The Inner Line Permit is a document the Indian government requires for citizens travelling into Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram — a holdover from colonial-era restricted-area rules that still governs access to these three states today. It isn't a visa or a background check in any meaningful sense; in practice it's a straightforward paperwork step, but it has to happen before you arrive, not at the border.
For each traveller, you'll need a scanned government photo ID and a passport-style photograph. We ask for these roughly ten days before departure, which is enough buffer for processing without last-minute stress — leaving it any later risks the permit not being ready when your trip starts.
Foreign passport holders don't use the ILP at all — instead, they need a Protected Area Permit (PAP), a separate process that takes meaningfully longer to arrange and, depending on the state, may require advance notice to authorities or travel in an organised group. If you're planning an Arunachal or Nagaland trip on a foreign passport, this is worth raising with us as early in planning as possible.
One more permit worth knowing about if Tawang is on your route: Bumla Pass, on the Indo-China border near Tawang, requires its own separate permit issued locally, in addition to the ILP, and is open to Indian nationals only.
We handle ILP paperwork as a standard part of every package that touches these three states — it's built into the itinerary, not an extra step you manage yourself.
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