{ "schema_version": "qanun-law-text/1", "id": "punjab-code-8fb3bdee991fe09f", "title": "REGISTRATION OF FOREIGNERS ACT, 1939", "source_collection": "Punjab", "content_kind": "stored_law_text", "content_extent": null, "source_url": "https://punjabcode.punjab.gov.pk/en/show_article/ATcCNgMxWmI-", "version": null, "source_snapshot": "2026-08-06T17:02:26Z", "legal_status": "not independently verified", "text_quality": "Complete stored UTF-8 TXT file recovered byte-for-byte from owned Drive. Source transcription retained verbatim; legal completeness, OCR accuracy and current consolidation unverified.", "text_sha256": "187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af", "source_sha256": "187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af", "text_version_id": "law:punjab-code-8fb3bdee991fe09f:sha256:187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af", "quality_flags": [], "encoding": "UTF-8", "text": "THE REGISTRATION OF FOREIGNERS ACT, 1939 \r\n(XVI of 1939) \r\nCONTENTS \r\n1. Short title and extent \r\n2. Definitions \r\n3. Power to make rules \r\n4. Burden of proof \r\n5. Penalties \r\n6. Power to exempt from application of Act \r\n7. Protection to persons acting under this Act \r\n8. Application of other laws not barred \r\n9. Application of Act to Acceding to states \r\nTEXT \r\nTHE REGISTRATION OF FOREIGNERS ACT, 1939 \r\n(XVI of 1939) \r\n[8th April, 1939] \r\nAn \r\nAct \r\nto provide for the Registration of Foreigners in \r\n1\r\n[Pakistan]. \r\nWhereas it is expedient to provide for the registration of foreigners entering, \r\nbeing present in, and departing from, \r\n2\r\n[Pakistan]. \r\nIt is hereby enacted as follows:– \r\n1. Short title and extent .– (1) This Act may be called the Registration of \r\nForeigners Act, 1939. \r\n(2) It extends to \r\n3\r\n[the whole of Pakistan]. \r\n2. Definitions.– ln this Act– \r\n(a) “foreigners” means a person who is not a Citizen of Pakistan. \r\n(b) “prescribed” means prescribed & by rules made under this Act. \r\n3. Power to make rules .– The Federal Government may, after previous \r\npublication, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules with respect the \r\nforeigners for any or all of the following purposes, that is to say– \r\n(a) for requiring any foreigner entering, or being present in , \r\n4\r\n[Pakistan] to \r\nreport his presence to a prescribed authority within such time and in \r\nsuch manner and with such particulars as may be prescribed; \r\n(b) for requiring any foreigner moving fr om one place to another place in \r\n5\r\n[Pakistan] to report, on arrival at such other place, his presence to a \r\nprescribed authority within such time and in such manner and with \r\nsuch particulars as may be prescribed ; \r\n(c) for requiring any foreigner who is about to leave \r\n6\r\n[Pakistan] to reopen \r\nthe date of his intended departure and such other particulars as may \r\nbe prescribed to such authority and within such period before departure \r\nas may be prescribed ; \r\n \r\n1Substituted by the Registration of Foreigners (Amendment) Act, 1949 (VIII of 1950), s.2, for “the Provinces and the Capital of \r\nthe Federation” which was substituted, for “British India” by the Adaptation Order., 1949. \r\n2ibid \r\n3The original words “the whole of British India” have been amended by the A.O.,1949 and Act 8 of 1950, s.3, to read as above. \r\n4Substituted by the Registration of Foreigners (Amendment) Act, 1949 (VIII of 1950), s.2, for “the Provinces and the Capital of \r\nthe Federation” which was substituted, for “British India” by the A.O., 1949. \r\n5Ibid \r\n6Ibid \r\n(d) for requiring any foreigner entering, being present in, or departing from, \r\n7\r\n[Pakistan] to produce, on demand by a prescribed authority, such \r\nproof of his identity as may be prescribed ; \r\n(e) for requiring any person having the management of any hotel, \r\nboarding-house, sarai or any other premises of like nature to report the \r\nname of any foreign er residing therein for whether duration, to a \r\nprescribed authority within such time and in such manner and with \r\nsuch particulars as may be prescribed; \r\n(f) For requiring any person having the management or control of any \r\nvessel or aircraft t o furnish to a prescribed authority such information \r\nas may be prescribed regarding any foreigner entering, or intending to \r\ndepart from, \r\n8\r\n[Pakistan] in such vessel or aircraft, and to furnish to such \r\nauthority such assistance as may be necessary or prescri bed for giving \r\neffect to this Act; \r\n(g) for providing for such other incidental or supplementary matter s as \r\n.may appear to the Federal Government necessary or expedien t for \r\ngiving effect to this Act. \r\n4. Burden of proof.– lf any question arises with reference to this Act or any rule \r\nmade thereunder, whether any person is or is not a foreigner , or is not a foreigner of \r\na particular class or description, the onus of proving that such person i s not a \r\nforeigner or is not a foreigner of particular class or description, as the case may be, \r\nshall, notwithstanding anything contained in the Evidence Act , (I of 1872), lie upon \r\nsuch person. \r\n5. Penalties.– Any person who contravenes, or attempts to cont ravene, or falls \r\nfails to comply with, any provision of any rule made under this Act shall be punished, \r\nif a foreigner, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine \r\nwhich may extend to one thousand rupees or with both, or if not a foreigner, with fine \r\nwhich may extend to five hundred rupees. \r\n6. Power to exempt from application of Act .– The Federal Government may, \r\nby order, declare that any or all of the prov isions of the rules made under this Act \r\nshall not apply, or shall apply only with such modifications or subject to such \r\nconditions as may be specified in the said order, to or in relation to any individual \r\nforeigner or any class or description of foreigner: \r\nProvided that a copy of every such order shall be placed on the table of \r\n9\r\n[* * *] \r\nthe Federal Legislature as soon as may be after its promulgation. \r\n7. Protection to persons acting under this Act.– No suit, prosecution or other \r\nlegal proceeding shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done \r\nor intended to be done under this fact Act. \r\n \r\n7Ibid \r\n8Ibid \r\n9The words “both houses of” omitted by the Adaptation of Central Acts and Ordinances Order 1949, w.e.f. 25.3.1949, entry \r\nNo.231 of the Schedule. \r\n8. Application of other laws not barred .– The provisions of this Act shall be in \r\naddition to, and not in derogation of, the provisions of the Foreigners Act, \r\n10\r\n[1946], \r\nand any other law for the time being in force. \r\n9. Application of Act to Acceding to states .– [Omitted by the Federal Law \r\n(Revision & Declaration) Ordinance XXVII of 1981]. \r\n \r\n10", "passage_offset_convention": "zero-based Unicode code points and UTF8 bytes; end exclusive", "passages": [ { "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fb3bdee991fe09f:sha256:187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af:chars-0-1792:28668417d8fb1231b0ee8cb70db2822b955654a37b1a6f6ea00d2386be55f5ac", "character_start": 0, "character_end": 1792, "utf8_byte_start": 0, "utf8_byte_end": 1812, "passage_sha256": "28668417d8fb1231b0ee8cb70db2822b955654a37b1a6f6ea00d2386be55f5ac", "reader_fragment": "p-0-1792-28668417d8fb1231" }, { "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fb3bdee991fe09f:sha256:187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af:chars-1792-3538:f7315219b08bc723d7692f93b9a1bbe3e3b8368fbcfbe182da4d5457a48813d1", "character_start": 1792, "character_end": 3538, "utf8_byte_start": 1812, "utf8_byte_end": 3578, "passage_sha256": "f7315219b08bc723d7692f93b9a1bbe3e3b8368fbcfbe182da4d5457a48813d1", "reader_fragment": "p-1792-3538-f7315219b08bc723" }, { "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fb3bdee991fe09f:sha256:187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af:chars-3538-5317:fe2e274f40c9fac436b8d6f235270930cd14437907f8662749c9e205fbb95160", "character_start": 3538, "character_end": 5317, "utf8_byte_start": 3578, "utf8_byte_end": 5365, "passage_sha256": "fe2e274f40c9fac436b8d6f235270930cd14437907f8662749c9e205fbb95160", "reader_fragment": "p-3538-5317-fe2e274f40c9fac4" }, { "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fb3bdee991fe09f:sha256:187479126f211e8458880a301c916e9a7da3b5d5e2870a6afccebdfbbe9cf1af:chars-5317-5942:4ff7010072b024fd5ce39a30fdf9a20d6d40c6c246b5f3b6069a5e96751da9f6", "character_start": 5317, "character_end": 5942, "utf8_byte_start": 5365, "utf8_byte_end": 5998, "passage_sha256": "4ff7010072b024fd5ce39a30fdf9a20d6d40c6c246b5f3b6069a5e96751da9f6", "reader_fragment": "p-5317-5942-4ff7010072b024fd" } ] }