The Tibetan political head in exile, President Dr. Lobsang Sangay on Tuesday announced that the Central Government of India has exempted Tibetans from requiring the NORI certificate to apply for Identity Certificate (IC). This has been enabled through a change in the policy guideline of the Tibetan Identity Certificate.
“During the press briefing at Kashag hall held on 31 July to promote an intercultural exchange program among students of Arunachal Pradesh, President Dr Lobsang Sangay made an announcement about the latest change in the policy guidelines of Tibetan Identity Certificate (IC) whereby the Central Government of India has exempted Tibetans from NORI (No Objection to Return to India) application process thus expediting the IC application process.” said the report in the official website of Central Tibetan Administration.
The Tibetan Identity Certificate is a travel document issued by the government of India to the Tibetan refugees residing in India so that it facilitates their travels outside India. However, despite India’s tremendous support towards the Tibetan refugees, they were stuck in a lengthy process of applying for the IC and a complicated process of seeking visas.
Earlier, Government of India has granted one year multi entry visa to Tibetan IC holders to ease their foreign travels at the request of the Central Tibetan Administration against the maximum of three months period previously. Tibetans holding IC have been facing issues of humiliation and unnecessary hassles while traveling abroad and entry/return visa is one of them.
In addition to that, President Dr Lobsang Sangay also informed that Tibetans can now avail return visas and other such processes via online as per the new guidelines according to the report and currently, this new policy of online process is applicable in eight regions and excludes few Tibetan settlements.
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