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,
I have received an employment offer from a company in UAE. Please help me with reqirements of tasks to be completed before emigration.
I am an engineer and do not have ECR/ECNR stamp on the passport.
Few question that i certainly need to know
1) ECNR stamp required or not
2) Income tax clearnce require or not
3) bank accounts to be converted
@Rashmi
This post is about ECNR and we can only tell about ECNR.
If you don’t have ECR endorsed in passport, your passport is with ECNR status by default, so you don’t need any further stamping for ECNR.
Hi Sir,
I got my passport in 2011, (having upto MCA-2010 certificate). I do not contains ECR/ECNR stamps. my brother has to send visit visa.. so is there any need to check ECR/ECNR stamp.?
please reply to me sir.
Thanx in Advance
@David
As passport does not have ECR endorsement, its by default with ECNR status.
You won’t need any further stamping.
Hi sir,
My wife wants to come UAE on visit visa. ECR has been mentioned on her passport. Will she require ECNR or not?
@Munnauvar
ECNR status is not needed for visit visa, so she does not need ECNR stamping.
Thank you so much.
Best Regards,
Munnauvar Ali
I am going to KSA for a job and My passport shows ECR. From where should I get ECNR stamp and how much days are required to get this job done as I have to leave at the earliest.
@Amol
You would need to get passport reissued for ECNR status. Time required would be same as it takes new passport issue.
Another option is to get emigration clearance from PoE office, but that would be valid for one time.
Sir,
I have received an employment offer from a company in UAE and also they ask me to send the ECNR page of my Passport for applying Visa, but in my passport i do not have ECR/ECNR stamp.
Please help me to sought out this problem (I applied my passport at 2009 and received it on the same year, i submitted my Degree certificate to obtain my passport).
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Muthu
@Muthu
As your passport does not have ECR endorsement, your passport is by default with ECNR status.
You should tell employer about same and can send scanned copies for all pages of passport to show non presence of ECR.
Thank you sir
I have visit visa to abudabi next week,In my District Passport office(Vijayawada,Andra Pradesh)The Help desk Says.. That I need to apply for “Re-Issue of Passport for ECNR”
But I cannot find the ECNR option in Applying for :’Re-Issue of Passport’-Specify reasons
Or
the Form ‘Application for Miscellaneous Services on Indian Passports Form(No 2.)’
Pleas help me,My passport issue date:2011
@Manoj
First, ECNR won’t be required for visit visa.
Reissue would come under Change in Existing Personal Particulars > Deletion of ECR.
Hi,
My friend in India wants to come to Dubai on visit visa as he can get a job easily although he doesnt have required education or other requirements to clear the ECR. Can he come to UAE on visit visa and once he gets an employment visa he will transfer the visit visa to employment visa. Will he really need to clear the ECR or is it ok if he already has the employment visa stamped on his passport ?
Also want to know if it will create any problems for him at later stages ? may be when he travels to India on vacation etc. ?
@Lokesh
ECNR is not needed on visit visa, but when his visa gets changed to employment one, he would need ECNR status while leaving India.
So he can go to Dubai on visit visa now with ECR status, get a job there and get visa changed to employment. Once he returns back to India, he should get ECNR status before leaving India again.
Thank you very much Pankaj for your quick response..
my son has a passport which states ECR, as he was an undergraduate then. He is now a graduate, but the stamp remains. Family travelling to dubai on holiday with tourist visa for 4 days. Will he face any problem at the airport.
@Sumita
There is no issue with ECR stamp when traveling on tourist visa.
Dear Sir, My Passport was made in year 2005, and status is ECR, I got visa from UAE
in company, now what will be the next procedure. I live in Vadodara and what is the easiest way to do next procedure. Pls help me sir, i am very poor guy and i have to go as soon as possible and i facing lots of problem here. no body guide me write way
pls guide me.
@Sanjeev
Before leaving India, you would need to either get ECNR status (by getting passport reissued) or get emigration clearance from PoE (protector of emigrants) office.
Sir, thanks for your reply, but sir if i will get passport by reissued then what about my visa, in visa my previous passport mentioned. then it will not make any problem . and how many days will take for reissue passport will take. it possible to make in tatkal. pls sir give me clearification. thank you very much
@Sanjeev
Visa on old passport would remain valid. You need to carry old passport too.
Passport reissue application can be made in Tatkal too. Normal application may take 30-45 days.
Pankaj Ji, I Am going to CANADA as immigrant, and i have ECR on my passport, do i have to clear ECR and travel… please suggest me…
@Mosein
For Canada, ECNR is not required, so you can travel on ECR status as well.
I am having passport contains ecr stamp for (17 countries).next month i could get a visa for working in singapore…….for any job related travelling if i have to go for any one of above (17 countries)mentioned in ecr category means what i can do…….. if i want ecnr stamp for travelling that countries means… what is the procedure for delete ecr stamp in my passport and also how many days i have to wait for getting a new ecnr passport……….
@Manikandan
Singapore is not listed in the countries for which ECNR is required, so you won’t need ECNR stamp or passport reissue for same.
If you want to go to any of the listed countries, you should get passport reissued with ECNR status. Under normal application, it would take 30-45 days.
Hi Pankaj,
Great work !!!Thank you so much for helping us out . I have a question.
ECR is Stamped on my Passport and i have got an opportunity to go to UK in the month of October with Business Visa. Will the ECR stamp affect my travel as i am travelling on Business Visa? II ) I have the Pan Card and Form 16 with Acknowledgement for the last three years, will this be enough to get ECR stamp removed ? Request you also to please advise if we have to self attest the form 16 for ECR cancellation / should it be attested by a notary / gazzetted officer?. Awaiting your reply .
@Harish
1. ECNR is not a requirement for traveling to UK on any kind of visa. So you don’t need to get ECNR for UK.
2. Check all eligible documents for ECNR here: http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/onlineHtml/NonEcrDocuments.html
Thank you Pankaj!!! Much Appreciated!!!
Hi Pankaj,
Please advise on how to go ahead.
I have an ECR Passport and I have a UAE Visa Stamped on it.
I came to India on the 25th of August and now I have to go back to Dubai on the 7th of September
I went to the POE Office in Chennai to get Clearance and they looked at my passport and said that since I already have a Residency Visa Stamped on the Passport, I would not be stopped at the Airport.
Is there anything that I need to do.. I’m getting very worried
@James
ECNR status is only needed in case of employment visa.
Hello Pankaj,
I too have a similar issue.. Please have a look at my entire story and help me out..
I am currently in Dubai and I’ve been working for a company for the past 6 months.
I wish to go to India in a few week, but I have an ECR Passport, I also do have the Visa Stamped
Please have a look at the Screenshot https://www.dropbox.com/s/p3uf8fkg3u7510n/visa.jpg?m
In this it does show my Profession and it says residence. I’m kinda confused now.. Will i be stopped at the Bangalore Airport ?
@Jackson
It would be better to get ECNR done, as you are going for employment purposes.
Hi Pankaj,
I promise this is the last question for today…
Could you please check this screeshot and advise.. I saw it on the http://passportindia.gov.in/ website
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g5n5869zxo3is81/Capture1.JPG
@Jackson
I think, thats applicable when you already had emigration clearance for same job while leaving India first time and then coming back on a short visit.
Hi..
Sir, I have a passport which is having an ECR stamp on it. But now I have completed my engineering. Now I am going to UAE for job.. Is it compulsory to cancel the ECR stamp.. If yes what’s the procedure.. As they (UAE ) people are giving me only 15days… Please suggest me a short and quick procedure…. Thanks
@Sayed
Yes, its mandatory to get ECNR status or emigration clearance if you are leaving for UAE for job.
For ECNR status, passport need to be reissued which cannot be done in 15 days under normal application. Either you can apply in Tatkal or get emigration clearance from PoE office.
I was having a case on me.. But court does not found me guilty… And has given me a clean chit, 1year before. Can I apply for tatkal passport. Please reply as soon as possible. It’surgent
@Sayed
I have no idea about court case and Tatkal application link.
Regarding new and old passport carrying, new passport would contain reference to old passport so you should carry both passports.
And the visa which il get has passport no, on it so can I carry two passport at a time.. Is it legal.. Please reply as soon as possible
Thank you
Hi sir,
My name is azarutheen. Now I am planing go to qatar for my official work to qatar location. But I have a ecr stamp passport now I have a b.tech also. I think this visa is bussiness for 1 month. Its required ecnr stamp.required means how to apply chennai poe office. My passport issue is madurai.any prm is there. Thanks sir.
@Azarutheen
In case you are not going for employment, you won’t need ECNR status.