Visas & Immigration

The OIA provides acceptance letters and visa support letters for all incoming students, researchers and faculty. These can be used while applying for a visa. Students are required to apply for a ‘student’ visa regardless of their length of stay at TISS. Students coming under CSIP programmes should also apply for student visas. Researchers typically apply for a ‘research’ visa while faculty apply for a visa that is appropriate to their affiliation with TISS. For more information on Indian visas, please visit the Indian Bureau of Immigration.

Foreigners Regional Registration Office
All foreigners, including foreigners of Indian origin, visiting India for more than 180 days and holding a student visa, medical visa, research visa and employment visa must register themselves with the nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) where the individual will be staying. This needs to be done within 14 days of arrival in India.

Pakistan and Afghan nationals
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. In addition to the FRRO registration, Afghan nationals are also required to report to the police and request exit permission except for those who are issued visas with ‘ Exemption from police reporting’ provided they leave within the Visa validity period.

All Business visa holders are required to register themselves with the FRRO/FRO concerned in case the aggregate stay in India on Business visa exceeds 180 days during a calendar year.

More information on the FRRO process and documents required can be found here: https://boi.gov.in/content/general-instructions-registration-foreigners

For all incoming students, the OIA assists with the FRRO registration. Students must report to the OIA the day they arrive or the following day.