This article covers the political relationship between India and Bhutan: when diplomatic relations were established, the treaty that frames them, and the high-level visits and official exchanges of recent years. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of June 2026, and it describes events as the brief records them.

Establishment and framework

Diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan were established in 1968. According to the MEA brief of June 2026, the basic framework of the relationship has been the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949, which was revised in February 2007.

The brief describes "special ties of friendship, unique bilateral relations and close bonds between the people of the two countries". It states that this special relationship has been nurtured by regular high-level visits, and that there have been regular meetings of bilateral mechanisms covering diverse areas of cooperation.

Visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

At the invitation of His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to Bhutan on 11-12 November 2025. He joined the people of Bhutan in marking the 70th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth King and took part in the Global Peace Prayer Festival. The King and the Prime Minister jointly inaugurated the 1020 MW Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project, and agreements in the fields of energy and health were concluded.

In March 2024, Prime Minister Modi paid a State Visit to Bhutan and received the Order of the Druk Gyalpo. The brief records that he was the first foreign national to be given the award, in recognition of his contribution to India-Bhutan friendship. He had visited Bhutan on his first overseas visit after assuming charge in 2014, and Bhutan was among his first visits after the 2019 General Elections in India.

Visits by His Majesty the King of Bhutan

His Majesty the King of Bhutan (HM K5) visited India twice in 2025:

  • February 2025, to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj.
  • April 2025, to Assam, where he visited the Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) and the Multi Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Jogighopa.

In December 2024 His Majesty made an official visit to India and met the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister (EAM). In April 2023 he visited Delhi and met the President of India, the Prime Minister and the EAM. During a further visit in November 2023, he made his first official visit to the state of Assam and to Maharashtra. The brief states that the Joint Statements issued during these visits stepped up India-Bhutan ties in various areas of cooperation.

His Holiness the Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot of Bhutan, visited India in September 2025 to preside over the consecration ceremony of the Royal Bhutan Temple at Rajgir, Bihar. He was accompanied by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay.

Visits by Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay

Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay has visited India several times since taking office in January 2024:

  • March 2024: an official visit, his first overseas visit after assuming office. He called on the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, and held discussions with Prime Minister Modi.
  • June 2024: New Delhi, for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and his Council of Ministers.
  • February 2025: New Delhi, as Guest of Honour and keynote speaker at the SOUL Leadership Conclave.
  • September 2025: Rajgir, Ayodhya and New Delhi.
  • February 2026: New Delhi, for the AI Impact Summit, where he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi.
  • May 2026: Guwahati, where he met the Governor of Assam, Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya, and the Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma.

At the invitation of the Royal Government of Bhutan, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier visited Bhutan from 16-19 December 2024 and held a business event. He had an audience with Their Majesties and met the Prime Minister of Bhutan.

Foreign ministers and officials

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar visited Bhutan in June 2019, his first overseas visit after assuming office, and again in April 2022. He paid a further official visit to Bhutan from 16-18 September 2026. Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri visited Bhutan in October 2025 for bilateral talks. His first overseas visit as Foreign Secretary had also been to Bhutan, where he co-chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks ("Plan Talks") in July 2024. He visited Bhutan again from 30-31 July 2026 to co-chair the 5th Plan Talks for the 13th Five Year Plan.

Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan, visited New Delhi for the Raisina Dialogue in March 2025 and March 2026. He also visited Mumbai for the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit in May 2025.

Ministerial visits on energy

The brief states that regular ministerial meetings enable further strengthening of bilateral cooperation. Shri Manohar Lal, Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, visited Bhutan from 9-12 April 2026. During the visit the two Ministers discussed cooperation in energy, dam concreting works of the Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project were re-commenced, and the Tariff Protocol of the Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project was signed.

Lyonpo Gem Tshering, Bhutan's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, visited New Delhi in February 2026 for meetings of the Punatsangchhu-I & II Hydroelectric Project Authorities, and in March 2026 for the Bharat Electricity Summit.

Other visits from India

The brief lists other prominent visits to Bhutan from India in recent times:

  • An Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh Narayan, in May 2026.
  • Chief Justice of India Shri Surya Kant in February 2026, and the then Chief Justice of India Shri B.R. Gavai in October 2025.
  • Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju, for the exposition of the Holy Piprahwa Relics of Lord Buddha in November 2025.
  • Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi in June 2025.

Sectoral visits from India include those of the Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Pankaj Agarwal (June 2026); the Secretary, Department of Posts, Ms Vandita Kaul (March 2026); the Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri V.L. Kantha Rao (February 2026); and the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Shri Devesh Chaturvedi (August 2025).

Border management talks

The Secretary, Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr Rajendra Kumar, visited Bhutan for the 14th Secretary Level Meeting on Border Management and Security Issues. This round of talks was held in Thimphu on 16-17 October 2025, and the brief records that further efforts on improving border facilities, security and related issues were discussed.

Other visits from Bhutan

Lt Gen Batoo Tshering, Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army, visited India in February 2025. He also took part in the United Nations Troop Contributing Countries Chiefs Conclave in New Delhi in October 2025 and in the International Fleet Review in Vishakhapatnam in February 2026.

The Chief Justice of Bhutan, Lyonpo Norbu Tshering, visited New Delhi from 23-27 November 2025 and attended the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Justice of India and the Constitution Day programme. In May 2026, a delegation of higher judiciary members, including judges of the Supreme Court of Bhutan and the Chief Justice of the High Court of Bhutan, made a study visit to the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court.