The Ministry of Home Affairs has designated Hatisar in Assam as a temporary Immigration Check Post (ICP) to handle the expected surge of visitors to Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) festival from 24 October to 6 November 2026. A notification published on 16 October empowers immigration officers at the post to process entry and exit for Bhutanese citizens and third-country nationals carrying valid travel documents. The move fulfils a promise made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Bhutan in 2025 and reiterated by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar last month. Currently, most travellers to Bhutan use the Phuentsholing-Jaigaon land route or fly via Paro; the Hatisar gateway will shave almost four hours off the journey for participants flying into Guwahati and driving north. For India, the ICP is both a goodwill gesture and a pilot for its North-East Tourism Corridor strategy, which seeks to integrate Assam, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh with neighbouring Himalayan economies. Officials expect up to 18,000 cross-border movements during the 14-day festival, including investors scouting opportunities in Bhutan’s planned US$1-billion ‘mindfulness city’ SEZ. Business travellers should note that only electronic visas and valid passports will be accepted; visa-on-arrival facilities will not be available at Hatisar. Customs has set up a green-channel lane, but goods worth more than INR 100,000 must be declared. Authorities will assess the ICP’s performance before deciding whether to make it permanent and expand facilities for cargo in 2027. Travel operators are advising clients to build in additional transit time, as the two-lane approach road is still under widening. Mobile network coverage is patchy; travellers should download offline maps and carry printed copies of their Indian e-Arrival Cards for faster stamping.
Source: Hindustan Times
