New Delhi: After keeping its borders closed for 30 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bhutan lifted restrictions on the entry of foreigners recently, officials posted at the Himalayan country’s border with India said. Bhutanese nationals were also allowed to cross the border into India.
The cost of visiting Bhutan – a popular destination among Indians and people from other nations – also went up as the government brought into force a decision taken by the Parliament in January 2020 to impose a sustainable development fee on visitors. The new policy was kept on hold during the pandemic.
Every person going to Bhutan from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives will have to pay a daily fee equivalent to ₹1,200 (INR) during their stay, said Pasang Dorje, district magistrate of Samtse in Bhutan.
For citizens of other nations, the fee will be $200 (US) a day. “Bhutan has opened its borders. People can come over and enjoy its greenery and clean air. Indians will have to pay ₹1,200 a day as a sustainable development fee,” Dorje said.
Bhutan has also imposed some other regulations on Indians, officials said. Online registration prior to a visit is mandatory from now on. Only passports and voter identity cards will be accepted as proof of Indian citizenship if original documents are produced for inspection.
Earlier, Aadhaar cards and driving licenses were allowed but now the rules have changed. Also, Indians below 18 years of age will have to produce their original birth certificates as identity proof, officials said.
Alongside businessmen, hundreds of skilled and unskilled laborers from India also travel to Bhutan in search of employment. (Hindustan Times)
