Online Registration for Foreigners in India

General Instructions for Registration
 

Introduction All foreigners (including foreigners of Indian origin) visiting India on long term (more than 180 days) Student Visa, Medical Visa, Research Visa and Employment Visa are required to get themselves registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned having jurisdiction over the place where the foreigner intends to stay, within 14 days of arrival. However, Pakistan nationals are required to register within 24 hours of their arrival. All Afghan nationals are required to register with the FRRO/FRO concerned within 14 days of arrival except those Afghan nationals who enter India on a visa valid for 30 days or less provided the Afghan national concerned gives his/her local address in India to the Indian Mission/FRRO/FRO. The Afghan nationals who are issued visas with 'Exemption from police reporting' are exempt from Police reporting as well as Exit permission provided they leave within the Visa validity period. Foreigners other than those mentioned above will not be required to get themselves registered, even if they have entered India on a long term visa provided their continuous stay in India does not exceed 180 days. If the intention of the foreigner is to stay in India for more than 180 days, he/she should get himself/herself registered well before the expiry of 180 days from the date of arrival with the FRRO/FRO concerned. Foreigners (including minors above 12 years of age) have to report in person or through an authorized representative to the appropriate Registration Officer for registration. Registration is also required in the case of visa less than 180 days and if there is special endorsement "for registration required". However foreigners entering on Entry(X) and Business visas valid for more than 180 days are required to register with the FRRO, FRO if they continuously intend to stay for more than 6 months i.e. more than 180 days on each visit. (But exempting visa bearing endorsement as "Stay not to exceed 180days hence no registration required." Apart from the above, foreigners entering on Journalist and any other category of visa which is valid for more than 180 days and do not have a special endorsement of "Each stay 180 days hence no registration required?; are required to register with the concerned F.R.R.O.'s, F.R.O.s within 180 days of their arrival. Foreigners (including minors above 12 years of age) have to report in person or through an authorized representative to the appropriate Registration Officer for registration. Ordinarily, the registration process is completed on the same day, but it may vary in those cases where field enquiry/other checks are required to be done by the registration officer. The above guidelines are valid for all cases except those where visa has special endorsement regarding registration. 

*The Validity of Marriage*

Unlike other countries, Indonesian law has no provision for non-religious civil marriages. The validity of marriage is governed by the Marriage Law of 1974 which took affect in 2nd January 1974. The mixed-marriage couple needs to pay attention to the legal issues surrounding their union. If something unforeseen happens down the line, lack of legal requirements in your marriage will put you into an unfavorable condition. If the law doesn’t recognize your marriage, you are considered to be not marriage at all. This lack of a legal status will affect your divorce, division of marital properties, alimony, and child custody.

Religious Marriages

Indonesia’s 1974 Marriage Law stipulates that marriage can be legally recognized if it is performed according to the religion of the two parties. In Indonesia religion is the main issue in marriage. Marriages between different religions is not allowed in Indonesia. Both spouses must have the same religion in order to get marry legally.

Once you have made the decision to marry in Indonesia, you must choose the type of religious ceremony that you intend to have. For Non-Moslems, you must hold a church (or temple) ceremony first, and then record the marriage with the Civil Registry Office. The couple will experience two types of ceremonies. The religious ceremony will be performed first, followed by a civil ceremony. The Civil Registry will in turn issue a Marriage Certificate, which is evidence that you are legally married. A Non-Moslem wedding which is not recorded with the Civil Registry is not considered legal. There will be two certificates presented at the end of ceremony, one from the church/temple, and one from the Civil Registry Office.

If you have decided the marry in a Moslem ceremony, you must register your marriage at the local Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama/KUA). Persons wedded in a Moslem ceremony are issued a Marriage Book and need not record their marriage with Civil Registry Office.

Civil Weddings

Considering that Indonesian law has no provision for non-religious civil marriages, the couple who wishes to perform a civil wedding should provide the religious marriage certificate first (i.e. Certificate of Marriage Solemnization), which means that they have completed the religious marriage in their country. Some foreign tourists who get married while on their vacation/honeymoon in Indonesia, choose this route.

International Recognition

Mixed-marriage couples married in Indonesia should pay attention to this issue, especially if they have married in Moslem ceremony. The Moslem Marriage Book is NOT accepted in several countries - for example, Netherlands. The immigration regulations in the Netherlands require a Certificate of Attestation from the Indonesian Civil Registry Office. This is the certificate that show that the marriage has been registered with the Indonesian Civil Registry Office in order to register at the Civil Registry Office in the Netherlands. You need to submit supporting documents such as your passports, visa, marriage books, and photographs (with groom on the right side).