Minorities from Bangladesh, 2 other countries can stay in India without passport

According to the citizenship law that came into effect last year, those who entered India before 2015 will also receive Indian citizenship

India will allow members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who came to India to escape religious persecution to stay in the country without a passport or other travel documents, NDTV reports.

The decision will apply to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who entered the country before Dec 31, 2014, India’s Home Ministry said.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act which came into effect last year will also allow members of these persecuted minorities to be granted Indian citizenship.

NDTV says the order, implemented under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, will “come as a “relief” to a large number of immigrants, especially Hindus from Pakistan who entered before 2015.

"A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired" will be exempted from the need to have a valid passport and visa, according to home ministry order.