: An Indian visa copy is also required for those who arrive in India on an Indian visa.
- Passport Size Photograph: A passport-size photograph also needs to be uploaded in JPEG format.
- Request Letter: A request letter is also required to obtain an Exit Visa from FRRO.
Step 3: Pay Government Fees
Once the FRRO has approved all your documents and verified all the reports, then the FRRO opens the payment gateway. Once you pay the government fee, you can get an Exit Visa permit within 24 to 48 hours.
Step 4: Download Your Exit Permit
After the Government fees for granting an Exit Visa Permit, you can download it from your registered email. Sometimes, the FRRO can ask for a confirmed flight ticket.
Additional Tips for Getting an Exit Permit
- Plan: Always plan ahead to apply for any FRRO application to avoid fines and penalties in India.
- Double-check your documents: Double-check all your documents before submitting an online application through the E-FRRO portal.
- Seek professional help: If you’re having trouble applying for an Exit Visa, seek professional advice to save time and avoid complications.
- Don’t file multiple applications: The FRRO processes only one application. If you submit multiple applications through the E-FRRO portal, the FRRO can cancel all your applications.
Conclusion
Obtaining an exit permit may seem complicated to foreign nationals. We have shared with you the information about the immigration process in India. The team at Fargoworldwide provides FRRO and immigration assistance across the globe.