MHA clarifies entry rules for Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens

The citizens of Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Indians entering India by land or air from the two neighbouring countries, will not be required to furnish a passport or visa, as previously.

Members of the Indian naval, military, or air forces entering or exiting India on duty, and the family members of any such personnel accompanying them on government transport, will also not be required to carry a passport or visa, in accordance with an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) following the enforcement of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.

The requirement for a valid passport or other travel documents and a valid visa for entry into, stay in, and exit from India shall not apply if “a citizen of India entering India by land or by air over the Nepalese or Bhutanese frontier, a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan entering India by land or air over the Nepal or Bhutan border, or if they possess 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,” the MHA stated.

The provision also extends to Tibetans who have already entered India and are living in the country, or entering India, if they have registered with the relevant registration officers and obtained certificates of registration; or if they entered India after 1959 but before May 30, 2003, on the Special Entry Permit issued by the Indian embassy in Kathmandu; or if they entered India after 30 May 2003 until the date the Act came into force on the new Special Entry Permit issued by the Indian embassy in Kathmandu via the immigration post on the Indo-Nepal border, as designated by the Centre.

A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians—who were compelled to seek shelter in India owing to religious persecution or fear thereof and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024, without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents whose validity has expired, will be exempt from the rule requiring a valid passport and visa.

The rule will also not apply to registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who took shelter in India by January 9, 2015.