Hold on to passports to enter Bhutan

ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, TT, 09 Oct 2018, Alipurduar: Come January 1, Indians would not be able to enter Bhutan without voter identity cards or passports.

The office of the consulate general of India based in Phuentsholing, the border town of Bhutan, will stop issuing identity certificates to Indians not having any of the two proofs of citizenship. They used to get permits from the immigration office of Bhutan in lieu of the certificates.

On October 5, Rahul Yadav, a consul at the consulate general of India's office, issued a notice mentioning that from January 1, 2019, any Indian who intends to visit Bhutan will have to carry either the The regional immigration office of Bhutan at Phuentsholing. File picture voter card or passport.

For minors, it is necessary to carry the birth certificates in original, says the notice.

"From January 1 next year, every Indian has to carry either the voter card or passport to prove that they are Indian citizens. We are stopping the practice of issuing identification certificates. They can go to the immigration office of Bhutan and obtain entry permits to enter the country," said Yadav over the phone from Phuentsholing.

So far, Indians not carry- ing the voter card or passport but other documents like driving licence, aadhar card, ration card and likewise, had to approach the consulate general of India's office first. Based on the document they were carrying, the authorities there would issue identification certificates to them. They would then have to approach the immigration office of Bhutan with the certificates and apply for an entry permit.

Sources in the consulate general's office said the decision had been taken as there was no such system available to check authenticity of some of the documents which were submitted for issuing identity certificates.

"On many occasions, applicants are asked to stay back for a couple of days to confirm that their identity proofs are original. This leads to problems as the applicants insist on issuing the certificate early, while mentioning that they have hotel reservations in Bhutan," said a source.

From October 15, sources said at least 5,000 tourists from different parts India would be visiting the neighbouring country every day, the source added.

The decision has, however, left stakeholders of tourism industry worried. "This decision will definitely affect the inflow of Indian tourists to Bhutan. Forget passport, there are many people in our country who still do not have voter identity cards. From January 1, there would be no option left for them to enter Bhutan," said Suraj Thakuri, president, Jaigaon Travellers' Welfare Association..