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 and review the guest on the phone, then open the official FRRO portal inside Cformly. The app fills the reviewed fields and attaches the selected guest photo. You review, solve the CAPTCHA, and press Save. The desktop extension remains optional.

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.