Before you go
Inner line permits
Inner line permits are required for Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri and other protected areas of Ladakh, for Arunachal Pradesh, and for foreign nationals on parts of the Spiti circuit. They are arranged locally or online before entering, and are checked at multiple points on the road.
- Ladakh
- Required for Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri
- Arunachal
- Required for all visitors
- Spiti
- Foreign nationals, Rekong Peo to Sumdo
- Carry
- Multiple photocopies
How they are obtained
Ladakh permits are issued in Leh, online or through a tour operator, usually the day before travel. Arunachal permits take longer and should be started well ahead. Rules and fees change between seasons, so anything you read — including this page — should be confirmed against the current position.
Why photocopies matter
Checkpoints keep a copy rather than glancing at yours. Four or five copies per person for a Ladakh circuit is normal, and running out at Khardung La is a genuinely common way to lose an hour.
Questions people ask
Do Indian citizens need a permit for Ladakh?
Yes, for the protected areas — Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri and similar. Leh town and the Indus valley monasteries do not require one.
Who arranges the permits on a tour?
The operator normally does, but you should carry your own photocopies and ID, since checkpoints retain a copy at each stop.
Read next
- Leh travel guideLeh sits at about 3,500 metres and is the base for all of Ladakh. Two full days of rest on arrival are not optional if you fly in, because everything else in the region is higher. Most itineraries run seven to nine days from Leh, taking in Nubra, Pangong and the Indus valley monasteries.
- Nubra Valley travel guideNubra is reached from Leh over Khardung La at about 5,300 metres and sits lower than Leh, around 3,050 metres, which makes it a comfortable night. Hunder has cold desert dunes and double-humped camels; Diskit has the monastery and the standing Maitreya. Two days is standard.
- Spiti Valley travel guideSpiti is a high cold desert between 3,000 and 4,500 metres, reached either from Shimla through Kinnaur or from Manali over Kunzum La. The Manali road is open roughly June to October; the Kinnaur road stays open most of the year. Eight to ten days does the full circuit properly.
- Ladakh bike trip guideLadakh bike trips run from late May to September, when Baralacha La and Tanglang La on the Manali road and Zoji La on the Srinagar road are clear. A standard circuit is eleven to fourteen days from Manali, with a backup vehicle carrying luggage, fuel and spares.
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