SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES)

News- India has suspended the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the death of 26 individuals.

About SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES)

• Genesis:
  • The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) was officially launched in 1992, following its proposal at the Fourth SAARC Summit held in Islamabad in 1988.
  • It was envisioned as a step toward strengthening regional integration and cooperation among the eight SAARC member countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Afghanistan.
• Objective: The primary aim of the SVES is to facilitate regional mobility by promoting people-to-people contact and enhancing diplomatic, cultural, and business exchanges through visa-free travel for certain categories of individuals.
• Targeted Beneficiaries: The scheme permits visa-free travel for 24 designated categories such as: Dignitaries, Judges, Members of Parliament, Senior government officials, Journalists, Businesspersons, Sportspersons etc.
• Validity– Special visa stickers are issued (by each SAARC member), typically valid for one year, allowing visa-free travel within SAARC countries.

Country-Specific Provisions – India:

• Nepal & Bhutan: Citizens of both countries do not require a visa to enter India.
• Pakistan: Initially, Pakistani nationals were allowed one-year, multiple-entry business visas under restricted categories. In 2015, this was revised to allow verified special-category businesspersons up to three-year visa exemptions. Their movement remained restricted to designated cities (approximately 10–15).
• Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan nationals are also eligible for India’s e-Tourist visa.
• Indian Citizens: Do not require visas to travel to Nepal and Bhutan.

Suspension Clause:

• Discretionary nature: Despite being a regional facilitation mechanism, the SVES is not a binding treaty. It is based on mutual trust and bilateral goodwill.
• Right to deny entry: Member states retain the sovereign authority to deny entry under SVES on national security or public order grounds.