• Three wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh, who were to take part in the World University Games in Chengdu, were issued ‘stapled visas’ by the Chinese embassy.

• While all the other nine in the wushu contingent got their visas on July 20, the three players from Arunachal were told on July 24 to re-apply. After that, they got ‘stapled visas’. 

• In the past also, sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh had to miss international events in China due to the ‘stapled visa’ issue.

• The ministry of external affairs said India has lodged strong protest with the Chinese side on the matter and there should be no discrimination on the basis of domicile or ethnicity in the visa regime for Indian citizens.

• China has been laying claims over Arunachal Pradesh saying it is part of Southern Tibet.

• In April, India outrightly rejected China’s renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India.

What is a stapled visa?

• A visa is an official document that allows the bearer to legally enter a foreign country. The visa is usually stamped or glued into the bearer’s passport. There are several different types of visas, each of which afford the bearer different rights in the host country.

• The issuance of visas by India and China is guided by the provisions of the MoU on Simplifying Visa Procedures between the two governments signed in June 2003, which is being implemented by both sides.

• In a stapled visa, a paper visa is stapled to the passport in separate sheets rather than stamped on the passport.

• Visa issued on a separate sheet of paper stapled to the passport is not considered valid for travel out of the country.

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