Centre tightens ID rules for Nepal, Bhutan travel

NEW DELHI, NOV 5 (AGENCIES): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday notified amendments to the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, specifying revised travel document requirements for Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese nationals.
Under the amended order, Indian citizens travelling to or returning from Nepal or Bhutan by land or air must produce any one identity document specified in the Visa Manual before an immigration officer and provide any information sought.
The exemption does not apply to Indians travelling to or from other countries through the Indo-Nepal or Indo-Bhutan borders. They must carry valid passports and enter or exit India only through designated immigration posts.
Similarly, Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens entering or leaving India by land or air must produce an identity document specified in the Visa Manual and provide information sought by immigration officers. However, the exemption does not apply to those travelling to or from countries other than Nepal or Bhutan, or those who have boarded flights or transited through China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan. In such cases, they must carry both valid passports and visas.
The order also exempts certain categories from passport, travel document and visa requirements for entering, staying in or leaving India. These include Indian Navy, Army and Air Force personnel travelling on official duty and family members accompanying them on government transport; registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who entered India on or before January 9, 2015; and foreign crew members of non-commercial military or government vessels visiting India for repairs, subject to a Military Ship Repair Permit and valid military identity documents.
The exemption also covers Tibetans who entered India with prescribed permits issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, either between 1959 and May 30, 2003, or later with a Special Entry Permit through designated India-Nepal immigration posts.
It further covers Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, after fleeing religious persecution or fear of persecution.
The order defines the Visa Manual as a Central government-issued document containing instructions on visas, immigration and related matters.