NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Thursday notified the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) (Amendment) Order, 2026, introducing specific amendments to the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025.Under the amended order, Indian nationals travelling to or returning from Nepal or Bhutan by land or air will be required to produce any one of the identity documents specified in the visa manual before an immigration officer. They will also have to furnish any information sought by the officer.The exemption provided under this clause shall not apply to a citizen of India departing to or returning from countries other than Nepal or Bhutan through the Indo-Nepal or Indo-Bhutan border by land or by air. In all such cases, they shall be required to possess a valid passport and their exit from or entry into India shall be only through the designated immigration posts.
Citizens of Nepal or Bhutan entering or leaving India
Under the new order, citizens of Nepal and Bhutan entering or leaving India by land or air will also be required to produce any one of the identity documents specified in the visa manual before an immigration officer. They will also have to provide any information sought by the officer.However, this exemption will not apply to citizens of Nepal or Bhutan entering or leaving India from or to a country other than Nepal or Bhutan.The exemption will also not apply to those who have boarded a flight or transited through China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan. In such cases, they must possess both a valid passport and a valid visa.In both cases, citizens of Nepal and Bhutan must possess a valid passport and a valid visa.
Who all are exempted
The order also specifies categories of people exempted from the requirements to possess a valid passport or other travel document and visa for entering, staying in or exiting India.(a) Members of the Indian Navy, Army and Air Force travelling to or from India on official duty. Their family members accompanying them on government transport are also covered.(b) Registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who took shelter in India on or before January 9, 2015. They must be registered with an officer designated by the Central or state government.(c) Foreign crew members of military vessels, including warships and other government ships operated for non-commercial purposes, visiting India for repairs. They must have a Military Ship Repair Permit issued by an immigration officer at a designated immigration post and carry valid military identity documents.
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(d) Tibetans who entered India after 1959 but before May 30, 2003, with an Entry Permit issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The exemption also covers those who entered India after May 30, 2003, with a Special Entry Permit issued by the embassy and through a designated immigration post on the India-Nepal border.(e) Members of minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who were forced to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of persecution, provided they entered India on or before December 31, 2024.
What is a ‘visa manual’
The order defined the document as a manual issued by the central government from time to time, containing instructions on visas, immigration and related matters.
