India relaxes passport and visa rules for select foreign residents
India is making it easier for some foreign residents to stay in the country by relaxing passport and visa requirements.
New rules will help groups like Pakistani nationals, religious minorities from neighboring countries, Sri Lankan Tamils, and Tibetan nationals who entered India using permits issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu between 1959 and May 30, 2003, or through designated India-Nepal border posts with special entry permits.
Paperwork relief for eligible foreign nationals
If you are a Pakistani national who entered India on or before December 31, 2009, with the intention of settling permanently, who do not possess a Computerized National Identity Card issued by Pakistan, and who have not married or acquired immovable property in Pakistan, left behind Indian-citizen family members when they traveled to Pakistan, submitted an undertaking not to return, and have no adverse police or security agency reports, you will not need to worry about renewing your passport.
Registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who took shelter in India on or before January 9, 2015 and Tibetan refugees with old entry permits also get relief.
Plus, travel between India, Nepal, and Bhutan just got simpler for citizens of these countries: less paperwork needed. All part of an effort to make life smoother for people already living here.