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A very big and important news is coming out from the Indian administrative system, internal security and immigration policies at this time. The Union Home Ministry of the Central Government has made stringent changes in the rules of visa and passport for citizens coming from neighboring countries to make the country’s security and border management more strong and transparent. This new and important decision will have a direct impact on six non-Muslim minority communities coming to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who were till now enjoying special legal exemptions for various reasons. After this new notification of the government, it has now become mandatory for all these citizens to obtain a valid visa of appropriate category to live legally in India. Let us know in detail which people will come under the purview of this new order of the Home Ministry and what new rules have been implemented on the routes of Nepal-Bhutan borders and other neighboring countries.
What is the new rule and who will be directly affected by it?
According to the new and amended notification issued by the Central Government, this rule will mainly apply to those migrants who had entered India till December 31, 2024 due to religious persecution or fear of it. These people did not have valid travel documents at the time of coming to India or the documents they had had expired.
Within the scope of this new change mainly six non-Muslim communities-Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian—people will come, who mainly belong to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It is worth noting that earlier, under an order issued in September 2025, people of these six communities coming from these three neighboring countries were given special exemption from the conditions of passport and visa. But now, keeping in mind the security and legal clarity, the government has amended the previous system, under which now all these people will have to take a visa of the appropriate category to live legally on Indian soil.
Strictness increased on Nepal and Bhutan border and movement routes
This rule is not limited only to the refugees or migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, but the central government has also extended its support to India’s friendly countries –Nepal and Bhutan—The rules have been made very strict for the borders along the border and the passengers coming from there. Under the provisions of the new ‘Visa Manual’, now citizens of India, Nepal and Bhutan will have to show only those official identity documents, which are duly recognized in this manual, to visit each other’s country.
Additionally, if an Indian citizen is traveling to a third country via Nepal or Bhutan, it has been made legally mandatory for him/her to carry a valid passport and pass only through designated border checkpoints. Security agencies will now keep a close watch on those moving without proper paperwork and on fixed routes.
Visa and passport mandatory for people coming from China, Pakistan and other countries
Without leaving any slack on the security front, the Central Government has also made the rules more stringent for those foreign nationals who enter India via Nepal or Bhutan. According to the new rules, if citizens coming via Nepal or Bhutan are coming to India via countries like China, Pakistan, Hong Kong or Macau, then it has now been made completely mandatory for them to show valid passport and Indian visa.
However, amidst all these stringent and new amendments, the Central Government, keeping in mind the humanitarian point of view, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees And Tibetan citizens The previous legal exemptions related to passport and visa have been continued as is. It is clear from this step of the government that while on one hand there will be no compromise on national security and sanctity of borders, on the other hand, humanitarian aspects are also being taken care of in sensitive matters.