For foreign visitors, the permit is only half the answer

Foreign visitors have two separate questions to settle: whether the permit can be issued and whether the exact island and package are open to them. The official pages answer the first more clearly than the second.

ePermit, fee, Administration and SPORTS pages checked on 17 September 2026.

What the official sources establish

The ePermit portal¹ says every person who is not a native of the islands must obtain a permit, apart from the exemptions stated there. A foreign tourist is not exempt.

The same portal says foreign tourists need a valid passport and visa for visiting India. The Administration’s tourist packages page³ is more specific: it says foreign nationals will be permitted only with a tourist visa.

If the Indian visa is in another category, do not assume it satisfies that condition. Ask the Administration for a written answer before paying for a trip that depends on the permit.

The portal also says Tourist category applications no longer require a Police Clearance Certificate upload or local sponsorship. The main entry-permit guide explains the shared online process and published fee components.

Where the application is made

The ePermit portal is the public surface for submitting, tracking and receiving the permit. The pages reviewed do not provide a separate foreign-national application portal.

Use the current signed-in prompts. The public page names a valid passport and visa, but it does not publish a complete foreign-tourist document checklist.

The published fee components

The official fee page² lists:

• ₹50 application fee for each applicant;
• ₹100 heritage fee for applicants aged 12 to 18;
• ₹200 heritage fee for applicants above 18.

The page publishes no separate higher permit fee for foreign nationals. It also does not state a heritage-fee amount for applicants below 12. Check the amount generated for each applicant before payment.

The island-list conflict

The Administration’s Places of Interest page⁴ says foreign visitors may visit only Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat, even after obtaining a permit. This is the clearest island-specific foreign-visitor statement on the official pages reviewed.

A separate Tourist Packages page describes packages involving Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Minicoy, Kadmat, Thinnakara and Bangaram. It repeats the tourist-visa condition, but it does not explicitly say that a foreign national may book every package or visit every island named in those descriptions.

The Kadmat page⁵ separately says non-Indians may visit Kadmat. That supports Kadmat being on the narrower list.

Use Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat as the published foreign-visitor list unless the Administration confirms another island in writing for the exact itinerary.

A package description is not live availability

The SPORTS portal⁶ currently says the Samudram package will not be available until further directions because of ship maintenance and incomplete dry-docking. The notice is dated 18 August 2026 and was still displayed when checked on 17 September 2026.

This shows why package descriptions, foreign eligibility and current operation must be checked separately.

What the public sources leave unstated

The pages reviewed do not publish:

• a standard processing time;
• a complete document checklist beyond the stated passport and visa requirement;
• a reconciliation of the three-island list with broader package descriptions;
• a nationality-specific additional-clearance rule;
• a universal permit duration for tourists;
• an airline, airport or island checkpoint procedure.

Do not fill those gaps with an agent’s timeline or an old article’s list.

Before paying

1. Confirm that the Indian visa is a tourist visa.
2. Apply through the official ePermit portal under the Tourist category.
3. Ask for written confirmation if the itinerary goes beyond Agatti, Bangaram or Kadmat.
4. Check that the named package or stay is actually operating.
5. Match the issued permit with every island and date in the booking.
6. Carry the plan into the travel checklist.