Now Nepalese can get SIM card in India

According to the decision made by the Department of Telecommunications of India on Monday, Nepali citizens will get SIM cards based on passport or its alternative, citizenship, voter ID card or a letter certified by Nepali Duwatas in Delhi with a photo. The department under the Ministry of Communications has asked the telecom authorities to consider the document as a 'KYC' document in the case of Nepali and Bhutanese citizens.

Lately, the issue of not getting a SIM card started to arise as an issue. In every official visit and delegation, the Nepali side has been raising with the Western side formally/informally that Nepali citizens have not received SIM cards in India. About two months ago, the Nepali Embassy in Delhi sent a formal letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, informing them that Nepali citizens coming to India are not getting SIM cards and asking them to solve the problem.

In 2012, the government of India has made a provision to issue SIM cards to foreign nationals only on the basis of their travel permit period (visa). However, until three years ago, there was no strictness in the said provision in the case of Nepali citizens. Nepalis used to get SIM cards based on their passports from SIM distribution stalls at the airport or elsewhere. However, in 2021, after the Indian government fully digitized SIM card distribution, the situation of foreign nationals getting SIM cards without a visa stopped. Visa became the main document for foreigners to get a SIM card. Without mentioning that, the system stopped giving approval. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan do not need to obtain any type of travel permit (visa) to enter India. The effect of that is two Citizens of the country were deprived of getting SIM cards.

The Nepali Ambassador to India in Delhi, Shankar Prasad Sharma, said that within a few weeks of the embassy's formal request to the Indian government, the problem regarding the SIM card was resolved. He said that he is confident that now Nepali citizens will get SIM cards easily. The Indian side has informed the embassy about the decision regarding the SIM card.

The Department of Telecommunication has issued correspondence to all telecom companies regarding the amendment of the existing KYC rules of 2012 regarding Nepali and Bhutanese citizens while distributing SIM cards to foreign citizens. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan who come to India from other countries with a travel permit will get a SIM card for a period of three months only. Nepali citizens coming to India via China and Pakistan are also required to obtain a visa. The name of such a country is not mentioned in the new decision. However, it has been said in the case of those coming from third countries with a visa.

A large number of Nepalis come to India for study, health treatment and employment. They were not getting SIM cards. Not only that, there was a rush to get SIM cards for high-level teams coming on bilateral tours. The Embassy had been giving SIM cards to the visiting team after issuing SIM cards in the name of Indian employees in the embassy.