Reviewed September 2026
Permits, explained
Four of the eight North East states need a permit before you arrive. It is the single most common reason a trip here quietly becomes a trip somewhere else.
Indian travellers need an Inner Line Permit. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit. Assam and Meghalaya need neither. That is ninety per cent of it.
State by state
Who needs what, where.
| State | Indian nationals | Foreign nationals | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arunachal Pradesh | ILP required | PAP required | Every visitor, every time. This is the one that turns people back at Bhalukpong. |
| Nagaland | ILP required | PAP required | PAP for foreign nationals was reimposed in December 2024 after a period without it - older guides online still say otherwise. |
| Mizoram | ILP required | PAP required | Same December 2024 change as Nagaland. Police registration on arrival also applies. |
| Manipur | ILP required | PAP required | ILP introduced here in 2019, and currently the subject of litigation - worth confirming close to travel. |
| Assam | Not required | Not required | Travel freely. Guwahati, Kaziranga, Majuli, Sivasagar - no permit at all. |
| Meghalaya | Not required | Not required | Shillong, Sohra, the root bridges, Dawki - all open. Foreign nationals may be asked to register locally. |
Sikkim also requires permits for certain protected areas, and Bhutan has its own entirely separate entry regime. Citizens of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan face additional restrictions across the region.
Indian nationals
The Inner Line Permit
The ILP is a colonial instrument that outlived the empire - it comes from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 and is still in force. It is not a visa and it is not difficult; it is simply a document you must have before you cross the line, and it is checked.
Arunachal now issues it online through the state portal, and a tourist permit is typically valid for a stated number of days against named districts. The government fee is nominal - a few hundred rupees - and it changes, so we quote it at actuals rather than publishing a figure that will go stale.
You carry a printed copy and the ID you applied with. Checkposts keep a register. Bhalukpong, on the road up from Assam, is where most Arunachal trips are stopped.
Foreign nationals
The Protected Area Permit
Foreign passport holders need a PAP rather than an ILP, and it works differently: it is arranged in advance through the relevant authorities, not bought on arrival, and for some areas it is issued only to groups rather than individuals.
The important recent change: the PAP was reimposed for Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur in December 2024, after a period when foreign visitors did not need one. A great deal of advice still online predates that and is now wrong.
Separately, foreign nationals are generally expected to complete a police registration shortly after arriving in those states - usually handled by the guesthouse or by us.
Before any permit
First you need a visa. That is a different thing.
A permit lets you enter a state. A visa lets you enter India. They are issued by different authorities, on different timelines, and one does not imply the other - people arrive holding a permit and no visa more often than you would think.
The e-Tourist Visa
Nationals of around 166 countries, including the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia and most of Europe, apply online at indianvisaonline.gov.in. That is the government portal and the only one you need - the agencies that rank above it in search charge a fee to fill in the same form.
Three lengths: 30 days with double entry, one year with multiple entry, and five years with multiple entry. The fee depends on your nationality and is stated on the portal.
Applications open 120 days before travel. A rejected photograph is the usual reason for a delay, so apply early enough to submit a second one.
You can fly straight into Guwahati
Guwahati is one of India's designated e-Visa arrival airports. So are Kolkata and Bagdogra. You do not have to clear immigration in Delhi and fly on domestically, which is what most itineraries assume.
There is no direct long-haul service from Europe or North America, so you will still connect - but the connection can be a domestic leg on one ticket rather than an immigration queue with your bags. From London, Kolkata is the shorter hop into Guwahati at about an hour and twenty; Delhi carries more European services.
You may leave India from any immigration check post, so the return does not have to mirror the arrival.
From experience
Five ways this goes wrong.
01
The route does not match the permit
An ILP is issued against the districts you named. Turn up at a checkpost heading somewhere that is not on it and you are going back, however valid the permit looks. This is the most common failure by a wide margin.
02
The name does not match the ID
A middle name on the permit and not on the Aadhaar, an initial expanded, a spelling drifted. Checkpost staff compare them character by character, and they are right to.
03
Leaving it to the last week
Applications are usually processed in a day or two, but 'usually' is doing work in that sentence. Around long weekends and festivals the queue lengthens and there is no expediting it.
04
Assuming one permit covers everything
Bumla Pass and Sangestar (Madhuri) Lake need additional army clearance arranged in Tawang itself, on top of your ILP - and they are run by local union vehicles, not your own car.
05
Trusting a page like this one
Including ours. Permit rules in the North East change with little notice, and a guide written eighteen months ago will confidently tell you something that is no longer true. Confirm close to travel.
Straight answers
The questions we actually get asked.
- Do I need a visa as well as a permit to visit North East India?
- Yes, and they are separate things. A visa admits you to India; a permit admits you to a particular state. Most visitors from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Europe apply for an e-Tourist Visa online at indianvisaonline.gov.in, in 30-day, one-year or five-year form. Applications open 120 days before travel.
- Can I fly into Guwahati on an e-Visa?
- Yes. Guwahati is one of India's designated e-Visa arrival airports, as are Kolkata and Bagdogra, so you do not have to clear immigration in Delhi and fly on domestically. There is no direct long-haul service, so you will connect somewhere - but the connection can be a domestic leg rather than a second immigration queue. You may leave India from any immigration check post.
- Do I need an Inner Line Permit for Meghalaya?
- No. Meghalaya requires no permit for Indian or foreign travellers - Shillong, Sohra, the living root bridges and Dawki are all open. Foreign nationals may be asked to register locally.
- Do I need a permit to visit Assam or Kaziranga?
- No. Assam requires no permit at all, for Indian or foreign travellers. Guwahati, Kaziranga, Majuli and Sivasagar are open to everyone.
- What is the difference between an Inner Line Permit and a Protected Area Permit?
- The Inner Line Permit (ILP) is for Indian nationals and is applied for online against the districts you intend to visit. The Protected Area Permit (PAP) is for foreign passport holders, is arranged in advance through the relevant authorities rather than bought on arrival, and for some areas is issued only to groups rather than individuals.
- Which North East states need a permit?
- Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur require a permit - an ILP for Indian nationals and a PAP for foreign nationals. Assam and Meghalaya require none.
- Do foreign nationals need a permit for Nagaland or Mizoram?
- Yes. The Protected Area Permit was reimposed for Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur in December 2024, after a period when foreign visitors did not need one. A great deal of advice still online predates that change and is now wrong.
- How long does an Arunachal Pradesh ILP take to come through?
- Usually a day or two. Around long weekends and festivals the queue lengthens and there is no way to expedite it, so leaving the application to the last week is a real risk.
- How much does an Inner Line Permit cost?
- The government fee is nominal - a few hundred rupees. It changes from time to time, so we quote it at actuals rather than publishing a figure that will go stale.
- Does an ILP cover Bumla Pass and Madhuri Lake?
- No. Bumla Pass and Sangestar (Madhuri) Lake need additional army clearance arranged in Tawang itself, on top of your ILP, and they are run by local union vehicles rather than your own car.
- What is the most common reason people are turned back at a checkpost?
- The route not matching the permit. An ILP is issued against the districts you named; arriving at a checkpost heading somewhere not on it means going back, however valid the permit looks. Name mismatches between the permit and your ID are the next most common.
Reviewed September 2026. Permit rules in the North East change with little notice - confirm close to travel, with us or with the issuing state.
What we handle
We do this every week.
Permits are the reason a lot of North East itineraries quietly become Meghalaya itineraries. Handled properly they are administration, not an obstacle.
- The right permit for your actual route, not a generic one
- Names and documents checked against IDs before submission
- Timed so it is in hand before you fly, not while you travel
- Army clearances for Bumla and Sangestar arranged in Tawang
- Police registration for foreign nationals where it applies
- Available as a standalone service, and to agents sending us clients
Tailored for you
Tell us your route and we will tell you what you need
Permit rules move, and the answer depends on where you are actually going and which passport you hold. Send us the outline and we will come back with exactly what is required - and arrange it if you want us to.