How to file a C-Form for your Airbnb or homestay in India (2026 guide)

If you host foreign guests on Airbnb or at your homestay, you are legally required to file a C-Form with the FRRO every time a foreign national checks in — and again when they check out. This is not optional.

This guide walks you through every step, from registering with the FRRO for the first time to filing each form correctly.

Step 1 — Register your property with the FRRO (one-time)

Before you can file any C-Forms, you need to register your property as an accommodation provider on the FRRO portal.

Go to: indianfrro.gov.in/frro/FormC. Click "Register" and create an account.

You will need:

• Your property address
• Proof of ownership or lease agreement
• Your PAN card / Aadhaar
• For commercial properties: operating license or trade registration

After submitting online, most offices require you to submit physical copies of the documents to your local FRRO office or send by courier. Some offices accept everything online.

Once approved — typically within a few days to weeks depending on your FRRO office — you receive login credentials. You are now registered and can start filing C-Forms.

Step 2 — Collect guest information before check-in

For every foreign guest, you need:

• Full name exactly as per passport
• Passport number, date and place of issue, expiry date
• Visa type, number, date and place of issue
• Permanent home address
• Purpose of visit
• Next destination after leaving your property

The cleanest way: ask guests to share a clear photo of their passport and visa page before arrival, then copy the details carefully into the form.

Step 3 — Log in to the FRRO portal and file the arrival C-Form

Go to indianfrro.gov.in/frro/FormC and log in with your registered credentials.

Click "Add New Guest" or equivalent and fill all fields:

• Guest personal details
• Passport details
• Visa details
• Your property address as the India address
• Arrival date and expected departure date
• Purpose of visit
• Next destination

Double-check every field — especially the passport number and expiry date. Errors cause the form to be rejected or flagged.

Submit the form. Save the acknowledgment receipt. You will need this if there is ever an audit.

This must be done within 24 hours of the guest arriving at your property.

Step 4 — File the departure C-Form at checkout

When the guest checks out, you must file a departure C-Form. This is now explicitly required under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.

Log back into the FRRO portal, find the guest's record, and mark their departure with the checkout date.

This is the step most Airbnb hosts miss — either because they didn't know it was required or because the manual process makes it easy to forget.

Step 5 — Keep your records

Save every acknowledgment receipt from the FRRO portal for at least 5 years. If FRRO or local police conduct a compliance check, you need to show proof of every filing.

Also maintain a physical guest register (Form B) — a handwritten record of all guests, Indian and foreign. This is a separate requirement and must be available for inspection.

Common mistakes Airbnb hosts make

• Filing late (beyond 24 hours of check-in)
• Not filing a departure C-Form at checkout
• Entering passport details incorrectly
• Not filing for guests who say "I have OCI" — OCI holders now require C-Form filing under the 2025 rules
• Not saving the acknowledgment receipt
• Assuming informal homestay arrangements are exempt — they are not. The law applies regardless of whether you charge for accommodation.

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