The Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order states that a Protected Area Permit (PAP) is required for non-Indians to visit certain areas in India. Certain requirements have to be fullfilled in order to get this permit. Indian citizens, who are not resident in these areas need a Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter these places. The Inner Line Permit is significantly easier to get.

Requirements

• Tourists have to travel in groups of at least 4
• They have to travel with a registered travel agent
• In some areas only certain entry/exit points are allowed. In certain areas non-indians cannot enter at all
• Citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar can get the PAP only with approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs

Normally the PAP has a duration of 10 days, with the option of extending for another 7 days. The PAP is issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, the different authorities of the concerned indian provinces can also issue the PAP, and also the indian missions abroad. Normally the travel agent will take care of getting the PAP for the tourists.

Areas for which a PAP is required

• Parts of Jammu and Kashmir
• Parts of Himachal Pradesh
• Parts of Uttar Pradesh
• All of Sikkim
• All of Arunachal Pradesh
• All of Nagaland
• All of Manipur
• All of Mizoram

Jammu and Kashmir   (IPA: , Kashmiri:ज्वम त॒ कॅशीर جۄم تٕہ کٔشِیر, Hindi:जम्मू और कश्मीर, Urdu:جموں Ùˆ کشمیر) (often abbreviated as Kashmir), is the northern-most state of India, lying mostly in the Himalayan mountains. ... Map of Himachal Himachal Pradesh   (Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश, IPA: ), formerly the Punjab Hill States, is a mostly mountainous state in northern India. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: ‎, translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ... Sikkim (also Sikhim) (DevanāgarÄ«: सिक्किम  ) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... Arunachal Pradesh   (Hindi: Aruṇācal PradeÅ›; Chinese: 藏南 Zangnan or South Tibet) is a state of India, but also claimed by China. ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the far northeastern part of India. ... Manipur (Hindi: मणिपुर) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... Mizoram (Hindi: िमज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ...

Areas for which the PAP Requirement was lifted

• Assam
• Meghalaya
• Tripura

Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a part of Guwahati. ... Meghalaya   is a small state in north-eastern India. ... Tripura   (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ...

Problems

At the moment only a touristic visit is a widely accepted purpose for a non-indian's visit to a protected area. However, there are also other legitimate reasons why a non-indian would want to visit these areas, for example if such a person is married to a native person of this area to visit his in-laws. For this purpose much more time than 10 days is required.

One of the intended purposes of this policy was to protect the culture of the native people living there from the influence of outsiders. However, since it is quite easy for indians to get a Inner Line Permit many indians from other regions of india are moving to these regions. It is doubtful whether a large number of permanently residing indians (from a significant different cultural background compared to the tribals) are having a lesser impact on the culture of the tribals than temporary visiting tourists.

External Links

• Himachal Pradesh Government Page on PAP
• Manipur Government Page on PAP
• Sikkim Government Page on PAP
• Assam Government page with relavant laws

This article is uncategorized. Please help improve this article by adding it to one or more categories, so it may be associated with related articles (how?). Please remove this tag after categorizing, but not before. This page has been tagged since March 2007. Image File history File links Information_icon. ...