India Amends Immigration Order Tightening Regional Travel Rules

The Ministry of Home Affairs amended the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, introducing stricter identity and visa requirements for travelers and residents in South Asia. The new rules mandate that citizens of India, Nepal, and Bhutan traveling between these three nations by land or air must produce specific identity documents from the government's Visa Manual.

Travelers from Nepal and Bhutan who have transited through China, Macau, Hong Kong, or Pakistan are now required to hold both valid passports and visas. While the amendments maintain exemptions for Indian military personnel and certain Tibetan nationals, they introduce a new mandate for members of six non-Muslim minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. These individuals, who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, due to religious persecution, may still enter without passports or visas but must now obtain an appropriate visa to remain legally in the country.

Additional provisions provide relief for registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who entered by January 9, 2015. The ministry also relaxed norms for certain Pakistani citizens who entered India before 2009. However, other citizens from Pakistan and Sri Lanka may face tighter regulations regarding business, medical, and tourism travel. These changes come as the government seeks to balance humanitarian exemptions with tighter border security in a complex geopolitical environment.