Northeast India Permits for ForeignersPAP, RAP & ILP — what you actually need.

Protected Area Permit (PAP) — issued under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958. Required for foreign nationals visiting Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, plus parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan. Issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs or by the state government on MHA's behalf, almost always via a registered tour operator.

Restricted Area Permit (RAP) — issued under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963. Required for Sikkim and certain Himalayan border zones, and historically for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (mostly waived since 2018). Issued by Indian missions abroad with your visa, at FRROs, or at the Rangpo/Bagdogra entry points for Sikkim.

Inner Line Permit (ILP) — a colonial-era permit (Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873) that applies to Indian citizens only, currently enforced in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and parts of Lakshadweep. Foreigners do not use the ILP — your PAP covers the same access.

Living Roots assists confirmed travellers with applicable permit documentation and coordinates the process through the relevant authorised channels, subject to current government rules and approval. Once your itinerary is confirmed and a 25% deposit received we need, per traveller:

• A colour scan of your passport bio-data page (must be valid for at least 180 days beyond departure).
• A colour scan of your Indian visa page or e-Visa PDF.
• Two recent 35×45 mm passport photographs in JPG.
• Confirmed arrival & departure flight numbers and the entry/exit city.
• Your full residential address.

Processing times vary by route, nationality and the concerned authorities. If a permit is approved and supplied electronically, we share the document with you and confirm the current checkpost-copy requirements. Permit approval is solely at the discretion of the concerned authorities and cannot be guaranteed in advance.

Citizens of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Foreign Nationals of Pakistani Origin, require prior approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs before a PAP or RAP can be issued. Allow 6–8 weeks. Living Roots assists with the documentation and coordinates the submission through the relevant authorised channels, subject to current government rules and approval.

For other passports, eligibility and processing are still subject to the route, current government rules and approval by the concerned authorities; no decision date can be guaranteed.

Even with a valid PAP, certain border zones require additional defence clearance or are closed to foreigners altogether:

• Tawang & the Bumla Pass corridor — accessible up to Tawang town with a standard PAP; Bumla and the Line of Actual Control are closed to non-Indians.
• Dibang Valley, Mishmi Hills, Kibithoo — additional Inner Line endorsement required; we assist with that documentation separately.
• Mon to Longwa (Indo-Myanmar border, Nagaland) — open with PAP; the Konyak chief's house famously straddles the border, but crossing into Myanmar is not permitted.
• Champhai, Zokhawthar (Mizoram–Myanmar border) — open with PAP; cross-border movement is closed.
• Indo-Myanmar border belt — citizens of Myanmar need prior clearance to travel beyond 16 km of the border; for all other passports, border-area coverage depends on the circuits endorsed on your PAP.

OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders travelling on a foreign passport are required to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) for travel to Arunachal Pradesh.

Bumla Pass is not permitted for OCI cardholders or other foreign passport holders.

Living Roots assists confirmed package guests with documentation and coordinates the applicable PAP process through authorised channels, subject to current eligibility rules and government approval. We plan the Tawang itinerary only for areas permitted for foreign nationals.

Documents required for the PAP process may include passport copy, OCI card where applicable, Indian visa or entry documents, photograph and other documents required by the authorities.

Important: NRI and OCI are not automatically the same category. An Indian citizen travelling on an Indian passport follows the Indian permit process. A traveller holding a foreign passport with OCI status follows the applicable PAP process.

Permit rules are subject to current government regulations. Living Roots will plan the itinerary only within areas permitted for the traveller's nationality and permit category.