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
Hi,
Iam travelling to UK in month of July.
The company is providing the visa and ticket. My Passport had been issued in the year 2004. In my passport on the second page it states ECR except certain countries as mentioned in the above screen shot.Also but in passport the ECNR status which is shown had been cut off by pen mark.So just wanted to confirm whether i need to get ECNR stamped or not.
@kevin
ECNR is only required if are traveling to any of these counties: United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq.
So it won’t be needed to travel to UK.
Hi Pankaj,
Iam so sorry. Iam still confused on this part. Because my second page of my passport states that Emigration Check Required ( ECR )except for Bangladesh, Pakistan all countries in Europe ( Excluding Commonwealth of Independent states CIS ) , North America,Japan, Newzealand and Australia. So just wanted to confirm again, that do i need to get emigration clearance if iam travelling to UK ? Also one more thing my Flight would be connecting via Delhi – Dubai – London . So in this case please help me with a solution.
Thanks….
@Kevin
For UK, ECNR stamping is not required.
Connecting flight from Dubai will also not be an issue.
i have an employment visa for Sharjah
Do i need to have an ECNR stamp in passport?
Is it an absolute must??
@Zakiuddin
Yes, ECNR is required if you travel to Sharjah on employment visa.
Recently i renewed my passport.my doubt is,should my new passport also need to have the ECNR stamping,since my old passport is already have the stamping
@Vicky
Yes, new passport should also have ECNR stamp. Or even a second blank page will also mean the same.
i need to go UK form WORK&VIST which type ducoment requaid.give me complite result piz.
@Mujeeb
For traveling to UK, ECNR is not required. You should carry tickets and valid passport with visa.
Hi Pankaj,
Could you please confirm is ECNR required for Hongkong, i got an offer for 6 months in Hongkong visa is under process now. I just chked my passport and found ECR stamp, if ECNR stamp required how many days the process will take to get the stamp.
@Jayavarun
For HongKong ECNR is not required. You may visit without any issue.
how to aply to UK visa
Dear Mr. Pankaj Batra
My wife , and my twin children aged 17 have planned a holiday from Hyderabad to Malaysia and HongKong two weeks later. My 17 year old daughter;s passport has just come after renewal(after a 6 month wait), with an ECR stamp. If we apply now for ECNR, it may not come back in time. Could you please advise if she can travel with the exisiting ECR stamped passport, without any problems.
@Ganesh
For holiday purposes, ECNR is not required.
Its needed only in case one is going for employment or business.
HI,MY PASSPORT IS ECR I AM AN INDIAN 15 YEARS OLD STUDENT GOING TO DUBAI ON RESIDENT VISA AS DEPENDENT WILL THERE BE ANY PROBLEM AT AIRPORT.I GOT VISA RETURN TICKET AND IAM TRAVELLING WITH MY MOTHER.
THANKS,
NIHAL
@Nihal
As you are not going there for employment or business, You won’t need ECNR stamping.
hi,
please let me know in which of the countries emigration for unskilled/semi skilled workers , through POE india ,not required?
@Meenakshi
ECNR is only required if you are traveling to any of the below 18 countries for job/business:
United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq.
HI
my wife passport have ECR stamp.im planing to bring to QATAR.So i ask to somebody about ECNR.they said for house wives no need ECNR.is it correct?CAN i bring my family to qatar.any problem is there.plz give ur valuble reply
@Naidu
There is no need to get ECNR stamp for housewives.
Its needed only when somebody going for employment/business.
HI pankaj good morning. Already before i met u in this great site.i never seen this type of website.really great. Last time u told me for house wives ECNR not reqired.means in AIRPORT (no problem??)nobody will not ask about ECNR(for my wife)????So Im planing to bring my family to qatar.but my name not in her passport and my passport also dont have her name.is there any problem about this in airport or visa or some where else. Pla clarify me clearly….
@Naidu
If your wife has dependent visa then ECNR should not be an issue.
So Im planing to bring my family to qatar.but my name not in her passport and my passport also dont have her name.is there any problem about this in airport or visa or some where else. Pla clarify me clearly….
@Naidu
You will need to get dependent visa for your family. There won’t be any issue at the airport, but Visa issuing authority may ask for marriage proofs.
Even if my wife (housewife) is shifting with me permanently to Dubai she would not require ECR clearence from POE???? Further after shifting to Dubai can i get the ECR cancelled permanently from DUBAI itself??
@Ashish
As your wife is going on a dependent visa and there is no intent to work there, she won’t need ECNR stamping or emigration clearance.
ECR cancellation cannot be done from Dubai. It has to done only from Indian passport offices.
Hey I’m traveling 2 Dubai on work visa. My passport was issued 2 me on Jan 2011 & I’m a degree holder. So my 2nd page is blank which means i don’t require a separate ECNR stamp right ?? But i asked a travel agent & he told me i need 2 get another ECNR stamp on my passport as I’m traveling for work. So do i need 2 go 4 another ECNR stamp ?? Kindly reply as soon as possible. Thanks.
@Rohith
Your passport is already with ECNR stamp and you don’t need another stamping.
ok gr8 !! thnx a lot 4 ur reply… Cheers 🙂
Hi, I got an employment visa to work in ABU DHABI, Iam B.E graduate, and designation is FOLLOW UP CLERK, for time being, now my ticket is being booked on 5th Jun 2011. Issue date of my passport is Jun 2007. ECNR stamping is required or not? Please advise.
@Gopalakrishnan
As you are going for work, your passport must be with ECNR status.
If passport is not with ECNR status, please get ECNR stamping before leaving for abroad.
Sir,I have got a Dubai employment visa but my passport has ECR stamp as I have not completed 10th std.Should I apply for ECR removal or temporary suspension? Should I get the sponsorship declaration attested by the Indian consulate in Dubai? Should I book return tickets?Expecting an early reply.Thanks
@Sonia
You should apply for ECR removal (or ECNR stamping).
If you don’t have 10th class certificate or PAN card, then get ECR removed from protector of emigration (POE) office.
Sir, what are the documents required when I go to the POE office for ECR removal?
@Sonia
Passport, Visa, Address and ID proofs
Hi Pankaj,
My passport was issued in 2003 and it does not have the ECNR stamp. I travelled to UAE in 2007 and was required to go to POE to get the temporary stamp which was valid for a month. I would be travelling again this month to UAE and Kuwait. Do i again need to go to POE to get it stamped for ECNR or it is not required any longer. I would be travelling for my office work and would be there for around 10 days. Kindly advice.
@Aniruddha
As you visiting UAE and Kuwait for office work, you would need ECNR stamp or temporary suspension of ECR.
My Passport is issued from Kolkata Passport office while i currently stay in Mumbai. I have residence proof of Mumbai only. Do i need a residence proof of the address mentioned in the passport?
@Aniruddha
You can go to Mumbai Passport office and show residence proof of Mumbai. There won’t be an issue with it.
I have work permit for Indonesai & vaild visa. My wife would like to join with me in Indonesia, she has 9 months visa also.
Pl confirm she required ECNR stamp before travel .
Airticket is only one way not return ticket.
Thanks
Manish
@Manish
She won’t be requiring ECNR stamp if she is not going for employment/job/business.
Thanks. But she would like to stay with me 1 year .She has one way ticket.
Pl confirm still she not required ECNR stamp.
@Manish
As she is not going for employment or business, she won’t need an ECNR stamp on her passport.
mohammed i m go 2 kuwait iterview company give me visit visa & return ticket i m ssc faild (ecr)recuid, plz tell me i m recuid ECNR our NO
@Mohammed
You would not require ECNR stamping as you are going on visit visa.
But when you will go back for job, then you would require it.
Hi, am travelling to New Zealand on a student visa and have the same stamp in my passport as shown in the above image. Will this be a problem? Also will be in transit in Malaysia.
Thanks.
@Priscilla
For New Zealand, ECNR is not required.
And anyways you are going on student visa, for which ECNR is not required for any country.
Hi Pankaj
I will be travelling to US in 2nd week of July. I had travelled to Thailand in 2007 and for that in my passport, the ECNR senetence has been deleted. for my US travel, what should I do in this regard?
@Priyanka
For US, ECNR is not required.
I will be US for 2 weeks on an induction programme. Typically, how lon does it take for processing of visa?
hey pankaj you are doing a great work man – have one question – my passport is issued before 2007 – it doesnt have ECNR – passport was issued from mumbai – i am currently in bangalore – can i get ECNR done in bangalore – or do i need to travel to mumbai for the same?
@Hrishikesh
You can get ECNR stamp from Bangalore too if you have residence proof for Bangalore.
Hi Pankaj this is Tony form Bangalore I have done my passport when I was in 8th standard with out my certificate and now I am trying to travel to Dubai on a visit visa to meet my cousin do will I have (ECNR) before going please let me know that will be really helpful brother!
@Tony
If you are traveling on visit visa, then you don’t need ECNR stamp for any country.
hello pankaj,
i have applied for fresh copy for damaged passport in tatkal scheme.it take 2 days to dispach the passport.i have submitted my 10th class, and mca provisional.but the stamp is ecnr check required for excep pakisthan,nabgladeh etc.sir what is this means.if i need to go for us this ecnr check is required sir.can u please reply for me for this
@Sujji
You would need to get ECNR stamp in case you are planning to travel to any of the below countries for employment/business:
United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq.
dear sir,my self Rajesh kumar now i am in kuwait visa vallid upto 2012 march sir i have good offer from uae sir without cancelation of Kuwait visa i am able to go uae without any kind of problem
@Rajesh
You can go to UAE without cancellation of Kuwait’s visa. It should not be an issue.