I am not the first volunteer in India to write about experience with FRRO. FRRO is Foreigners’ Registration Regional Office where as the name implies, foreigners register. Any alien who intends to stay in India for more than 180 days has to go to FRRO and be registered as a temporary resident. That is aside from police registration that has to be accomplished within 14 days upon arrival. And then if you need visa extension you also go to FRRO.
One of the challenges both VSO India and the volunteers face here is the visa extension, and VSOI actually encourages volunteers to write and talk about what it’s like getting our visas extended. One volunteer made 17 visits to FRRO before she was granted extension and no one has broken her record so far. In my case, I attempted 4 times before I was able to actually sit down and submit my documents. First, I went to the wrong offices. Second time, I went to the right office but was not allowed to get in because FRRO Chennai does not process extension for XV type of visa. Third attempt, I went at 2 pm only to be told they accept applications between 9 am and 12 noon, but at least they already gave me a list of the documents that I needed to submit. On my fourth trip to FRRO I came with complete documents and was granted entry.
First stop was the Person of Indian Origin (PIO and no, I am not a person of Indian origin) office. In the PIO office there were chairs arranged in rows, I was instructed to sit next to the last person in the last occupied row. Each time a foreigner gets his/her turn we move one seat closer to the PIO. Several seats later and I was standing in front of the PIO stating my case, documents scrutinized , I was then given an application form I had to fill in and submit together with letters expressing intention to register as foreigner and apply for visa extension, letters from VSO and my organization 1) certifying I am indeed a volunteer, 2)I am not receiving salary, 3)requesting that I be granted visa extension, 4) be registered as foreigner; a letter from my landlord as proof of residence, lease contract entered into between my landlord and my organization, photocopies of my 1)passport 2) page that shows my arrival and 2 passport photos (with blue background, like this shade of blue. All documents have to be submitted in duplicate. Next stop was the waiting room where like in the PIO office there is a seating arrangement. In the waiting room are divans. The last person to come in had to occupy the seat farthest from the door. Each time a foreigner was called in for her or his turn we moved one seat closer to the door. I brought a book with me but I couldn’t even finish 2 pages before I needed to get up and sit down again. Less than 15 minutes and I was already in the office of the immigration officer, third stop.
The immigration officer happened to have the same name as one of our past presidents, but was quick to deny that he is a dictator like his namesake. But I didn’t know that till late, that his name is Mr. Marcos and he’s not a dictator.
A week before that I just finished “Being Indian” by Pavan K. Varma where I read that Hindus (he referred to Indians in general as Hindus in his book) have penchant for brandishing their power. When Mr. Marcos interviewed me, I embellished all my sentences with “Sir” and “Yes, sir” and complimented the state of Tamil Nadu for the good work they are doing about HIV. That won me a potential one year visa extension.
On half a sheet of bond paper he scribbled something and handed it to me. It was my Intimation B form. That one-half sheet of bond paper that doesn’t even have the seal of India is the second most important document in my possession, next to my passport, while my papers are in the Ministry of Home Affairs office in New Delhi. The intimation B is my proof that even if my passport shows an expired visa, I am still a legal alien in India. I thanked Mr. Marcos profusely because it meant I did not have to go back to FRRO after 6 months and try to get another extension, regardless if I have been impressed by their efficiency which I heard is absent in FRROs in other states.
Last stop was an office with 4 glass windows separating the employees from applicants. This time, I could choose any seat I wanted because we were handed a waiting number. When my number was called, I went to window 4, handed all my documents and was told to return after a week. A week later I was back, handed the Intimation B to the woman at window 4, she looked at it handed it back to me and told me to wait for their letter they would send by post. That’s it. No fuss, no payments made. Just sit down, relax and wait, possibly three months. I’m a legal alien and can travel anywhere in India.
Getting an exit permit
In many cases, where a visa extension is under consideration chances are the foreigner won’t get it till the time that the consideration has expired and needs further extension. In such instance, one has to apply again 2 1/2 months before the expiration of Intimation B. A foreigner is required to get an exit permit if he or she wants to leave the country but has a pending application for visa extension. (Also to delist from police registry). Without the permit s/he can’t leave the country.
So now it’s my time to temporarily leave the country on a compassionate ground. My dad will undergo coronary bypass surgery and I want to be there for him. Top priority is to get an exit permit and apply for return visa. I forgot to mention earlier that I learned one lesson while processing my visa extension. That India has a reliable website http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in that provides tremendous information including what documents are required for visa extension. Unfortunately, it doesn’t say anywhere in the site what documents are needed to get exit permit. I found the FRRO Chennai office and called them to inquire. I didn’t get the information I needed and was instead told to go to FRRO and there it would be explained to me.
Let me digress for a moment. You see, Chennai is a huge city with sharks moonlighting as auto-rickshaw drivers. Round trip to and from FRRO is staggering Rs.300 for a mere 10 kilometers, that’s because i know the way and I have learned to negotiate well. At the gates of FRRO are more sharks, er auto drivers, on the lookout for foreigners leaving the premises. Regardless if I projected a mien of nonchalance they would approach me and offer their autos. Hope springs eternal in me so I tell them where I want to go and they immediately say, “come, 300”. I express incredulity if not defiance, “okay, 250”. If I try I could make it go down to 150, but in my one year in Chennai I’ve learned that getting them to agree to my price comes with hitches. They can do either one or all of the following, 1) stop at a petrol station to gas up, 2) drive recklessly and steal glances thru the side mirror to check how fast you lose the color in your face, 3) tsk-tsk and complain about the traffic, 4)pretend that they don’t know the way and ask around for direction, and 5) 50 meters to your destination they whine about the long distance.
As I was saying, that trip to FRRO just to get list of required documents is already taxing, financially and emotionally. I went anyway. A man at the PIO office pored over my documents and asked for my registration paper which I didn’t have because my original visa was only for 180 days. Therefore, I am not a registered alien. I needed to apply for exit permit and return visa, so he said if I came back the next day with confirmed ticket I would be issued both. The next day, I had my confirmed round trip ticket, but there’s a new person in charge and she asked for 3 more documents. She said I am not eligible for return visa because I am not registered and my papers are in New Delhi. As I intend to return after a month I have to get fresh visa in the Philippines.
I returned yet another day (today) with docs, she checked docs, signed and instructed me to go to counter 5. There is no counter 5!!! But there was a man standing right behind me where I was made to wait, he is the Counter 5. Examined my docs, affixed his signature, told me to go back to PIO office. Another look at my papers then was told to pay Rs5580 ($120)by demand draft.
This took much longer than all the previous procedures combined, half an hour at Axis Bank, 2 motorists provided entertainment, a 40 something guy (Man1) was parking his car but was taking a bit long, an old man(Man2) on another car behind his was impatient and yelled at him. Man1 got out of his car and yelled back, exchange of tirades in Tamil. Another man (Man3) joined in the ruckus, Man1 finally parked his car, Man2 directed his rage to Man 3.
From Axis Bank, went back to PIO office, woman issued a receipt, proceeded to Counter 1, papers examined and was handed another half-sheet of bond paper. “Read,” said the woman in Counter 1. It was Intimation A, saying I applied for exit permit and should return the following day between 2 and 3 pm. So tomorrow I go back to FRRO with high hopes that I will be issued exit permit.
One of the challenges both VSO India and the volunteers face here is the visa extension, and VSOI actually encourages volunteers to write and talk about what it’s like getting our visas extended. One volunteer made 17 visits to FRRO before she was granted extension and no one has broken her record so far. In my case, I attempted 4 times before I was able to actually sit down and submit my documents. First, I went to the wrong offices. Second time, I went to the right office but was not allowed to get in because FRRO Chennai does not process extension for XV type of visa. Third attempt, I went at 2 pm only to be told they accept applications between 9 am and 12 noon, but at least they already gave me a list of the documents that I needed to submit. On my fourth trip to FRRO I came with complete documents and was granted entry.
First stop was the Person of Indian Origin (PIO and no, I am not a person of Indian origin) office. In the PIO office there were chairs arranged in rows, I was instructed to sit next to the last person in the last occupied row. Each time a foreigner gets his/her turn we move one seat closer to the PIO. Several seats later and I was standing in front of the PIO stating my case, documents scrutinized , I was then given an application form I had to fill in and submit together with letters expressing intention to register as foreigner and apply for visa extension, letters from VSO and my organization 1) certifying I am indeed a volunteer, 2)I am not receiving salary, 3)requesting that I be granted visa extension, 4) be registered as foreigner; a letter from my landlord as proof of residence, lease contract entered into between my landlord and my organization, photocopies of my 1)passport 2) page that shows my arrival and 2 passport photos (with blue background, like this shade of blue. All documents have to be submitted in duplicate. Next stop was the waiting room where like in the PIO office there is a seating arrangement. In the waiting room are divans. The last person to come in had to occupy the seat farthest from the door. Each time a foreigner was called in for her or his turn we moved one seat closer to the door. I brought a book with me but I couldn’t even finish 2 pages before I needed to get up and sit down again. Less than 15 minutes and I was already in the office of the immigration officer, third stop.
The immigration officer happened to have the same name as one of our past presidents, but was quick to deny that he is a dictator like his namesake. But I didn’t know that till late, that his name is Mr. Marcos and he’s not a dictator.
A week before that I just finished “Being Indian” by Pavan K. Varma where I read that Hindus (he referred to Indians in general as Hindus in his book) have penchant for brandishing their power. When Mr. Marcos interviewed me, I embellished all my sentences with “Sir” and “Yes, sir” and complimented the state of Tamil Nadu for the good work they are doing about HIV. That won me a potential one year visa extension.
On half a sheet of bond paper he scribbled something and handed it to me. It was my Intimation B form. That one-half sheet of bond paper that doesn’t even have the seal of India is the second most important document in my possession, next to my passport, while my papers are in the Ministry of Home Affairs office in New Delhi. The intimation B is my proof that even if my passport shows an expired visa, I am still a legal alien in India. I thanked Mr. Marcos profusely because it meant I did not have to go back to FRRO after 6 months and try to get another extension, regardless if I have been impressed by their efficiency which I heard is absent in FRROs in other states.
Last stop was an office with 4 glass windows separating the employees from applicants. This time, I could choose any seat I wanted because we were handed a waiting number. When my number was called, I went to window 4, handed all my documents and was told to return after a week. A week later I was back, handed the Intimation B to the woman at window 4, she looked at it handed it back to me and told me to wait for their letter they would send by post. That’s it. No fuss, no payments made. Just sit down, relax and wait, possibly three months. I’m a legal alien and can travel anywhere in India.
Getting an exit permit
In many cases, where a visa extension is under consideration chances are the foreigner won’t get it till the time that the consideration has expired and needs further extension. In such instance, one has to apply again 2 1/2 months before the expiration of Intimation B. A foreigner is required to get an exit permit if he or she wants to leave the country but has a pending application for visa extension. (Also to delist from police registry). Without the permit s/he can’t leave the country.
So now it’s my time to temporarily leave the country on a compassionate ground. My dad will undergo coronary bypass surgery and I want to be there for him. Top priority is to get an exit permit and apply for return visa. I forgot to mention earlier that I learned one lesson while processing my visa extension. That India has a reliable website http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in that provides tremendous information including what documents are required for visa extension. Unfortunately, it doesn’t say anywhere in the site what documents are needed to get exit permit. I found the FRRO Chennai office and called them to inquire. I didn’t get the information I needed and was instead told to go to FRRO and there it would be explained to me.
Let me digress for a moment. You see, Chennai is a huge city with sharks moonlighting as auto-rickshaw drivers. Round trip to and from FRRO is staggering Rs.300 for a mere 10 kilometers, that’s because i know the way and I have learned to negotiate well. At the gates of FRRO are more sharks, er auto drivers, on the lookout for foreigners leaving the premises. Regardless if I projected a mien of nonchalance they would approach me and offer their autos. Hope springs eternal in me so I tell them where I want to go and they immediately say, “come, 300”. I express incredulity if not defiance, “okay, 250”. If I try I could make it go down to 150, but in my one year in Chennai I’ve learned that getting them to agree to my price comes with hitches. They can do either one or all of the following, 1) stop at a petrol station to gas up, 2) drive recklessly and steal glances thru the side mirror to check how fast you lose the color in your face, 3) tsk-tsk and complain about the traffic, 4)pretend that they don’t know the way and ask around for direction, and 5) 50 meters to your destination they whine about the long distance.
As I was saying, that trip to FRRO just to get list of required documents is already taxing, financially and emotionally. I went anyway. A man at the PIO office pored over my documents and asked for my registration paper which I didn’t have because my original visa was only for 180 days. Therefore, I am not a registered alien. I needed to apply for exit permit and return visa, so he said if I came back the next day with confirmed ticket I would be issued both. The next day, I had my confirmed round trip ticket, but there’s a new person in charge and she asked for 3 more documents. She said I am not eligible for return visa because I am not registered and my papers are in New Delhi. As I intend to return after a month I have to get fresh visa in the Philippines.
I returned yet another day (today) with docs, she checked docs, signed and instructed me to go to counter 5. There is no counter 5!!! But there was a man standing right behind me where I was made to wait, he is the Counter 5. Examined my docs, affixed his signature, told me to go back to PIO office. Another look at my papers then was told to pay Rs5580 ($120)by demand draft.
This took much longer than all the previous procedures combined, half an hour at Axis Bank, 2 motorists provided entertainment, a 40 something guy (Man1) was parking his car but was taking a bit long, an old man(Man2) on another car behind his was impatient and yelled at him. Man1 got out of his car and yelled back, exchange of tirades in Tamil. Another man (Man3) joined in the ruckus, Man1 finally parked his car, Man2 directed his rage to Man 3.
From Axis Bank, went back to PIO office, woman issued a receipt, proceeded to Counter 1, papers examined and was handed another half-sheet of bond paper. “Read,” said the woman in Counter 1. It was Intimation A, saying I applied for exit permit and should return the following day between 2 and 3 pm. So tomorrow I go back to FRRO with high hopes that I will be issued exit permit.
