India has resumed granting a number of classes of visas to residents of Afghanistan, including to enterprise individuals and artists, in keeping with a notification on a authorities web site. This comes 5 years after India suspended all visa providers to Afghans and shut down its embassies and consulates following a regime change within the neighbouring nation.
The Indian authorities has not made any official announcement on the resumption of visa providers for Afghan residents. However, a authorities supply advised The Hindu {that a} new on-line visa module for Afghans was rolled out within the final week of April.
“Afghans are getting visas for trade, medical [purposes], and other categories,” the federal government supply mentioned.
Portal for software
According to indianvisaonline.gov.in, a portal for “New AFGHAN Visa” has been added to the web site the place “Afghan nationals may apply for online visa.”
The classes of visas which were listed on the portal are “student, business, medical, medical attendant, entry, and U.N. diplomat.”
The pointers say that the applicant should add “a recent front facing photograph with white background and photo/bio page of Passport and National Identity Card (Tazkira) containing personal details such as name, date of birth, nationality, expiry date etc.”
Entry visa for artists, family members
Artists, cultural personalities, academicians, and professionals intending to go to India to take part in cultural occasions or actions sponsored by reputed establishments for brief length with out remuneration might apply for “entry visa”, the portal mentioned.
“Children from previous marriages of an Afghan national who is presently married to an Indian Citizen/Person of Indian Origin/OCI cardholder” can also apply below this class.
Afghans who personal property in India, dependent dad and mom of a scholar visiting India for greater training, and oldsters of a scholar beneath the age of 18 can also apply for entry visas, the portal mentioned.
Business visa for buyers, sportspeople
Under the “business” class, sportspersons and coaches — including these engaged in industrial sports activities occasions in India, on contracts with remuneration — might apply.
The portal added that the class could be open to Afghans coming to determine an industrial or enterprise enterprise and to these required to journey often on long-term enterprise actions, in addition to for buyers and their dependents.
India had suspended every kind of visas after the Taliban took over the federal government of Afghanistan in August 2021. On August 17 of that yr, an “e-Emergency X-Miscellaneous visa” was introduced for stranded Afghan residents, however most such visas had been solely granted to these from the Hindu and Sikh communities.
Outreach to the Taliban
On May 15, in India’s first Minister-level outreach to the Taliban administration in Kabul, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a phone dialog with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
That dialog got here days after the Taliban administration, which India has but to formally recognise, condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault wherein 26 civilians had been killed.
On April 27, senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash met Mr. Muttaqi in Kabul and mentioned political, commerce, and transit points in addition to the most recent regional political developments, in keeping with Afghanistan-based Tolo News.
The Acting Foreign Minister additionally mentioned that beneficial funding alternatives are at present obtainable throughout varied sectors in Afghanistan, the information outlet added.
(With inputs from Kallol Bhattacherjee)
Published – May 25, 2025 12:05 am IST
