More foreigners are expected to fly down to the State, especially Kozhikode, with the Ministry of Home Affairs launching the e-Foreigners Regional Registration Office (e-FRRO) in the country.
e-FRRO, the web-based application aimed at providing fast and efficient services to foreigners visiting India, was rolled out in eight FRROs including Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The facility that allowed foreigners to apply online for visa and immigration services had been implemented in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai from February on a pilot basis.
Ministry officials said the service delivery mechanism enabled a foreigner to create their own user ID by registering themselves without the requirement of visiting an FRRO barring exceptional cases. Registration permit and visa extension certificate will be sent to them by post on the address mentioned in the online application. Also, they would be sent to the registered email ID. In case of exigency, the foreigner can visit the FRRO directly for grant of service. The sources said that the e-FRRO required no endorsement in passport. It only required digitally signed immigration document with emphasis on online verification, they said.
As many as 27 visa and immigration related services will be offered through the e-FRRO scheme. It is being implemented through the modernised and upgraded version - Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of the Ministry.
The e-FRRO scheme was launched after the success of the ongoing e-visa scheme in a bid to boost the tourism sector in the country. Now, foreigners can apply online prior to 72 hours of their departure via this facility launched in 2014. Though the scheme was rolled out with three exclusive counters at the Calicut airport last year, the response has been quite moderate.
Usually, foreigners from Middle East countries arrive at Calicut airport to visit places of medical treatment, especially Ayurveda, rather than visiting tourist destinations in north Kerala. However, it appeared to be better in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the sources said.
A 68.8% growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) on e-tourist visa has been reported in March, 2018 corresponding to the previous year. The FTAs during January-March 2018 was 31.27 lakh when compared to 28.45 lakh in January-March 2017. The percentage share of foreign tourists was 3.29 % and 1.21% in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram airports respectively this March.
