New Delhi, January 20: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has added Aadhaar card to the list of valid travel documents for Indians under 15 and over 65 travelling to Nepal and Bhutan. It means an Aadhaar card will be a valid identity proof to enter Nepal and Bhutan without a visa for Indians under 15 and over 65. Indians those aged over 15 and under 65 cannot use Aadhaar cards to visit the two neighbouring countries.

A visa is not mandatory for Indian nationals going to Nepal and Bhutan if they have a valid passport, a photo identity card issued by the government of India or an election ID card issued by the Election Commission. Earlier, persons over 65 and under 15 could show their PAN card, driving licence, Central Government Health Service (CGHS) card or ration card, but not the Aadhaar, to prove their identity and visit the two countries. Aadhaar-Ration Card Linking: All Ration Cards to be Digitalised Soon, Over 80% Linked So Far.

Aadhaar, a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), has now been added to the list of valid travel documents. Besides, the MHA also clarified that a certificate of registration issued by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, to Indian nationals is not an acceptable travel document for travelling between India and Nepal.

“However, the emergency certificate and identity certificate issued by the Indian Embassy in Nepal will be valid for single journey for travelling back to India,” an MHA official told news agency PTI. An identity certificate issued by the principal of the school in a prescribed form will be a valid document for teens between 15 to 18 years to travel between India and Nepal. Aadhaar To Be Linked With Driving Licence Soon, Says Ravi Shankar Prasad at ISC 2019.

In case of a family (like husband, wife, minor children and parents) travelling together, all persons will not be required to carry relevant documents (such as a passport or an election ID) if one of the adult members has valid travel papers, he said. However, the other family members must have some proof of their identity with a photograph and their relationship as a family, such as a CGHS card, ration card, a driving licence or an ID card issued by school/college, the official explained.

Those who want to visit Bhutan need to have either an Indian passport with minimum validity of six months or a voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of India, the official said. (With PTI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 20, 2019 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).