Spiti Valley permits: who needs what

If you’re an Indian citizen, you don’t need a permit to visit Spiti Valley; just carry a photo ID and register your vehicle on the state’s e-Aagman portal. If you’re a foreign national, you need a Protected Area Permit for the border stretch between Kinnaur and Spiti. It’s quick and cheap, but you have to apply in person, so plan half a day for it.

We sort out the permit for every foreign guest who travels with us, and we’ve stood in those queues more times than we can count. Here’s what you actually need.

Spiti permits at a glance

Who	What you need	Where
Indian citizens	No permit, just photo ID	–
Foreign nationals	Protected Area Permit	Reckong Peo, Pooh, Kaza or Shimla, in person
Every vehicle into Lahaul & Spiti	e‑Aagman e‑pass	Online, eaagman.hp.gov.in
Anyone driving up Rohtang Pass	Rohtang permit	Online, rohtangpermits.hp.gov.in
Visitors to Chandratal	Sanctuary entry fee	At the forest check post

Indian citizens: no permit, but a few formalities

Indians don’t need an Inner Line Permit for Spiti or Kinnaur, whatever some old blogs still say. Carry an Aadhaar card, driving licence or passport, because police check posts at Sumdo (on the Kinnaur side) and Losar (on the Manali side) note down who’s coming in.

What you do need is for your vehicle:

• An e-Aagman e-pass for any vehicle entering Lahaul and Spiti district. You register online on the Himachal government’s portal before you set off; it takes a few minutes and you show the QR code at the check post.
• A state entry tax if your car isn’t registered in Himachal, paid at the border barrier when you enter the state. Motorcycles are exempt.
• A Rohtang permit, only if you want to drive up to Rohtang Pass itself. You don’t need it to reach Spiti through the Atal Tunnel.

Foreign nationals: the Protected Area Permit

Spiti and upper Kinnaur run along the border with Tibet, so part of the road is a protected area. Foreign passport holders need a permit to enter it. People call it an Inner Line Permit or ILP, but legally it’s a Protected Area Permit (PAP). Same thing at the counter.

Where does it apply?

The protected stretch starts in the Pooh block of Kinnaur, past Jangi, and covers places like Nako, Khab and Sumdo. It continues into Spiti through Tabo and Dhankar to Kaza. Kalpa, Sangla and Chitkul in lower Kinnaur are outside it, so you can visit them without a permit.

If you’re doing the usual circuit from Shimla, you’ll be checked at Sumdo, where the road enters Spiti.

Where do you get it?

You apply in person at a government office. The usual ones:

• SDM office, Reckong Peo (Kalpa sub-division), in Kinnaur. Most people heading up from Shimla get it here.
• SDM office, Pooh, further up the same road.
• SDM office, Kaza, if you’ve come in from Manali and want to continue down the valley to Dhankar, Tabo and Nako.
• DC office, Shimla, if you’d rather sort it before leaving the city.

Offices keep government hours and close on Sundays and public holidays. Arrive in the morning; a permit usually takes two to four hours.

What to bring

• Your passport, plus two or three photocopies of the photo page and your Indian visa
• Two passport-size photos
• A rough itinerary: where you’re going and roughly when
• Cash for the fee and for photocopies

The Kinnaur district lists the fee as ₹200 per person at its e-Governance centre, with agency charges on top if you use one. It’s a small amount, but fees have changed before, so check when you arrive.

Make a few extra copies of the finished permit too. Some check posts keep one.

Can you get it on your own?

This is the question we get most. The written rule says permits are for groups of foreigners travelling with a recognised Indian travel agency (the Kinnaur page says two or more people; the Lahaul and Spiti page, four or more). In practice, the offices in Reckong Peo and Kaza have often issued permits to couples and even solo travellers. It’s up to the officer on the day.

If you’re travelling alone, the safest plan is to go through a registered agency, which can put you on a group permit. If you travel with us, we do this for you as part of the booking.

e-Aagman: the vehicle pass everyone forgets

e-Aagman is the Himachal government’s online system for vehicles entering Lahaul and Spiti district. The portal lists three kinds of document:

• an E-Pass for vehicles entering Lahaul and Spiti
• an E-Permit for the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, Koksar and Chandratal circuit
• an E-Ticket for other places

If you’re coming over Kunzum from Manali, you’ll pass through the Atal Tunnel and Lahaul, so register before you leave Manali. It’s quickest to do it the night before on your phone. Any charge shows up when you apply. If you’re in one of our cars, our driver handles it.

Rohtang and Chandratal

Rohtang Pass has its own permit, which you book online for a particular day. There’s a daily limit on vehicles, so in summer it can sell out. You only need it to drive up to the pass itself, not to go to Spiti.

Chandratal sits inside a wildlife sanctuary. The forest department charges an entry fee per person and per vehicle at the check post, and camping is only allowed at authorised sites away from the lakeshore. The road is open roughly from late May to early October; our Chandratal guide explains when to go.

Shimla side or Manali side: what gets checked where

• Coming from Shimla through Kinnaur: foreigners get the permit at Reckong Peo or Pooh, then show it at Sumdo. Indians just show ID at Sumdo.
• Coming from Manali over Kunzum: register on e-Aagman before you leave, show ID at Losar, and foreigners apply for the permit at Kaza before heading down the valley.

Mistakes that cost people a day

• Arriving at Reckong Peo on a Sunday or a holiday. The office is shut, and you’ll wait a day.
• Forgetting photocopies. There’s usually a shop nearby, but power cuts happen.
• Trusting an old blog. Rules and fees here change every couple of years. Check the district website, or ask us a week before you go.
• Leaving the permit in your bag in the boot. Keep it, and your passport, where you can reach them at a check post.
• Assuming the Manali side is permit-free for foreigners. It isn’t: Kaza, Dhankar and Tabo are all on the protected list.

The short version

Indians: carry ID and register your vehicle on e-Aagman. Foreigners: get a Protected Area Permit in person at Reckong Peo, Pooh, Kaza or Shimla, keep copies, and allow half a day. Either way, check the rules a week before you leave.

If you’d rather not deal with any of it, our Spiti circuit from Shimla to Manali includes the paperwork. The Spiti Valley guide has routes and seasons, and if you’re coming in winter, read Spiti in winter: is it worth it? first.