Entry rules · Nepal passport
Do Nepal passport holders need a visa for India?
No visa needed. Nepal passport holders have freedom of movement in India: they can live, work and travel there without a visa.
Checked against official sources on 30 Oct 2026. Two independent checks agreed.
The rule
- Entry
- Freedom of movement. Live, work and travel without a visa.
- Status
- Verified 30 Oct 2026
- Applies to
- A short tourist visit with an ordinary Nepal passport.
What the official sources say
The passages the two checks relied on, with where they come from. Quotes are shown as published, in the source’s language.
Entry: freedom of movement
Treaty provides for open borders, free movement, and gives Nepalese citizens
effective ‘national treatment’ in terms of education and employment in India,
which provides for free movement of citizens of both the countries across the border.
More quotes (11)
(c) a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan, —
(i) entering into India by land or air over the Nepal or Bhutan border; or
(ii) if he possesses a valid passport while entering or exiting India from or to a place other than
Nepal or Bhutan but not from China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan;
Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan are exempt from the requirement of visa and registration.
Except Bhutan & Nepal Nationals all foreign nationals including children MUST obtain a visa to travel to India
The provisions of sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of section 3 of the Act and rules 7, 8 and 9 of the rules with regard to requirement of valid passport or other valid travel document and valid visa for entry into, stay in and exit from India, shall not apply in the following cases, subject to the conditions mentioned therein, namely :-
(c) a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan, — (i) entering into India by land or air over the Nepal or Bhutan border; or (ii) if he possesses a valid passport while entering or exiting India from or to a place other than Nepal or Bhutan but not from China, Macau, Hong Kong or Pakistan;
Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan do not require any visa for taking up employment in India.
Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan visiting India from Nepal or Bhutan by land or air are exempted from the requirement of Passport and an Indian visa.
Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan must be in possession of a passport and visa for India if he/she is entering India from China, Macau, Hong Kong and Pakistan.
India for other passports
- Visa-freePublic data
- Bhutan
- Visa-freeUp to 90 days
- Maldives
- eVisa
- Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Eswatini, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Visa required
- Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan
- Visa requiredPublic data
- Pakistan
How this rule was checked
On 30 Oct 2026 we checked this rule against the official sources that govern entry to India, chiefly Press Information Bureau, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Two independent checks reached the same result.
Before the check, public visa data (as of 17 Feb 2026) said: visa-free. The official source shows: freedom of movement, and that is what this page shows.
See this check in the log of checks and changes, and how verification works in the methodology.
Something here is wrong or out of date? Report a wrong rule.
Government travel advice for India
- United States
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- United Kingdom
- Advises against all travel to some areas
- Canada
- Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories)
What these governments tell their own citizens about travel to India as a whole, as of 30 Sept 2026. It is not about visas, and it reflects each government’s relations and consular reach as well as conditions on the ground.
Plan your trip
- Check a trip with more stopsRoute check: the best passport at each stop
- Compare the Nepal passport with anotherWhat a second passport changes, destination by destination
- See what a second passport addsCombine passports and count the destinations they open together
- India visa requirements for every passportThe full table for this destination
- All destinations for Nepal passport holdersRank, map and every rule for the Nepal passport
Before you travel
This page answers whether you need a visa and how long you can stay on a short tourist visit. It does not cover passport validity, other documents or permission to work. Entry rules change, sometimes without notice, and border officials make the final decision: confirm the requirements for your trip with the official immigration website or embassy of India.