No, “FRRO” is not the latest frozen yogurt craze. It stands for the Indian “Foreigner Regional Registration Office”. Many visas, including my employment visa and my husband’s entry visa, require foreigners to register with FRRO within 14 days of arrival in India. Easy enough, right? Ha, you should know better by this point in the blog!
For overall context, I’m told it’s quite like visiting the DMV in the states: very bureaucratic (follow the procedures & have the right paperwork or be prepared to start all over again another day). The thing is, you need an appointment for the FRRO ( for the day, but not the time – I’m still fuzzy about when one is supposed to appear on their appointment day).
I like to plan things in advance, and I like to try to make appointments that don’t conflict with my office hours. I have 2 days in India before I start work, so that seems obvious: schedule the appointment for one of the free days before I start work. But (you knew this was coming) apparently, Bangalore has so many foreigners, that it’s hard to get an appointment. Moreover, you cannot even schedule an appointment without a lease. ( There’s that darn lease again!!!) So I am dead in the water without my lease, and my likelihood of getting an appointment before I start work slips further with each passing minute….
Note that most tourist visas don’t require FRRO registration, so don’t fret if you are planing to visit me!
Dez in India 