MHA tightens ID rules for driving into Nepal and Bhutan

The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified a new order that makes a specific identity document compulsory for anyone crossing the India to Nepal or India to Bhutan border by road or by air. The Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) (Amendment) Order, 2026 is dated 4 November 2026 and takes effect from the date it was published, so it already applies to riders and self drive travellers heading to Kathmandu, Pokhara, Thimphu or Paro this winter.

What the new order says

Under the amended order, Indian citizens entering or leaving India at the Nepal or Bhutan border, whether by land or by air, must produce one of the identity documents listed in the government's Visa Manual and give the immigration officer any information asked for. The same condition now applies to Nepali and Bhutanese citizens crossing into or out of India. This formalises something that border posts have asked for in practice for years, a photo document and not just a verbal declaration of citizenship.

The order also spells out a limit that riders doing a longer loop should note. The passport free arrangement only covers direct travel between India and Nepal or between India and Bhutan. An Indian who crosses into Nepal and plans to continue on to a third country, or who enters India from a country other than Nepal or Bhutan through these same land posts, must carry a valid passport and use a designated immigration post. The same restriction applies the other way, to Nepali and Bhutanese citizens travelling onward beyond India.

What has not changed for a self drive trip

The order does not cancel the long standing arrangement under which Indian and Nepali citizens, and separately Indian and Bhutanese citizens, can cross for direct visits without a passport or visa. It only fixes which document counts as proof. For a car or motorcycle trip that starts and ends at the same two countries, that is Delhi to Kathmandu, or Siliguri to Thimphu and back, nothing about the border crossing procedure for the vehicle itself changes. The amendment is about the rider's identity, not the vehicle's temporary import paperwork, which still runs on its own permit and customs process at Nepal and Bhutan checkposts.

The order carries forward separate carve outs that have nothing to do with ordinary tourist traffic, including for registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, for Tibetans who entered India on permits issued through the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, and for members of minority communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who arrived before set cut off dates.

What to carry at the border now

Until the Visa Manual's exact list is widely known at every checkpost, the safe practice for an Indian rider or driver is to carry a passport if one is held, along with an original voter ID card, since multiple travel advisories already name the voter ID as an accepted document for road entry into Nepal. Carry the vehicle's RC, insurance, PUC and driving licence as before, since none of those requirements have changed. Check with the operator or club running your crossing closer to departure, since border staff take time to apply a fresh gazette notification consistently.

Sources

• MHA mandates ID documents for Indians, Nepalese and Bhutanese at borders
• Centre Revises Immigration Exemption Rules. Tightens Entry Norms For Nepal, Bhutan Nationals
• MHA amends immigration order, mandates identity documents for Indians, Nepalese and Bhutanese travelling across borders
• Is Passport Required for Nepal for Indians: A Complete Guide