Emigration check not required (ECNR) stamp is not required, if one is not travelling for employment purposes.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (Emigration Policy Division) have allowed ECR passport holders travelling abroad for purposes others than employment to leave the country on production of valid passport, valid visa and return ticket at the immigration counters at international airports in India w.e.f. 1st October 2007.
ECNR is only required if you are travelling to any of the below 17 countries for employment:
United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq.
For all passports issued before January 2007, a blank second page in the passport means your passport is endorsed with ECR and you need to get emigration clearance if you are travelling to any of the above 18 countries for employment.
For all passports issued after January 2007, a “Blank” page 2 on your passport is deemed to have been ECNR endorsed. If you don’t fit into ECNR eligibility criteria, and Emigration Check is Required, there will be an endorsement in the passport regarding ECR.
Emigration clearance required (ECR)
Eligibility for ECNR status:
The following applicants are eligible for Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR) status:
- Gazetted Government servants, their spouses and dependent children
- Holders of Diplomatic/official Passports
- Persons having educational qualifications of matriculation and above
- Persons above the age of 50 years
- Children up to the age of 18 years. (For re-issue of passport, after they attain the age of 18 years, documents to proof their non-ECR category has to be submitted, else ECR stamping will be done)
- Income-Tax payers (including Agricultural Income-Tax payees) in their individual capacity, their spouses and dependent children below the age 18 years.
- Persons possessing two years diploma from any institute recognized by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) or State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT), or persons holding three years diploma/equivalent degree from institutions, such as Polytechnics recognized by the Central/State Governments of India
- Nurses possessing qualifications recognized under the Indian Nursing Council Act. 1947
- All professional Degree holders , their spouses and dependent children. Examples of professional degree holders are Doctors holding MBBS degree or equivalent degree in AYURVED or HOMEOPATHY, accredited Journalists, Engineers, Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants, Lecturers, Teachers, Scientists, Advocates, etc
- All persons who have been staying abroad for more than three years (the period of three years could be either in one stretch or broken) and their spouses
- Seamen who are in possession of Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC), or Sea Cadets and Deck Cadets
a. who have passed the final examination of three years B.Sc. Nautical Sciences courses at T.S. Chanakya, Mumbai and b. who have undergone three months pre-sea training at any of the Government approved training institutes, such as T.S. Chanakya, T.S. Rehman, T.S. Jawahar, MTI (SCI) and NIPM, CHENNAI, after production of identity cards issued by the Shipping Master at Mumbai/Kolkata/Chennai - Persons holding Permanent Immigration Visa, such as the visas of UK, USA and Australia.
How to apply for ECNR stamping
If and only if you are travelling to any of the below countries for employment, you need to get ECNR stamp, if you does not have already:
United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq.
You have either to get the entire ECR stamp deleted, or if your are not eligible (categories listed above), you may get a temporary Emigration Suspension before leaving India. If the applicant does not have Non-ECR status then All such ECR passport holders need to obtain Emigration Clearance Certificate from the Protector-General of Emigrants, Ministry of Overseas India Affairs.
Documents required for ECNR (non-ECR) status:
All eligibility documents list can be seen here: Non-ECR documents list
Protector of Emigrants (PoE) offices for Emigration clearance:
The POE offices in India are situated at the following places:
- Protector of Emigrant office New Delhi
Jaisalmar House, Canteen Block, Man Singh Road,
New Delhi
Tel No. 011-2338 2472 - Protector of Emigrant office Mumbai
Building “E” Khira Nagar, S.V. Road, Santacruz (West),
Mumbai-400 054
Tel No. 022-2614 7393 - Protector of Emigrant office Kolkata
Room No. 116 A Wing, 3rd MSO Building, DF Block,
Salt Lake, Kolkata-700 064
Tel No. 033-2334 3407 - Protector of Emigrant office Chennai
Tamil Nadu Housing Board Complex, Ashok Nagar,
Chennai-600 083
Tel No. 044-2489 1337 - Protector of Emigrant office Hyderabad
8th Floor, Chandra Vihar Complex, Opp. Exhibition Ground,
M.J. Road, Hyderabad. - Protector of Emigrant office Trivandrum
Suganth, 24/846 (I), Thycaud,
Trivandrum-695 014
Tel No. 0471-2324835 - Protector of Emigrant office Chandigarh
Kendriya Sadan, 5th Block, Ground Floor,
Sector-9-A, Chandigarh
Tel No. 0172-2741790 - Protector of Emigrant office Cochin
3RD Floor Putherickal Building, Market Road, Ernakulam.
Kerala – 682035
Tel. No. 0484-2360187 - Protector of Emigrant office Jaipur
Hall No.3, RIICO CFC Building, Sitapura Industrial Area, Sitapura,
Jaipur-302022
Documents required for emigration clearance at PoE office:
- Passport (valid at least for six months)
- Valid Employment Visa
- Contract Duly Signed by Foreign Employer
- Valid Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Policy 2006
- Affidavit from Candidate Declaring Genuineness of Documents
thanku very much.
So that means if i go to india to visit my family and come back again to dubai with my stamped visa the immigration will have no issues.
@Rahul
If your passport has ECR status, you may be stopped while coming back from India.
I want to know ban in uae after finished my 2 year contract with company
sir, please help me i want to make a passport of my wife and but she has no educational qualification documents. but i am want to make her passport with non ecr category. please tell me methods how to make non ecr passport without 10th pass document. she is under 50age . i am income tax payer, will my income tax recipts help her.. please tell urgent
@Mukul
You can submit your proofs for getting ECNR status for her.
Please check eligible documents here: http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/onlineHtml/NonEcrDocuments.html
Dear S
Ple advice My wife passport second page Emigration check required. alread. becous she is no education
Now we visit my family in Saudi Arabia any documents need for stamping.
@Babu
She won’t need ECNR stamp as she is not going for employment.
Thanks Mr Pankaj
i have done my graduation n recently got my passport
how do i know whether my passport is under Ecr or ecnr
as i want to go to uae for employment
@Sadiq
If your passport has ECR stamp, its with ECR status.
Otherwise (if there is no stamp), its with ECNR status.
well it doesnt have any ecr stamps but still can u send an image of ecr stamp
@Sadiq
Image is shown on this article page: http://www.pankajbatra.com/travel/emigration-clearance-not-required-from-oct-1/
Dear Sir,
I would like to bring my wife to Dubai and got visa, in her Visa clearly mentioned as House wife but in her passport mentioned as Immigration required.
Shall i bring my wife to dubai without immigration clearance.
Thanks for your reply
PullaReddy
@PullaReddy
She won’t need ECNR or emigration clearance as she is not traveling on employment visa.
Dear sir,
I would like to work in UK! I’m an indian citizen residing at tamilnadu. My passport is in ECNR status. Please guide me what are the formalities to be done. Do i have to register my certificates? Or can i apply directly for visa and move on? Thank you!!
@Satish
There is no requirement of emigration clearance for UK, so you don’t need to do anything with respect to that.
Sir.from 2008 to 2012 I work in qatar.at work visa.and now I want to go back qatar.I get offer from my company.but yesterday call me from my company.they told me company can not send visa.because I am in blacklist.how I am in blacklist I don’t know.and why.how I know this please help me
@Surender
We don’t have much idea about this. You can consult a good visa agent.
I want to apply for deletion of ecr stamp as I hv a degree. Please let me know what is the procedure. Kindly help me.
@Ramesh
You need to apply for reissue of passport along with eligibility proof of ECNR (http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/onlineHtml/NonEcrDocuments.html)
Sir, i have my passport endorsed with ecr i am going to cargo ship job, i have cdc of be belize. DOES I HAVE TO CANCALL ECR
Sir I am failed in s s l c kerala syllebus in 2009. Now i got one emplyment visa from uae. So what i have to do now for ecnr stamp in my paasport. Pls help me
@Rajesh
As you are not eligible for ECNR, you need to get emigration clearance from PoE office before leaving India.
Dear Sir,
I Have got job opportunity in qatar. I have got offer letter & visa. After that i came know that i have got Passport with ECR. and i have got visa as per same passport no. Now passport seva kendra are asking me to go for re issue of passport, which will contain old passport details as well. and will need to carry both the passport and visa (which will have old passport no). Is this a standard procedure. kindly help.
@Nitin
Yes, carrying both passports is a standard process and visa on old passport remains valid.
Hi, pls tell me we ( me, my wife and 2 kids) hv recently received new passports. My wife is ssc failed but still no any passport has any such stamp on it except personal information.
Please tell if any procedure is required to visit UAE with my family.
@Sagar
She may have been given ECNR status based on your (husband’s) eligibility.
There is no requirement of any procedure (with respect to ECR/ECNR) to visit UAE, in case travel is not for employment.
Hi
I don’t have both ecr or ecnr on my passport
And I want to go dubai what I will do
Help me
@Gautam
No ECR stamp means ECNR by default, so you don’t need any stamping for going to Dubai.
Sir, I am from raipur c.g. and I got a job in Bahrain but when I reached airport this ECR problem arised. My passport made in 2006 and I have to go bahrain ASAP. PoE office is not in raipur, what I do? now I am in Nasik. please give a good suggestion and reply fast.
@Naveen
You need to get emigration clearance from nearest PoE office or get passport reissued for ECNR if you are eligible.
Sir plz mere pasport pe emigration chek required likha h kiya kerna hoga plz help me kaha jana hoga sir mdad krai
@Md Shafeqe
Either you can get emigration clearance from PoE office or get passport reissued in case you are eligible for ECNR.
iam a government employee but not gazzated , need to travel abroad and also for pilgrimage purpose …what docoments required for me and which option i do have to click eligible for ecr .or not elegible for ecr…….help me boss
@Khalif
If you are eligible for ECNR, then you should choose non-ECR category in form.
You can check eligiblity here: http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/onlineHtml/NonEcrDocuments.html
Having said that, you won’t need ECNR status unless you are going for employment to any of the listed 18 countries.
Hi Mr Pankaj,
I am employed in Dubai and my wife is planning to come here on resident VISA. WHat all do i need to do ? ECNR is required ? How ?
please help.
Regards,
@Abhishek
Your wife won’t need ECNR status as she is not traveling for employment.
Sir, my passport issued in 2006 and it was ecr now I’m applying for US C1D visa to work on cruiseship. so am I eligible to get the visa with my passport or not.
if not can I apply for ecr deletion at any POE in india and how many days does it takes to get done.
@Ramesh
For US, there is no need to get ECNR status.
So you can apply and travel even with ECR status.
hi i have ecr on my passport if i get uk visa for 4 years can i go or any problam for me pls help me ???????????????????????
@Karthik
For UK, ECNR is not required so you can even travel with ECR status.