India has made it mandatory for members of six non-Muslim communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan who entered the country without valid travel documents, citing religious persecution, to obtain visas to continue staying there.
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) amended the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, through a notification issued on Wednesday, according to a report by The Hindu.
The amendment requires Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from the three countries who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, to obtain an appropriate visa for their continued stay.
The provision applies to individuals who entered India without valid travel documents, or whose documents have since expired, after being compelled to seek shelter due to religious persecution or fear of persecution.
The amendment retains an exemption that was introduced through a notification on September 2, 2025. This exemption allowed members of the six communities to enter and stay in India without holding valid passports or visas.
However, the latest notification states that they must obtain an appropriate category of visa after entering India to continue their stay.
The 2025 exemption was issued under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, consolidating earlier notifications that exempted members of the communities from prosecution under passport and foreigners laws.
The amendment also aligns the exempted categories with India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. This legislation provides a pathway to citizenship for members of six non-Muslim communities from three neighbouring countries who entered India prior to December 31, 2014.
The amendment also revises provisions governing travel between India, Nepal and Bhutan, introduces a formal definition of the Visa Manual and reorganises several categories of exemptions for foreign nationals.
The Visa Manual is defined as a central government-issued document containing instructions on visas, immigration and related matters.
Indian citizens travelling to Nepal or Bhutan, as well as Nepali and Bhutanese citizens entering or leaving India, are now required to produce identity documents specified in the manual before immigration authorities.
The passport exemption will not apply to Indian citizens who use the Indo-Nepal or Indo-Bhutan borders to travel to third countries. Such travellers are required to carry valid passports and use designated immigration checkpoints.
Similarly, Nepali and Bhutanese citizens travelling to destinations other than India, Nepal, or Bhutan, or those who have embarked from or transited through China, Macau, Hong Kong, or Pakistan, must possess valid passports and visas.
Why it matters
This policy shift directly impacts undocumented minority nationals from Bangladesh residing in India by imposing new visa obligations for their continued stay.