North Sikkim permits explained for Indians and foreigners

This table summarises the usual requirements. Foreign nationals always need the Sikkim Restricted Area Permit first, wherever they go in the state.

Indian citizens apply for the North Sikkim Protected Area Permit only through a registered Sikkim tour operator. You cannot apply yourself. The operator collects a copy of a government photo ID for each traveller, such as an Aadhaar card, passport, voter ID or driving licence, plus two passport-size photographs, and files the application with the authorities in Gangtok. Children need ID too; a school ID or birth certificate is usually accepted.

Allow at least one full day. Most operators ask for documents a few days ahead by WhatsApp or email and collect the permit on the morning you leave Gangtok, which is why North Sikkim departures usually leave at 10–11 am. Same-day permits are not issued. Permit processing costs roughly ₹200–300 per person through the operator, indicative 2026, and is normally built into the package price.

Carry the original ID you submitted. Police and army checkposts on the way, including those near Mangan, Chungthang, Lachen and Thangu, can match your face to the permit. Your driver holds the permit itself and shows it at each stop.

Every foreign national entering Sikkim needs a Restricted Area Permit. It is issued at the Rangpo checkpost on the main road from Siliguri, through the state's online system, and through some Indian missions abroad, with your passport and Indian visa. It is valid for a limited period, which can be extended in Gangtok. Keep several photocopies of your passport and visa.

For North Sikkim you then need a further permit, filed by an approved Sikkim operator, and you must usually travel in a group of at least two. That group can be your own party of two in a private car. Foreign nationals can usually visit Lachung and Yumthang and go up the Lachen valley as far as Thangu. Gurudongmar Lake is not open to foreign nationals, and mixed groups follow the foreign rule, so the whole car turns at Thangu or splits for the day. Zero Point rules for foreigners have changed several times. Check current status before you travel.

Dzongu, the Lepcha reserve across the Teesta from Mangan, has its own entry permit, separate from the Lachung and Lachen permit. Every visitor who is not a Lepcha from Dzongu needs it. In practice your homestay arranges it with the district authorities from scanned ID and photographs. Send them at least a week before you arrive, because there is no permit counter at the Dzongu check-post. A nominal fee may apply.

Foreign nationals have been able to visit Dzongu in some years and not others, sometimes only in groups through an operator. If you are not Indian, ask the homestay to confirm the current position in writing before you book anything else.

Under the order in force in September 2026, vehicles must cross the Toong checkpost, between Mangan and Chungthang, by 4 pm in both directions. That is why Gangtok departures leave by late morning and why return days start early. Night driving beyond the checkposts is not allowed. If you arrive late, you may have to sleep in Mangan or Singhik.

At each checkpost your driver shows the permit and the police or army may count heads or check IDs. Follow instructions, do not photograph army posts or bridges, and keep your ID within reach. Above Thangu and on the Yumthang road, soldiers may also tell you where you can stand and for how long.

Most permit problems are small and avoidable. The most common is simply leaving it late: travellers land at Bagdogra in the morning, reach Gangtok in the afternoon and expect to drive north the next day without having sent any documents. In peak weeks that usually means losing a day. Send scans and photographs as soon as you book, and confirm by message that the operator has them.

The second is a mismatch between the ID you sent and the one you carry. If you sent a passport copy, carry the passport; if you sent an Aadhaar card, carry that. Names should match your tickets and hotel bookings, including spelling. The third is mixed groups: a foreign friend or spouse in the car changes the rules for everyone, so tell your operator early and plan for Thangu rather than Gurudongmar.

The last is trusting a promise that sounds too easy. No one can guarantee a same-day permit, a Gurudongmar visit for a foreign national or a road the authorities have closed. An honest operator tells you what is possible this week and what is not.

Permits are not issued when the roads are unsafe. Since the October 2023 South Lhonak flood, that has happened often. Lachen stayed closed to tourists for most of the next three years and reopened in 2026. Landslides in 2024 and 2025 closed Lachung for months. In 2025 permits for Lachung, Yumthang and Zero Point resumed on 8 September, and in 2026 permits for Lachen resumed around 10–11 September.

Monsoon, from June to August, is the usual time for suspensions, but heavy snow can stop permits in winter too, especially for Lachen and Gurudongmar. A suspension can be announced the evening before you travel. Book refundable flights and hotels, keep a spare day in Gangtok and check current status before you travel.

• Send ID copies and two photographs per person to your operator at least three days ahead.
• Foreign nationals: get the Restricted Area Permit at Rangpo or online before anything else.
• Book Dzongu permits through your homestay a week ahead.
• Carry original ID and several photocopies on the trip.
• Plan to leave Gangtok by late morning and to cross Toong by 4 pm.