Special Indian visa for certain regions

Factual Questions
1

I am a US citizen looking to visit India, and I remember reading somewhere that certain regions of India require special permission beyond the standard Indian visa. Of course, now I can’t locate what I had read previously. Does anyone know if this is the case?

2

I would check with the Indian consulate to be sure. There are probably several restrictions, and may have changed since last time I was there, but this was how it was. Visiting the state of Sikkim (between Nepal and Bhutan) requires an additional stamp. You can get this in country, but you’ll likely have to wait a couple days. It’s easier to get this in advance. If you remain in Sikkim for longer than two weeks you have to renew this each time; maximum time is two months.

Some of the more dangerous areas - I imagine parts of the northeastern states (Mizoram, Minapur, etc.) and Jammu-Kashmir may have travel restrictions. It may not be possible to get a tourist visa to such areas, though if you’re not going close to the border I would guess some places are okay.

3

Thanks! All I needed was the right keywords: Protected Area Permit.

4

A list is here

I have visited Lake Tso Morriri and Nubra Valley in Ladakh and Andaman islands several years ago, obtaining the permits was very easy, agents sort it ou for you.

5

Remember that areas that require a Protected Area Permit usually only allows for 10 day visits (can be extended for another week or so). Areas that require a Restricted Area Permit (such as Sikkim and the Andaman Islands) usually allow a 30 day stay (IIRC - I haven’t visited any PAP or RAP-requiring areas for a few years, so things might have changed).

6

We are planning to visit India in a few years [3 or 4] and using a government licensed tourist company - we want to visit both the Taj and the Golden Temple, and we found a 10 day tour that started at the Taj and ended up at the Golden Temple with stays at 2 different wildlife preserves in between that looks perfect. [mrAru is an avid photographer, and I like relaxing and letting someone else deal with logistics]