New passport rules for foreigners in India: Key exemptions explained

Changes cover select Pakistani nationals, minority refugees, Sri Lankan Tamils and Tibetans, with separate travel relaxations for Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens

The government has relaxed passport and visa requirements for foreign nationals living in India, including certain Pakistani citizens, minority refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Sri Lankan Tamils and Tibetans. The changes provide exemptions to people who cannot renew their travel documents or entered India under specific circumstances.

 

The revised provisions are part of the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) (Amendment) Order, 2026, published by the Union Home Ministry in the Gazette on November 5. The order also simplifies identification requirements for Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens travelling directly between the three neighbouring countries.

 

According to news agency PTI, the exemptions are subject to specific conditions, and several categories of people will still need an appropriate visa to continue staying in India.

  

Which Pakistani nationals qualify for the exemption?

Under the amended rules, Pakistani nationals who entered India on or before December 31, 2009, intending to settle permanently can be exempted from standard passport renewal requirements if they cannot renew their documents because they do not possess a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) issued by Pakistan.

 

However, the exemption is subject to several conditions. Individuals eligible are: 

• Have not married while living in Pakistan.
• Have not acquired any immovable property in Pakistan.
• Have left behind family members who are Indian citizens when they travelled to Pakistan.
• Give an undertaking that they will not return to Pakistan.
• Have no adverse reports against them from police or security agencies.

 

The provision addresses a specific group of people who have been unable to renew their Pakistani travel documents because of the absence of the required identity card.

 

Minority refugees from three countries covered

The government has also exempted members of six minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, after facing religious persecution or fearing such persecution.

 

The exemption covers Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians.

 

It applies both to people who entered India without valid passports or other travel documents and those whose documents have subsequently expired.

 

However, the exemption from passport requirements does not automatically grant them permission to stay indefinitely. They must obtain an appropriate visa after entering India to continue their stay.

 

This distinction is important because exemption from standard entry and travel-document requirements does not necessarily translate into an exemption from immigration-related formalities.

 

Rules for Sri Lankan Tamils and Tibetans

Registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who took shelter in India on or before January 9, 2015, have also been exempted from general passport and visa requirements under the amended order.

 

The government has extended similar relief to certain Tibetan nationals.

 

The exemption covers Tibetans who entered India using permits issued by the Indian embassy in Kathmandu between 1959 and May 30, 2003. It also includes those who entered after that date using special entry permits through designated immigration posts along the India-Nepal border.