KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – India’s Ministry of External Affairs has announced that it has resumed issuing visas to Afghan nationals, offering visas in six categories through a new system.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters on Thursday that the visa categories include medical, medical attendant, business, entry, student, and UN diplomatic visas.
He noted that this new visa system replaces the previous “e-Emergency X-Miscellaneous Visa” scheme, which was implemented after the Taliban took power in 2021. Afghan nationals currently in India have been encouraged to switch to the new system.
Jaiswal also emphasized that this new visa module will enhance people-to-people ties between India and Afghanistan.
India had suspended visa services and its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan in 2021, citing security concerns following the Taliban’s return to power.
The resumption of visa issuance marks a significant shift in India’s engagement with the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, as New Delhi re-establishes its limited diplomatic presence in the country.
This new visa system comes amid increased bilateral engagements. Earlier this month, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had a phone conversation with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for the first time. According to the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they discussed security, economic, and diplomatic cooperation.
While no country has formally recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government due to concerns over human rights and terrorism, several countries have maintained, and some have even expanded, their diplomatic or informal relations with the regime.
