Last week, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bangalore instituted a new requirement. Now, all applicants must upload passport-sized photos to the FRRO website when making appointments for foreigner registration and extension of visas. Applicants must still carry original copies of all photos and documents to their appointment at the FRRO office. It is expected that other FRRO locations will soon adopt this requirement, and that eventually all supporting documents will need to be uploaded.

Photos must:

  • Be recent, in color, and sized 3.5 cm by 3.5 cm, or 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm.
  • Show the person from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, against a white background, facing the camera.
  • Have the person’s head centered in the frame.
  • Show the person’s ears, neck and shoulders.
  • Show the person with the eyes open, and not wearing tinted or reflective glasses.
  • Show the person’s full face, which should cover 60 to 70 percent of the photo.
  • Not have any shadows.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in India. For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@bal.com.

Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Indian government announced that as of July 1, 2013, only Indian-owned firms will be contracted to receive Indian visa applications.  As a result, the processing of Indian visas in the U.S. will be transitioned to an Indian-owned company effective July 1. Applications will continue to be lodged via Travisa Outsourcing, the incumbent contract holder, until the completion of the transition.

BAL recommends that potential applicants allow sufficient time to obtain their visas. BAL will provide updates on how these latest developments will affect processing times as more information becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@bal.com.

Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.