Inner Line Permit

An Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a travel document officially issued by the concerned state government permitting inward travel of an Indian citizen in a protected territory.

The Inner Line Permit was in the news recently when, in December 2020, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the ILP was an “important step taken by the Central Government towards the betterment of the state of Manipur”.

An Inner Line Permit is a travel document that allows an Indian citizen to visit a state that is protected under the Government. Indians must obtain a permit for entering into the protected or restricted areas within the country. Inner Line Permit is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, by the respective state governments.

Overview of the Inner Line Permit

The Inner Line Permit was implemented as part of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873. It was enacted to protect the commercial interests of the British Empire by preventing its subjects (at the time, Indians) from trading in these regions.

Upon independence, the ‘British Citizens’ was replaced with ‘Indian Citizens’. The ILP was applicable earlier to 3 northeastern states: Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

On December 11th 2020, Manipur became the fourth northeastern state after an order to include the Inner Line Permit was signed by President Ram Nath Kovind.

An Inner Line Permit was first required in some parts of the Leh District in Ladakh. It was abolished on 1 May 2014, but foreign nationals were required to get a Protected Area Permit. Yet, in 2017 it was implemented once more in 2017. Legislators and the general public in Meghalaya, Assam and Andaman and Nicobar islands also have demands for the implementation of the ILP in their respective states.

States Which Require Inner Line Permit

The Inner Line Permit is applicable for the following three Northeastern states. Residents of these states can visit the respective states without the IPL.

Arunachal Pradesh
Mizoram
Nagaland

Inner Line Permit System in Arunachal Pradesh

Inner Line Permit is issued by the secretary (political) of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The ILP is mandatory for entering Arunachal Pradesh through any of the check gates across the interstate border with Assam or Nagaland.

Validity of ILP

An ILP for temporary visitors is valid for 7 days and can be extended.
ILP for employment in the state and their immediate family members is valid for a year.

Type of ILP

Following two types of Inner Line Permit is issued in Arunachal Pradesh:

Single Permit
Group Permit

Documents Required

Any of the following identity documents is necessary for applying for Inner Line Permit in Arunachal Pradesh.

Pan Card
Aadhaar Card
Driving License
Passport
Voter Id
Passport Size Photo

Application Fee

The applicant needs to pay Rs.100 application fee for applying for the Inner Line Permit in Arunachal Pradesh.

Application Procedure

The applicant needs to access the official webpage of Arunachal Pradesh Inner Line Permit.
By clicking on the eILP option, the application form will be displayed.
Provide relevant information and mail ID. The email ID will be verified before further processing of the ILP application. The login information will be sent to the registered email ID.
Upload the documents, on submission of the application; it will be processed by the concerned authority.
The status can be monitored using the Check Status option.
On approval of the application, the Payment link will be activated and the applicant needs to make an online payment for approval and issuance of Inner Line Permit.
After payment and on Approval the “Print” link will be activated for the printing of the permit, which can be viewed after login.

Inner Line Permit System in Mizoram

Inner Line Permit in Mizoram can be obtained from Liaison Officer, Government of Mizoram from the following cities:

Kolkata
Silchar
Shillong
Guwahati

Type of ILP

Following two types of Inner Line Permit is issued in Mizoram

Temporary ILP
Regular ILP

Validity of ILP

The temporary ILP is valid for 15 days and can be extended.
The regular ILP is valid for 6 months and it can be renewed twice for another 6 months. However, sponsorship from a resident or a Government Department is required.

Documents Required

Following documents are necessary for obtaining Inner Line Permit in Mizoram.

Passport size photo
Driving License
Voter ID
Department ID

Note: For tourists originating from Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts of Assam State should submit Electoral Roll details due to porous international boundary with Bangladesh.

Application Fee

The application fee for getting ILP in Mizoram is tabulated here:

Sl.No	Type of Fee	Fee Structure
1	Application Form	Rs.20
2	Processing Fee	Rs.100
3	Renewal Fee	Rs.20

Application Procedure

To get the Inner Line Permit in Mizoram, the applicant needs to submit an application form to the Resident Commissioner along with the documents.

On verification of document and application, the commissioner will issue ILP for entering into the state.

Renewal of ILP

Renewal for both Temporary and Regular ILP can be renewed by submitting an application form at District Commissioner’s Office located at Treasury Square, Aizawl.

ILP for Foreigners

All foreigners have to register at the office of Superintendent of Police (CID/SB) Mizoram who is the designated Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) of the State within 24 hours of arrival.
Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and foreign nationals having their origin in India would continue to require prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs before entering the state.

Inner Line Permit System in Nagaland

The Deputy Commissioner, Government of Nagaland is issuing ILP in Nagaland. Inner Line Permit can be filled Online as well as Offline. The procedure to obtain Inner Line Permit in Nagaland is explained in step by step procedure.

The applicant must be a registered user of the official website of Government of Nagaland to get the Inner Line Permit.
Access the official website of Nagaland Government and click on How to apply option from home page.
In the case of a new user, click on the New User link, it will redirect to the new page.
Provide essential details and security question. Enter the captcha and click on submit. With this registered username and password, the applicant can proceed with the application.

After registration, the applicant can log in to the on the portal using the ‘Registered User’. The login page appears. Provide the username and password. The page will be redirected to the application page.
You will be required to click on the “Submit Online” button for filing the e- form Online or “Submit Offline” button for filling the form Offline.

Offline e-form

In offline mode, the applicant can save the information and fetch the data whenever required and the applicant can assign a security key to secure the details entered.
To fill out the ILP form in Offline mode, a zip file can be downloaded to the computer on clicking the Submit Offline button.
Unzip the zipped file, and then provide required details in the ILP.
Note: Double-clicking on form.html file, an application form can be opened.
Offline forms can be submitted only when the applicant comes online, and the internet is accessible. After checking the details, the applicant has to visit the official website and log in to the portal to submit the ILP form.

Online e-form

Online ILP form allows the applicant to fill the form online at once and submit it after validating it.
By clicking on submitting the online option, the applicant can provide details for e-form. Select the district where the application form to be processed.

Note: As concerned Authority issues ILP in the District jurisdiction, the applicant is required to choose the correct District in the field.

Upload all required documents for ILP.

Transaction ID Generation

After providing details and uploading documents in, a transaction id will be generated. This can be used for future references.

Any further communication with Department Authorities regarding the ILP requires the transaction ID.

Applicability of the Inner Line Permit

The details of to whom the Inner Line Permit is applicable is given in the below:

Manipur: ILP is valid for domestic tourists. No permit is required for foreign tourists but they have to register themselves with the Superintendent of Police (CID/SB).
Mizoram: ILP needed for domestic tourists, but foreign tourists have to register themselves with the Superintendent of Police (CID/SB).
Nagaland: ILP needed for domestic tourists, but foreign tourists have to register themselves at the nearest police station.
Arunachal Pradesh: Tourists need a Protected Area Permit (PAP) or Restricted Area Permit (RAP) from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Importance of Inner Line Permit

The Inner Line Permit is important due to the following reasons:

Indigenous culture and tradition can be better preserved
Illegal migrants and encroachment is checked due to the presence of an ILP
The ILP is an important safeguard to safeguard the delicate demographic balance of the tribals in the Northeast region.

FAQs

Are states with Inner Line Permit in place exempted from the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019?

Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram were exempted from the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 due to the ILP in place.

How is a Protected Area Permit different from an Inner Line Permit?

The Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958 stipulates that a Protected Area Permit (PAP) is required for foreigners to visit certain areas of Northeast India. Indian citizens who are not residents of these areas need an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter these places.

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