EU lifts restrictive travel advisory for Assam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the EU has lifted the travel advisory for Assam. File | Photo credit: PTI

The European Union (EU) has lifted a restrictive travel advisory for citizens of its 27 member countries traveling to Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday (June 20, 2026).

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Most countries in Europe, Oceania and the Americas began warning their citizens against traveling to the restive northeastern states in 1979, when the violent six-year Assam agitation began, leading to extremism by the United Liberation Front of Asom.

Chief Secretary Ravi Kota received a letter on Friday (June 19, 2026) from Hervé Delphin, EU Ambassador to India, stating that 27 European countries have lifted travel curbs for their citizens who want to explore Assam, Sarma said.

“Following Australia and Japan, EU member states have revised their travel advisories and removed restrictive guidelines for their citizens visiting the state,” the chief minister said on social media X.

Australia and Japan lifted restrictions after the state organized Advantage Assam 2.0 in February 2025 to attract foreign investment, he said. “The recent development follows the visit of EU diplomats to Assam, which is a strong show of confidence for Assam and bodes well for deeper EU-Assam engagement,” Sarma said.

Speaking on Facebook Live, he also said that travel advisory has been a blemish on Assam since 1979. “The state is suffering financially when foreign countries consider it bankrupt because investment and tourists are not coming in. I am confident that after this development, the flow of tourists in Assam will increase,” the chief minister said.

He also hoped that trade and people-to-people relations would improve after EU communication.

The chief minister advised the people of Assam to explore the hospitality sector by constructing homestays and huts for tourists, saying that foreign tourists usually like to immerse themselves in nature and avoid five-star facilities.

“We can also build camps in nature and offer them our indigenous cuisine,” said the Chief Minister.

However, the restrictions will continue to apply in three districts – Charaideo, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia in eastern Assam – where the Disturbed Areas Act and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act remain in force.

The districts, bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, are said to be used by extremists for hit-and-run operations from their hideouts in Myanmar’s Sagaing division.

EU member states include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Published – 20 Jun 2026 22:57 IST