Nagaland: Authorities notify mandatory Inner Line Permit to visit Dimapur

THe Dimapur governing body in Nagaland, in an prescribe dated May 27, has notified the functionary enforcement of internal run along Permit (ILP) within the district with immediate effect. The ILP system, under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, has been in force in the Naga Hills (present day Nagaland) since 1873. It requires anyone, both Indian and foreigner, who is not an indigenous inhabitant of Nagaland, to obtain a permit as prescribed by the state government to enter Nagaland for a limited period. Dimapur, a general constituency seat sharing borders with Assam and having mixed population from different states, was exempt from the purview of ILP till 2019. Besides Nagaland, the ILP regime is in force in Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. In the new notification, the deputy commissioner of Dimapur also announced a revised fee structure wherein a domestic tourist can obtain a 30-day permit for ₹200 and foreign tourists for ₹300. The fees and validity of other categories such as traders, labourers, students, teachers, priests and business partners range from ₹300 for fresh permit and ₹150- ₹3,000 for annual or quarterly renewal, depending on the category. The ILP can be applied online. The order listed key documents required for application of ILP, such as Aadhaar, educational certificates, business registration proofs, and in some cases, a local guarantor. Students and foreign tourists are exempted from providing local guarantors. It was also notified that ILP applications from residents of Assam’s border districts Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong would require National Register of Citizens (NRC) documents. Exemptions have been made based on the settlers’ dates of residence in Dimapur. Those who have settled in Dimapur before two cut-off dates – December 1, 1963, and November 21, 1979 – are exempted from ILP requirement and can obtain a permanent residential certificate (PRC) and domicile certificates after furnishing documents such as entry in electoral roll, land/property patta, etc. Naga civil society organisations and student bodies have been seeking the ILP regime in Dimapur for long, fearing the influx of illegal immigrants that could pose a threat to the indigenous communities. The state government constituted different panels to study the viability of bringing the cosmopolitan district under the ambit of BEFR, the last being in 2018, tasked to bring out a robust policy to safeguard the rights and security of the indigenous people. Following the report of the said panel, the state government in December 2019 notified to bring Dimapur district under ILP with the cut-off date basing on the government’s November 1979 notification, where the then Dimapur sub-division under Kohima district was declared as tribal belt. However, Dimapur being a transit route for inter-state travellers to and from neighbouring Manipur and Assam, challenges in strict implementation of the ILP regime persisted. In December 2021, Dimapur was bifurcated into three separate districts — existing Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland. In June 2023, the operation of ILP in (erstwhile) Dimapur district was suspended after a cabinet sub-committee was constituted to further study the modalities of ILP in the Dimapur valley. Since then, student bodies and civil society organisations have continued to pressurise the state government for ILP in the district. Meanwhile, following the Centre’s decision to reimpose the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in the northeastern states, including Nagaland, in December last year, the Dimapur commissioner of police announced the mandatory registration of foreign nationals visiting Nagaland. PAP is a system that requires foreign nationals to obtain a permit to visit certain areas in India, mainly in the northeast states. PAP was lifted from Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland in 2011 to promote tourism but was reimposed in December 2024 by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) citing security concerns. The Dimapur police commissioner, who is also the foreigners’ registration officer (FRO), informed that all foreign nationals intending to visit Nagaland would now be required to obtain PAP from the state/district FRO prior to their arrival. In an advisory, the FRO said besides the required registration, nationals of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan should obtain prior approval from the MHA before visiting Nagaland. Queries can be addressed to fro-nadpr@nic.in and 7085065056, the administration said.