The Centre has relaxed passport and visa requirements for several categories of foreign nationals residing in India, including certain Pakistani citizens, minority refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Sri Lankan Tamils and Tibetans, according to a gazette notification.
According to a PTI report, the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) (Amendment) Order, 2026, published on Thursday, also revises travel and identification requirements for Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens travelling between the three neighbouring countries.
Under the amended rules issued by the Union Home Ministry, Pakistani nationals who entered India on or before December 31, 2009, intending to settle permanently will be exempt from the usual passport renewal requirements if they are unable to renew their travel documents because they do not possess a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) issued by Pakistan.
To qualify for the exemption, they must not have married or acquired any immovable property in Pakistan. They must also have left behind family members who are Indian citizens when they travelled to Pakistan and undertake not to return to that country.
The applicants must also have no adverse reports against them from the police or security agencies, the notification said.
The amendment also covers people of Indian origin who acquired Malaysian or Singaporean citizenship and returned to India on or before December 31, 2009, using passports issued by those countries. They will be eligible for the exemption if their passports have expired and could not be renewed because they do not fulfil the respective countries' renewal requirements.
For this provision, a "person of Indian origin" is defined as a foreign citizen, other than a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal or China, who has held an Indian passport at any point or whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents were born in and were permanent residents of India, as defined under the Government of India Act, 1935, or in territories that subsequently became part of India. The ancestors concerned must not have been citizens of any of the countries excluded under the provision, the notification said.
People covered under these provisions must obtain an appropriate visa category to continue their stay in India.
The amended order also allows Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens travelling directly between the three countries by land or air to use identification documents specified in the government's official Visa Manual instead of standard passports.
However, the exemption will not apply to Indian citizens travelling to or returning from countries other than Nepal and Bhutan through the Indo-Nepal or Indo-Bhutan borders by land or air. In such cases, they must carry valid passports and enter or leave India only through designated immigration posts, the notification said.
Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens entering or leaving India after embarking from or transiting through China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan must carry both a valid passport and a valid visa. Standard passport requirements will also apply to regional border crossings involving travel to or from third countries.
The order exempts members of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, after being compelled to seek shelter because of religious persecution or fear of such persecution.
The exemption applies to those who entered without valid passports or other travel documents, as well as those whose documents have since expired. They must, however, obtain an appropriate visa after entering India to continue their stay.
Registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who took shelter in India on or before January 9, 2015, have also been exempted from the general passport and visa requirements under the amended provisions.
The order further covers certain Tibetans who entered India on permits issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu between 1959 and May 30, 2003, or on special entry permits issued after that date through designated immigration posts along the Indo-Nepal border. They must register with the authorities concerned and obtain a certificate of registration.
Another provision exempts Indian Navy, Army and Air Force personnel entering or leaving the country on official duty from passport and visa requirements. The exemption also covers family members accompanying them on government transport.
Foreign crew members of military vessels visiting India for repairs are also exempt from passport requirements if they have been granted Military Ship Repair Permits by an immigration officer at the relevant immigration post and carry their military identification documents.
The notification defines foreign military vessels as warships and other government ships operated by the armed forces of another state for non-commercial purposes.
(With inputs from PTI)