New Immigration Bill Proposes Seven-Year Jail for Forged Passport Use

The Union Home Ministry’s Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, introduced in Lok Sabha on March 11, proposes stringent penalties for using forged passports or visas, including up to seven years in prison and fines up to Rs 10 lakh.

Aimed at overhauling India’s immigration framework, the legislation seeks to replace four outdated laws—the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000—with a unified, modernized system.

Under the bill, anyone knowingly using or supplying fraudulent travel documents to enter, stay, or exit India faces a minimum two-year jail term, extendable to seven years, plus fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Foreigners entering restricted areas without valid documents could face up to five years imprisonment and a Rs 5 lakh fine. The law also mandates hotels, universities, hospitals, and transport operators to report foreigner details, enhancing tracking of overstayers—a move officials say will curb illegal migration while easing compliance burdens.

The bill empowers the Centre to regulate premises frequented by foreigners, potentially closing them or restricting access. It aligns with the government’s goals of simplifying laws, boosting tourism, and ensuring national security, though it excludes citizenship matters governed by the Citizenship Act, 1955. From April 2023 to March 2024, 98.40 lakh foreigners visited India, per Home Ministry data, underscoring the need for robust regulation.

Current visa policies, managed by the Bureau of Immigration, include e-visas for 167 countries and visa-on-arrival for Japan, South Korea, and select UAE nationals. The bill retains registration requirements—14 days for most long-term visa holders, 24 hours for Pakistanis—and special permits for protected areas like parts of Northeast India and Jammu and Kashmir. If passed, this legislation promises a tougher stance on immigration fraud while streamlining oversight.