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Permit for foreign nationals

Ladakh: between the Inner Line and the border — Protected Area Permit

Permit for foreign nationals · India

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In short

For visitors: no permit — or permit required, depending on the area, purpose or group.

  • Boundary area — 43,799 km²
  • Approximate boundary: a strip at the average distance
  • Checked against the act on 21 October 2026

Who may enter, and with what

Rules by group of people, as the source states them, with dates. We give no assessments of our own.

  • Foreign nationals — permit required. Foreigners need a Protected Area Permit for the parts of Ladakh beyond the Inner Line (Pangong, Nubra, Khardung La, Tso Moriri and others), applied for via the Leh portal except for the listed nationalities.Issued by: Ministry of Home Affairs of India — for citizens of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Hong Kong; Ministry of External Affairs — for diplomatic and official passports; everyone else — the Leh portal · Fee: Environmental fee, Red Cross donation and wildlife fee; amounts are not given on the pageExceptions: Citizens of Bhutan (except persons of Afghan, Chinese and Pakistani origin) and those who lived in the zone for at least 5 years before 01.09.2025 — without a permit
    Original wording

    require protected area permit to visit protected/restricted areas

    Apply · Leh administration (lahdclehpermit.in) · checked 20 October 2026
  • Citizens of India — no permit. Indian citizens have not needed an Inner Line Permit in Ladakh since 2021.Daily Excelsior (report on the Ladakh administration's decision) · as of 6 August 2021 · checked 20 October 2026
  • Citizens of Afghanistan — permit required. Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and persons of that origin get the permit only with prior approval of the Government of India.Issued by: Only with prior approval of the Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs)
    Original wording

    except with the prior approval of the Central Government

    Apply · Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025 (Gazette of India, S.O. 3986(E)), para. 14 · as of 1 September 2025 · checked 20 October 2026
  • Citizens of Bhutan — no permit. Citizens of Bhutan do not need the permit.Exceptions: Except persons of Afghan, Chinese and Pakistani origin
    Original wording

    any person who is a citizen of Bhutan

    Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025 (Gazette of India, S.O. 3986(E)), para. 14 · as of 1 September 2025 · checked 20 October 2026
  • Citizens of China — permit required. Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and persons of that origin get the permit only with prior approval of the Government of India.Issued by: Only with prior approval of the Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs)
    Original wording

    except with the prior approval of the Central Government

    Apply · Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025 (Gazette of India, S.O. 3986(E)), para. 14 · as of 1 September 2025 · checked 20 October 2026
  • Citizens of Pakistan — permit required. Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and persons of that origin get the permit only with prior approval of the Government of India.Issued by: Only with prior approval of the Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs)
    Original wording

    except with the prior approval of the Central Government

    Apply · Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025 (Gazette of India, S.O. 3986(E)), para. 14 · as of 1 September 2025 · checked 20 October 2026

Legal basis

Open the text

Questions

Permits and restricted zones — FAQ

Do you need a permit: Ladakh: between the Inner Line and the border — Protected Area Permit?
For visitors: no permit — or permit required, depending on the area, purpose or group. Foreigners need a Protected Area Permit for the parts of Ladakh beyond the Inner Line (Pangong, Nubra, Khardung La, Tso Moriri and others), applied for via the Leh portal except for the listed nationalities.
Where do I get the permit?
Issued by: Ministry of Home Affairs of India — for citizens of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Hong Kong; Ministry of External Affairs — for diplomatic and official passports; everyone else — the Leh portal. The link to the official application page is in the rule above.
Will the planner see this zone on my route?
Yes: the zone has a boundary, and the trip plan will show a line if the route or an overnight stop falls inside.

Other zones: India

Andaman and Nicobar Islands — Restricted Area PermitArunachal Pradesh — Inner Line PermitArunachal Pradesh — Protected Area PermitHimachal Pradesh: Kinnaur and Spiti villages — Protected Area PermitJammu and Kashmir: between the Inner Line and the border — Protected Area PermitLakshadweep — entry permitManipur — Inner Line PermitManipur — Protected Area PermitMizoram — Inner Line PermitMizoram — Protected Area PermitNagaland — Inner Line PermitNagaland — Protected Area PermitRajasthan border tehsils — Protected Area PermitSikkim — Protected Area PermitTibetan settlements and monasteries in India — Restricted Area PermitUttarakhand: between the Inner Line and the border — Protected Area Permit
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Zone boundaries built from © OpenStreetMap contributors and national acts.