SOURCE ; NEW18
Last Updated:May 05, 2025, 22:29 IST
The order also states that applicants must submit the following documents: a copy of their valid Long Term Visa certificate
(Representative image)
Pakistani nationals living in India on Long Term Visas (LTVs) who have not obtained Indian citizenship have been asked to reapply for their visas. In its order, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that the window to reapply for LTVs is from May 10 to July 10. Any Pakistani national who fails to reapply within this period will have their LTV cancelled, according to the MHA order.
In a series of stern measures against Pakistan, a day after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, the Government of India announced that Pakistani nationals would not be allowed to travel to India, and those currently in the country on short-term visas must leave within 48 hours.
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Now, in a fresh directive, the Indian government has made it clear that those on LTVs will also be required to reapply. This move signals the government’s intent to reconsider whether such visas should be extended or reissued.
The MHA order reads, “The Government has decided that all Pakistani nationals holding a Long Term Visa and who have not obtained Indian citizenship, shall be required to apply afresh.”
The order also states that applicants must submit the following documents: a copy of their valid Long Term Visa certificate, a recent photograph, address proof, details of their profession and religion, and a copy of their application if they have applied for Indian citizenship.
Furthermore, the order mentions that the application form for reapplying for a Long Term Visa will be available on the portal [https://indianfrro.gov.in](https://indianfrro.gov.in) starting May 10, 2025, and will remain open until July 10, 2025.
“The Long Term Visa of any Pakistani national, who fails to reapply in the said period, shall be cancelled,” the order stated.
Earlier, following the barbaric attack in Pahalgam, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had advised Indian nationals in Pakistan to return at the earliest.
An MEA statement had said, “All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended. Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid travelling to Pakistan. Those Indian nationals currently in Pakistan are also advised to return to India at the earliest.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also briefed the press after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, stating that Pakistani nationals would no longer be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme.
Any SPES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are now deemed cancelled. He further added that any Pakistani national currently in India under a SPES visa has 48 hours to leave the country.
- First Published:
May 05, 2025, 22:23 IST
