With passport backlogs still stretching to five weeks in several Indian cities, a Tamil Indian Express explainer that went viral on 12 April has reminded travellers that a simple Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is sufficient for visa-free—or visa-on-arrival—entry to Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius and Fiji. The article, amplified by aggregator News Minimalist, lists additional destinations such as Seychelles and Kazakhstan that extend streamlined e-visa processes for Indian tourists. The piece has particular resonance as summer-holiday planning collides with soaring Schengen airfares and uncertainty around Gulf transit routes. Travel agents in Kolkata say inquiries for Bhutan have jumped 40 percent since the article’s publication, while Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority’s India office reported a spike in website traffic from Tier-2 cities. For corporate mobility teams the reminder is more than clickbait. Short-notice executive retreats or project kick-offs in Nepal or Bhutan can be arranged without waiting for a passport renewal, provided the traveller carries the latest laminated voter ID and two passport-size photographs. Airlines still require a passport for international check-in, but land borders at Phuentsholing (Bhutan) and Sonauli (Nepal) accept EPIC cards. Experts caution that while the voter-ID concession eases entry, it does not override vaccination or travel-insurance requirements, and some carriers may demand a passport as a condition of carriage. Nonetheless, being aware of the option gives HR planners and travel managers another lever when urgent cross-border movement is needed in the South-Asian neighbourhood.
