The Government of India has made arrangements to provide SIM cards to Nepali and Bhutanese citizens based on their citizenship and voter ID cards.
The Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications of the Government of India on Monday amended the existing KYC guidelines to make it easier for the citizens of Nepal and Bhutan to get mobile SIM cards when visiting India.
Since Nepalis and Bhutanese do not need to obtain a permit to enter India, India has made arrangements to obtain SIM cards on the basis of citizenship, voter ID cards or temporary certificate issued by the local mission of the respective country. But this provision will be applicable only if you go to India from your native country.
Nepali and Bhutanese people traveling to India from other countries must produce a copy of their passport with a visa to get a SIM card.
In the revised guidelines, it has been clarified that the validity of the SIM card issued to Nepali and Bhutanese nationals who obtain a SIM card based on the copy of their passport with a visa shall not exceed the maximum period they are allowed to stay in India.
According to the Department of Communication, the validity of such SIM cards is not more than three months. Similarly, if the maximum time allowed to stay in India or the validity of the visa is more than three months, the validity of the SIM card will not exceed three months at a time.
No international roaming will be allowed on such SIM cards.
Earlier, in the 2012 guidelines, foreign tourists visiting India had to provide a copy of their passport along with a valid visa. Nepali and Bhutanese citizens were not able to get SIM cards easily under this system.
