How is everybody? I hope good and making travel plans for Ladakh. I visited prohibited areas of Ladakh in the year 2019. You can watch all my videos on my YouTube channel here. However, before you enter these areas you need to have an Inner Line Permit for Ladakh. This permit is also called the ILP for Ladakh in short. This permit covers remote areas of Ladakh. Pangong lake permit & Permit for Khardung la Pass are the same and these places are mentioned in the ILP.
I was first confused as there were a plethora of articles on getting the permits to Ladakh. However, none had accurate information. In fact, we got to know the reality when we got the permits ourselves.
So, without any delay let me guide you in getting this legal document which will take you to your favorite places in Ladakh.
As you would know if you are a keen reader we went to Ladakh from Manali. I wrote an article about the permit from Manali to Leh city.
Also, for the rest of the article, I would refer to this permit as ILP since we all know the full form which is the inner line permit for Ladakh.
A little history of permits in Ladakh
From early April 2017, the government of India made it mandatory to get a permit in order to visit the prohibited areas of Ladakh.
This is applicable to both domestic and foreign tourists. The terms and conditions of this permit differ for both domestic and foreign tourists. There are two most adorable places that everyone wants to go to when they visit Ladakh.
The first one is….. Pangong TSO. Let us see in this article how to get Pangong lake permit.
I know it’s everyone’s dream to visit this place once. This lake is a protected area however, you can still get the Pangong lake permit. Second is… Khardung La. We will take a look at how to get a permit for Khardung la Pass in this article.
Khardung La has the highest road in the world. It was my dream to ride to this place which turned into reality in the year 2019. Permit for Khardung la Pass is also covered under ILP.
What is the Inner line permit?
ILP is a document issued by the government of India that allows tourists to visit protected areas in the country. Not just Ladakh but other areas too. In this article, we will talk only about the ILP for Ladakh.
Obtaining ILP for Ladakh is mandatory for everyone who is not a resident of Jammu & Kashmir and intends to visit protected areas in Ladakh.
Let me show you the scanned copy of my permit.
Now some terms are different for Indians and foreigners. Let us have a look at these terms.
For Indians, the permit is valid for three weeks from the date of issue however, for foreigners, it’s one week. Most noteworthy, there is no limit on how many times you visit a place till the time you have got the required permits.
How much do I have to pay for ILP?
The authorities charge a total of INR 440 per person with the break up as given below. This is applicable to both Indians and foreign tourists.
| RED CROSS FUNDS | INR 100 |
| ENVIRONMENT FEE | INR 300 |
| WILDLIFE FEE | INR 40 |
| TOTAL | INR 440 |
Which areas need an Inner Line Permit for Ladakh?
The scanned copy that I showed has circuits. This means that places are clubbed together for the convenience of the tourists. Below are the places that require ILP.
- Khardong (Village)
- Khardung la (Pass)
- Nubra Valley
- Tso Moriri
- Dah
- Hanu Villages
- Digger La
- Tangyar (Trekking Only)
- Khalsar
- Trith upto Warsi & Yarma Gonbo
- Disket
- Hunder
- Turtuk
- Pachathang
- Tyakshi in Nubra sub-division
- Kharu
- Changla
- Durbuk
- Tangse
- Lukhung
- Spangmik
- Man-Merag (Pangong lake in Nyoma sub-division)
- Leh
- Pangong up to Chushul and Loma bend
How do I apply for the permit?
Applying for Inner Line Permit for Ladakh is very easy. You need to get to their online portal which is http://lahdclehpermit.in/ and fill out your details.
The online process can get a little confusing for a lot of folks so let me show you the steps you need to follow on the portal.
Online Procedure for Inner Line Permit for Ladakh.
- Go to http://lahdclehpermit.in/ and when the page loads up click on the half circle that says “Issue”.
- Next, you need to specify if you are a domestic or foreign tourist, so in our case, we will continue with domestic.
- Now once you click domestic it will take you to a page where you need to fill in your complete details. This page is elaborate and you will spend quite a time filling this.
- Click next and then fill out your name, year of travel, your state, and your gender.
- Once you fill-up the above details you will see a drop-down with different identity proofs listed.
- Select the ID and then fill in the information from your ID proof. ID’s accepted are Aadhar Card, Driving License, Passport, or Voter ID number.
- Now mention your complete address.
- Under the section “Issue permit” select “directly”
- Now you need to mention your date of arrival in the pop-up calendar when you click on “Date of arrival”
- The information filling part is over now. You need to make sure that the information is correct as post this step you won’t be able to correct anything.
We’re halfway done folks!
- If the information is correct click on submit. If there is no error you will get a pop up saying that you have been successfully registered.
- Now on the page that opens up, you need to decide the circuit for which you want the permit.
- At the bottom again select your date of arrival and date of departure from Ladakh.
- Finally, click the “apply” button to complete the process.
- Once clicked you should get a pop up saying that the circuit has been assigned successfully.
- A new pop up comes which says “inserted successfully”, click OK.
- Now you will come to a page where all your details will be mentioned. Details like your name, state, ID, and fee structure.
- You need to take a print out of it and get a few copies.
How do I pay the permit fee?
Unfortunately, there is no option of paying the fees online at this point in time. You need to take the print out of the form along with a copy of it and get it stamped and signed from the office in Leh city market.
The address is given below.
TIC Office, Opposite J&K Bank Main Market, Leh City
Directions below:
There you go, your permit is ready and now you can visit any place which is mentioned in the document.
Key instructions from the administration for Inner Line Permit for Ladakh.
There are a few things that are specified by the administration to ensure that there is no confusion while applying for the permits. Check these points below.
- Children below the age of 12 and the resident of Jammu % Kashmir are exempted from the permit, they don’t need one.
- The applicants are expected to keep enough copies of the permit as they need to submit a copy at each checkpoint where ever they are going.
- Always follow the instructions of the defense personnel and the police.
- Follow the health advisory as instructed by the Leh Administration.
So, my fellow travelers, this was all about Permit for Khardung la Pass, Pangong lake permit, or the ILP for Ladakh as we all now know it.
In case you have any questions related to the permit please drop a comment below and I would answer you back. Happy traveling folks!
Before you go check out this video I made about permits for new travelers going to Ladakh.
