Sikkim has some restricted regions that require permits to enter due to its proximity to international borders.
Photocopies of your passport, visa, and Inner Line Permit (ILP) are required for nearly all permissions. You also need to provide a passport-sized photo of yourself.
Special Permit Areas In Sikkim
High-Altitude Trekking Routes
After a guide is arranged, the trekking agent typically arranges these permits. Through brokers in Yuksom, the other permits are issued in Gangtok. Usually, these licenses are arranged in a single day.
Sikkim’s North
Foreigners require Restricted-Area Permits (RAP) in order to travel in North Sikkim past Singhik and up the Lachung and Lachen valleys. After that, access to the Yumthang and Tsopta valleys is permitted by these permissions. But Indian nationals also require a permit—just a basic police authorization. This permit is needed to go north of Singhik, although it can also go past Yumthang to Zero Point, farther up the Thangu Valley, and Gurudongmar Lake. The permits are only delivered the morning before departure, however they can be obtained in Gangtok. It also enforces the requirement for a guide.
Dzongu
This location requires a specific permit. It is normally coordinated through the homestay you reserved in advance. However, the home-stay owners charge hefty fees; the permission is free.
Tsomgo Lake
Your travel agent may arrange for the permission that is required to access the lake.
Restricted Area Permits Are Issued By
Ministry of Home Affairs – New Delhi
All Foreigners Registration Offices
All Indian Mission Abroad
Immigration Offices at Airports; Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi
Deputy Director, Siliguri Tourism Department
Assistant Director – Tourism Department, Sikkim House, New Delhi
Tourism Departments
Assistant Director – Tourism Department, Sikkim Tourism Office Kolkata
Assistant Director – Tourism Department, Melli
Assistant Director – Tourism Department, Rangpo, East Sikkim
Resident Commissioner, New Delhi
Deputy Commissioner, Darjeeling
Deputy Secretary/ Under Secretary, Home Department, Kolkata
Permits to the nationalities of Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Maymmar and Nigeria are not issued. Additionally, permits cannot be issued in New Delhi without the Ministry of Home Affairs’ prior clearance.
Also Read: Places to Visit in Sikkim
Sikkim’s Restricted Area Permits (RAP) For Different Districts
East District
Police Check Post issues Tsomgo and Baba Mandir licenses for domestic tourists.
Travelers from other countries are permitted up to Tsomgo Lake, and permits are obtained from Tourism and Civil Aviation at the department and police checkpoint.
For internal travelers, the Tourism Department and Police Check Post grant Nathula Pass permits.
West District
Permits for Dzongri Trek and Singalila Trek are issued by the Adventure Cell of the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation in Sikkim.
North District
For domestic tourists, the Police Check Post issues permits for Yumthang Valley, Yumesamdong, Thangu and Chopta Valley, as well as Gurudongmar Lake; for foreign visitors, the Tourism Department and Police Check Post give permits. Foreign nationals should apply via their tour operators.
The Ministry of Home Department in New Delhi must grant a legal permit before trekking on Green Lake; permits are issued by the Tourism Department.
South District
For any foreign visitor, the RAP is a proper permit to trek anywhere in South District.
HOW TO GET RAP’S?
For frequent travelers, using your authorized tour operator or travel agency is the quickest and easiest method of obtaining Restricted Area Permits. Completing a basic form is necessary to facilitate the process of obtaining your permission. The permits don’t break the bank and are inexpensive.
Because the application is submitted in the morning and the permits are often provided in the afternoon, this process only takes one day to complete.\
However, if you give your travel agent your paperwork ahead of time, they can prepare the permit before you arrive, saving you the one-day process. This method may work well for you if you’re pressed for time and don’t want to pay
Protected Area Permits For Senior Citizens and Children
When traveling with a baby, you must have the child’s birth certificate with you. This is due to the fact that the authorities responsible for providing permits typically verify the age on the certificate.
Children under the age of five do not need permits, hence the age verification is crucial. This is due to the lower oxygen levels in Sikkim’s high altitude zones, making it unsafe for elderly people and newborns to travel.
We are confident that after reading this, you will have a better understanding of how to get to Sikkim and how to plan ahead for permissions. All you need to do is let the travel agency know and unwind.
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