Section 6 FCRA 2010: Restriction on Acceptance of Foreign Hospitality

Section 6 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 regulates acceptance of foreign hospitality by specified public functionaries and government-linked employees while visiting a country or territory outside India. In general, a person covered by the section must obtain prior permission of the Central Government before accepting such hospitality.

Updated: 27 September 2026

What is foreign hospitality?

Section 2(1)(i) of the FCRA defines foreign hospitality as an offer, other than a purely casual offer, made in cash or kind by a foreign source to provide a person with the cost of travel to a foreign country or territory, or with free boarding, lodging, transport or medical treatment.

The expression foreign source is separately defined in Section 2(1)(j) of the Act and includes the foreign governments, agencies, companies, corporations, certain international bodies, foreign trusts or foundations, foreign associations and foreign citizens described in that provision.

Section 6: statutory rule

No member of a Legislature, office-bearer of a political party, Judge, Government servant, or employee of a corporation or other body owned or controlled by the Government may, while visiting a country or territory outside India, accept foreign hospitality without the prior permission of the Central Government.

The provision therefore applies to these specified categories:

members of a Legislature;
office-bearers of political parties;
Judges;
Government servants; and
employees of corporations or other bodies owned or controlled by the Government.

Prior permission and Form FC-2

Rule 7 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011 prescribes the procedure for seeking prior permission to accept foreign hospitality. The application is made electronically in Form FC-2 through the official FCRA portal.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs FCRA guidance, an application for permission to accept foreign hospitality should ordinarily be filed online at least two weeks before the proposed date of onward journey. Supporting documents specified for Form FC-2 include the applicant's signature, the invitation from the host or host country, and, where applicable, administrative clearance of the concerned Ministry or Department for a Government-sponsored visit.

Emergency medical aid exception

Prior permission is not required where foreign hospitality is received as emergent medical aid because of a sudden illness contracted during a visit outside India.

However, the recipient must intimate the Central Government within one month from the date of receipt of the foreign hospitality. The intimation should provide the required particulars concerning the hospitality, including its source and the manner in which it was received. The current Form FC-2 note and MHA guidance also call for details such as the approximate value in Indian rupees and the purpose and manner of utilisation.

Practical compliance points

First determine whether the traveller falls within one of the categories specifically named in Section 6.
Check whether the proposed support amounts to "foreign hospitality" under Section 2(1)(i) and whether the provider is a "foreign source" under Section 2(1)(j).
Where Section 6 applies, obtain Central Government permission before accepting the hospitality and submit Form FC-2 sufficiently in advance.
For emergent medical aid received abroad because of sudden illness, comply with the one-month post-receipt intimation requirement.
Keep the invitation, approvals, travel details and particulars of the hospitality available for the application or intimation.

Related FCRA provisions

For the statutory definitions used in this section, see Section 2 - Definitions. The wider scheme concerning prohibited recipients of foreign contribution appears in Section 3 - Prohibition to accept foreign contribution.

This page is intended as a legal information resource. For a specific proposed foreign visit or hospitality arrangement, the applicable FCRA provisions, Rules and current Ministry of Home Affairs instructions should be checked before acceptance.