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ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PERMITS TO VISIT NORTH-EAST INDIA
North-East India is known to be one of the most untouched and beautiful regions in India. Though underrepresented in terms of tourism in the past, the fascination and the curiosity about this mesmerizing and scenic part of the country has led people from all around the country and the world to visit and explore the region. But if you have been planning to visit the North-east, you must have also heard about the terms such as ILP, PAP and RAP that are required to enter some of the states and we know how confusing it can get but we are here to simplify it for you.
Currently, only 4 states require you to hold an ILP (for Indian nationals) while visiting and those are Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. But this isn’t the same for foreigners since a couple of years back the restrictions for the foreigners have been eased to promote tourism in these states but we shall get to that later.
Before we go further, let’s know what exactly is an ILP and why it is required.
An ILP is an official travel document which you need to carry to visit certain protected states for inward travel of non-native Indian nationals for a limited time period. This permit was introduced a long time back to protect the states from any exploitation by outsiders and also because of the strategic and sensitive position due to either border or internal issues. But don’t let all of this scare you as you can easily access this permit without any hassle.
Let’s simply it for you state by state-
Arunachal Pradesh
You need an inner line permit to visit Arunachal if you are non-native Indian National and you can access permits through both online and offline process. To apply online, you can go to ILP Arunachal Pradesh and if you want to get it offline, you have to go to the Government of Arunachal office and the list of offices are given here- Inner Line Permit – Department of Information, Public Relation & Printing. You can get your permits here on arrival.
For foreigners on the other hand, Protected Area Permit (PAP) is required which is valid for a month at max and the time limit cannot be extended. Though it is always advised for foreigners to travel in groups of two or more, single foreign tourists can now issue a PAP for Bomdila, Tawang and Ziro. The easiest solution to getting a PAP is through a travel travel and tour agent which will take not more than two days. And if you want to get it yourself from an official place then there are offices in Kolkata and Guwahati at the Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Resident Commissioner’s Office. You can easily locate these places by asking the locals of Guwahati or Kolkata and you can use google maps which is always the easy way to find a place nowadays.
Assam
No permits are required for both Indian nationals and foreigners to visit this state so you can easily visit it without any hassle.
Meghalaya
Indians and foreigners can visit Meghalaya without any permits.
Manipur
A couple of years back in 2019, the government of India introduced ILP for Indians visiting Manipur and you can avail it through both offline and online ways. For online application, you can visit Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) and offline, you will find yourself coming across various ILP counters throughout the borders of Manipur such as Imphal Airport, Mao Gate, Jiribam, Moreh, etc.
Foreigners do not require a PAP to enter Manipur anymore but you are supposed to register yourself at the local Foreigner Registration Office (FRO) of the districts you visit upon 24 hours of arrival.
Mizoram
Indians need an ILP to visit Mizoram which can be accessed from any Mizoram house throughout the country or at the Lenpui Airport in Mizoram. You can also visit this site for detailed information regarding avail of Permits- Inner Line Permit (ILP): Mizoram.
Foreigners no longer require to get a PAP to visit Mizoram but just like Manipur, you need to register yourself at the Local Foreigner Registration Office of the districts you visit within 24 hours of arrival.
Tripura
No permits are required for both Indians and foreigners to visit the state of Tripura.
Nagaland
Indian Nationals need to carry an ILP while traveling in Nagaland and you can get one through both offline and online mode. For online access to the ILP, you can visit this site- Nagaland Inner Line Permit or you can get one by visiting any Nagaland House or Govt of Nagaland office, the list of which is given here- Nagaland Home Department.
Foreigners no longer require to carry a permit to enter Nagaland but are supposed to register themselves at the Foreign Registration Office upon 24 hours of arrival in the state.
Sikkim
Indian Nationals do not require an ILP to visit Sikkim except for some places such as Tsongo Lake, Nathu La, Kupup, and Menmecho Lake in East Sikkim and Chungthang, Lachung, Yumthang Valley, Yumesamdong, Lachen, Thangu, Chopta, and Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim but not to worry because the permits for these places are easily available at any Government registered travel and tourism agencies in the capital city of Gangtok.
Foreign nationals do need to carry an RAP (Restricted Area Permit) to visit places in the State of Sikkim and it can be easily availed through an online website Sikkim | State Permit or also at the Sikkim tourism offices in either Delhi or Kolkata and at the District Magistrate’s office in Darjeeling or Siliguri. After availing this permit, you also need additional PAPs for certain areas such as Tsongmo lake in east sikkim, Dzongri, Goechala Trek and Singalila Trek in West Sikkim; Yumthang Valley, Yumesamdong, Dzongu in North Sikkim. And these permits are only issued to foreigners in a group of two or more and who have planned a package with a travel and tour agency which is officially registered by Sikkim Tourism. You can get these permits from the same places you get your general permits at but an easy way out is to get one through a tour agency or operator.
Hope we have made it easy and simple for you to understand about the various permits and entries for the North- Eastern states. Now that you know how easy it is to actually get these permits, let nothing stop you from visiting these amazing states with magnificent natural beauty.