Last updated: August 2026

Form III: the 24-hour register, explained

A plain-language guide for hotels, guest houses, and homestays: what the form is, the deadline, and where Cformly fits.

What is Form III?

Every stay of a foreign guest in India must be reported to the FRRO on its portal. The form long known as Form C is now called Form III under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 — same register, new name.

The 24-hour rule

The law requires the report within 24 hours of the guest's arrival — and the departure is reported the same way (Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, §8(1)). Cformly runs a countdown from the moment you capture a guest, so the deadline never sneaks up on a busy shift.

Who must file

Every accommodation hosting a foreign guest — hotels, guest houses, homestays, PGs, hostels, hospitals, and anyone renting a room or flat. The host stays legally responsible for accurate, on-time filing.

What happens if it slips

Fines for late or missed registration can run as high as ₹3 lakh. Cformly exists so the deadline is tracked on screen, not in someone's head.

How the portal works

The FRRO portal has no API and is CAPTCHA-gated. A single guest means dozens of fields typed by hand, spread across tabs, plus a photo under 50 KB — 15 to 25 minutes per guest when done manually, twice per stay.

How Cformly helps

Scan the passport and visa — the fields are read on-device by open-source OCR. Review everything on one screen. The free browser extension fills the portal form in your own browser session; you solve the CAPTCHA and attach the photo, as required.

Portal changes

We track FRRO portal changes that affect filing. The changelog starts with the first verified change — until then, this space stays honestly empty.