Bringing a big relief, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a new directive under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. The directive confirms that citizens of Nepal and Bhutan can continue to enter India without a visa or passport. The exemption also applies to Indian citizens returning from Nepal and Bhutan by land or air, as well as to members of the Indian armed forces and their families when travelling on government duty.
According to the MHA, “if a citizen of India entering into India by land or by air over the Nepalese or Bhutanese frontier, a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan entering into India by land or air over the Nepal or Bhutan border or if he possesses a valid passport while entering or exiting India from or to a place other than Nepal or Bhutan but not from China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan,” You will not need a visa or other travel documents. Officials have said that this rule does not give you Indian citizenship.
However, Nepalese and Bhutanese travellers should carry recognised documents for entry, including passports, citizenship certificates, or voter IDs issued by their respective election commissions. Children between 10 and 18 years can use school photo ID certificates if accompanied by parents with valid documents, while children below 10 require none.
The new rule helps Tibetan refugees who live in India and have valid registration. It covers people who came to India with Special Entry Permits from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu between 1959 and May 30, 2003, or later through Indo-Nepal border posts.
This also protects minority communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2024- It does not matter if they had valid documents or not. People fleeing religious persecution or with expired papers are also included.
However, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who reached India before January 9, 2015, are not covered under this rule.
