India Removes Visa And Passport Requirements For Citizens Of Nepal And Bhutan To Encourage Tourism, Trade And Regional Connectivity

Published on September 4, 2025

India is making Neighbor Nepal and Bhutan recreation overmuch easier. From September 01, 2025, citizens of these 2 countries will nary longer request a passport aliases a visa to participate India. Justifying nan country’s caller approach, it is an added advantage for tourism, individual travel, and location cooperation. Under nan Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, nan relaxation is granted to travelers coming to India by onshore aliases aerial done designated separator introduction points pinch Nepal and Bhutan.

The recently projected argumentation will alteration Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens coming straight to India from their countries to recreation without a passport and visa. The aforesaid argumentation will use to Indians who are coming from Nepal and Bhutan backmost to India. The relaxation does not use to group coming from different countries who are travelling done India, isolated from for China, Macao, Hong Kong and Pakistan.

Identity verification pinch documents has been made easier.

Passports are nary longer required, though travelers from Nepal and Bhutan must carnivore personality documents. The pursuing are accepted:

• Citizenship certificates
• Voter cards issued successful their state of origin
• Diplomatic ngo photograph IDs which are of constricted validity, and which are issued successful nan state of India

Children betwixt 10-18 are required to clasp nan schoolhouse main photograph ID accompanied by a parent. Children beneath 10 years of property are not required to person identification.

Eased Scope of Exemptions

The 2025 bid integrates anterior exemptions of 1957 and 2007 and expands it to screen much categories of people. Spouses and contiguous family members of Indian Armed Forces unit walking by Government intends of carrier are included. Also included are registered Tibetans who entered India from Kathmandu nether Special Entry Permits issued by Indian Missions successful Kathmandu.

The exemption besides includes refugees from nan number organization and more, specified arsenic Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who migrated to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh earlier December 31, 2024, irrespective of nan validity of their recreation documents. Registered Sri Lankan Tamils who were granted asylum successful India earlier January 9, 2015, are surmounted. These relaxed provisions broaden nan groups of group who recreation much safely and easily.

Effect connected Tourism and Local Economies

Increased tourism from Nepal and Bhutan is simply a apt result of this policy. Issuance of passports and visas is simply a hindrance to a traveler going to India for sightseeing, attending a taste program, aliases moreover for individual reasons. This argumentation will beryllium a boon for nan separator areas of nan state arsenic it will heighten nan section economy, nan businesses, hotels, intends of carrier and nan tourism manufacture successful these regions.

Increased recreation pinch different countries will thief successful nan speech of culture, education, and business, frankincense enriching nan socio-economic relations of India and its neighboring countries. India, by removing immoderate recreation formalities, is trying to promote tourism but besides beforehand separator waste and acquisition and connectivity.

Security Measures Still successful Place

Though nan conditions person been relaxed, location is nary discuss connected security. Some shape of ID tin beryllium utilized arsenic a intends of verification concerning nan traveler’s safety. On nan different hand, it is simply a norm for each overseas travelers that they person to transportation a passport and a visa; this intends that nan exemption is really only for Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens.

The Order of Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) dated 2025 is simply a progressive improvement towards uninterrupted separator travel. The Order permits visitors and traders from Bhutan and Nepal to transverse separator to India nether little stringent archiving and move to business visit. This will maximize nan inter-country linkage and economical development, heighten transverse separator taste interaction, and support seamless separator power management.