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SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker Entry

BhutanFree movement

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Bhutan Read the five questions ↓

Which citizenship, status or regional agreement creates the person's right to move/reside?

Nationals of SAARC Member States holding a valid SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker are exempted from obtaining an e-visa or entry permit for Bhutan. The exemption does not guarantee entry: admission is determined by immigration officials at the port of entry.

See recorded sources

Under which circumstances can the person reside: worker, self-employed, student, jobseeker, self-funded person or another recognised basis?

Bhutan's revised list of non-tourist categories of foreigners places nationals of SAARC member states entitled to the SAARC visa exemption scheme under intergovernmental visa waiver arrangements as one of the non-tourist categories. The official source does not state a residence basis or permitted duration of stay.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No source consulted states a residence status, a permitted duration of stay, or a renewal basis attached to the SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker.
  • The requirement column of that same table entry reads that the visits must not be for employment, be it self-employed or otherwise; the PDF's table layout does not allow that cell to be quoted as one contiguous passage without interleaving the neighbouring column.
  • The SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker is not mentioned anywhere in the Immigration Act 2007 or the Immigration Rules and Regulations 2023.

What entry, registration or residence-document formalities remain?

The Immigration Act 2007 places a registration duty on every foreigner in the Kingdom: registration at the nearest police station within ten days and again on every change of address, with tourists excepted. No visa or stay permit may be extended until the person has been registered. The official source does not state whether SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker holders fall within the tourist exception.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The Act does not address SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker holders; whether a given holder falls inside the 'except for tourist' exception is not stated in any source consulted.
  • No source consulted states a registration step specific to entry on a SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker.
  • Immigration Act 2007, s.46, line 737
    Every foreigner in the Kingdom shall have the duty to be registered at the nearest police station within ten days and thereafter with every change of address, except for tourist.
  • Immigration Act 2007, s.45, line 732
    No visa/stay permit shall be extended to any person until such person has been registered in accordance with this Act, other laws and rules and regulations made under this Act.

Which non-member-country family members can accompany or join, and what broad rights do they receive?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm which non-member family members can join and their rights.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No source consulted states whether family members may accompany or join a person entering Bhutan on a SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker.
  • Rule 62 of the Immigration Rules and Regulations 2023 lists the categories of foreigner for which spouse and children are permitted and does not name SAARC visa-exemption holders; absence from that list is not a statement that family accompaniment is refused, so it is not treated as an answer here.

When do permanent/long-term rights arise and what continuity, absence or retention conditions matter?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm when permanent rights arise and the continuity or absence rules.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No source consulted states whether entry on a SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker leads to, or is barred from, permanent residence or citizenship.
  • Rule 51 of the Immigration Rules and Regulations 2023 bars a foreigner who has entered as a non-immigrant under Chapter 5 of the Act from applying for permanent residency or citizenship, but no source consulted classifies a SAARC Visa Exemption Sticker holder as having entered as a non-immigrant under Chapter 5, so the bar is not asserted here.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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