Getting a Bhutanese Visa for an Indian is quite easy. The information I share in this article is based out of both my research and experience. I had also contacted the Bhutan Tourism during my research.
It all started with me searching for a Honeymoon destination. I wanted it to be sweet and beautiful- but not too heavy on the pockets either. Bhutan is a country of mountains. A beautiful country of rich mountains. It turned out to be one of the best trips I ever took(well, not just because it was my honeymoon). They had good roads, a welcome climate, a rich culture, and above all- the happiest people you'll ever see around. Believe me, people were happy even to show us the way every time we were lost. It was almost as if they felt so proud to help us. I guess that's enough details on why you should visit Bhutan. Now coming to the "how" part, the best way to see around Bhutan is on road. And to do that, you would need a permit for your vehicle in addition to yourself.
Getting a permit for yourself
Thanks to the good relation between the 2 nations India and Bhutan, for an Indian to get permit to Bhutan, any India government issued ID card (and by any I mean even your ration card) would do. Here's the list of things you need to carry on you when you enter Bhutan:
- Any government issued ID card (Passport, Election ID card, Drivers License, Ration Card etc.)
- Some Money (Indian Rupee would do)
- A pen
- A purpose of Visit
As you enter the border state of Bhutan (Phuentshilong) from the border state of India (Jaigaon), you need to look for the immigration office. It is a not so big building of 2 floors on your right hand side, 200 m into the gates of Bhutan. Go to the ground floor and get the simple single page application form and fill it. (Tip: If you are tourists, mention the purpose of visit as "Tourism"). Once you are done, you need to submit the form at the window that has been assigned. Then your application will be taken to the concerned person for approval and you will be provided with a permit. You should be carrying this in your person at all times. The whole procedure should take you less than a couple of hours unless it is a crowded season.
Getting permit for your vehicle
I was planning my trip on a rented self drive car (Zoomcar) taken from Kolkata (India) so I was naturally very apprehensive about the permissions and whether I was even allowed to do this. So I referred a few blogs but couldn't get a clear answer. Some people even said down right that rental cars will not be allowed in Bhutan. So I went ahead and mailed the Bhutan Tourism asking my query. Frankly, I wasn't expecting any reply, but to my surprise, I got a response the very next day. It said "Any Indian registered vehicle is allowed into Bhutan, provided you have all the necessary papers." As you might have guessed by now, I was glad beyond belief and started doing the rest of the planning. So getting permit for your vehicle is a little tricky. You need to go to the Vehicles department which is in a building integrated to the bus station that is around 2 km from the immigration office. You will need all the following:
- Copies of all your vehicle documents ( registration, rental agreement, emission certificate, insurance )
- Copy of your entry permit
- Some money
So the first thing you do is to find Photocopy room and get your documents copied and also get an application form from the same room. Fill out the form and mark the number of days and the dates correctly and take it to the officer. He will inspect your application and write the amount to be paid on your application and return it to you. With these, you need to go to the accounts office and pay the money and get a receipt for the same. Now you return and submit both the receipt and the application to the officer and get the printed permit for your vehicle.
That's it! You are good to start your journey through one of the most beautiful countries you'll ever be in. Make sure you mark entries and exits for both yourself and your vehicle at all checkpoints.
I will write a more elaborate account of my 10 day trip of Bangalore-Kolkata-Siliguri-Kalimpong-Darjeeling-Gangtok-Paro-Thimphu-Siliguri-Kolkata-Bangalore some other time.