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
Dear Sir,
can we give 3 documents to passport authority instead of Annx. F (for tatkal Passport).
because we don’t know any government employee who will do this for us.
Please Rply me sir
@Sandeep
In case you need police verification after passport issue, then you would need Annex F, else it may not be required.
For people born after 1989, birth certificate is mandatory and 10th class marksheet won’t work.
I have Suspension ECNR stamp on my passport 26 months ago when i was going to saudia , Now I have UAE Visa , again I need to Suspension ECNR stamp for UAE ?Please help me .
@Pervez
In case suspension was only valid for Saudi or for a time period mentioned, then you would need to get it again for UAE.
Dear Sir,
My DOB is 02-11-92 but i don’t have birth certificate while i have 10th marksheet.
is it enough for DOB certificate for tatkaal passport.
respected sir,
if I reissue the passport for changing my ECR to ECNR means what is the validity of my new passport.
@Kottee
New passport would be valid for 10 years.
Dear sir,
Good day, I would like to ask regarding the mission visa if after 6 month we go back to our country, how many months we can entry again in U.A.E. thanks …
@Antonita
We don’t have knowledge on this subject.
Dear sir, good day, my passport was issued in 2006 which holds ecr whereas my old passport has ecnr.
As i m travelling to uae, please advise do I have to do ecnr again.
Best regards, Nazia
@Nazia
If you are traveling for employment, then you would need ECNR status. Otherwise its not required.
Sir.i have passport wd ecnr stamp.now i want to go jeddah(saudi arabia) as a maid and my visa is ready.now plzz tell me what documents r required at airportd for my emmigration.plzz help me.is there any contract required for my emigration.can airport emigration allow me to go as i m having an ECNR passport.plzzz help me sir .do reply me.
@Insha
If you have ECNR passport, then you don’t need any other document then valid passport, valid visa and tickets.
Can I Remove ECR from Passport Office if I have valide UAE Visa ?
@Mohammed
You would need to get passport reissued for ECR removal.
sir i applied for renewal of my passport in which i was failed to show them my 10 class result. when i saw my passport receipt there it was mentioned emmigration check reqd -YES. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW. i am not working outside any where .just want to fly as a tourist.plsz help me
@Akshay
If you don’t wish to travel to any of the listed countries for employment, then there is no need to get ECNR status.
In my passport there is no stamp.it’s ecr or ecnr.iam a b.tech student.I received the passport in this month.
@Kumar
No stamp means, ECNR by default.
Sir
I taked passport when i’m at 16 years old
how can sure that to me ecr is required
My passport is ecr stamp I want go Malaysia for meeting can igo Malaysia without emigration
@Ejaz
if you are not going on employment visa, you won’t need ECNR status or emigration clearance.
Dear pankaj i had travel to uae on year 2008and again travel to jordan on year 2009then i came back to india in2013 and i have planed again to jordan and i have tag /sticker in my passport as protector general emigtants do do i need to get again ECNR stamp for again traveling to jordan
@Manoj
As you have been staying abroad for more than three years (the period of three years could be either in one stretch or broken), you can now go for ECNR status on passport, by applying for reissue of passport.
If you don’t have time for passport reissue then you would need to get emigration clearance from PoE office.
Please clarify the following question in passport application
“Is application eligible for Non-ECR category? O Yes O No”
Which one I have to mark(i.e Yes or No), it appears a little confusing.
I am a Post Graduate and retired Govt.employee drawing state govt.pension.I wish to go USA under tourist Visa. Please clarify.
@KV Reddy
You are eligible for Non-ECR, so you should select – Non-ECR – Yes.
Thanks for clarifying my doubt.
with best regards
KVRaghava Reddy
I have Employment Visa for Abhu Dhabi (UAE) , It was issued on 18 jan 2014 but I don’t know what is expiry date of my Visa . Please help me .
@Pervez
Expiry date would be written on visa itself. Please check it.
I have Employment Visa for Abhu Dhabi (UAE) , In my Visa written Entry Permit-New Work and It was issued on 18 jan 2014 but there is no mention Expiry date of Visa so I don’t know what is expiry date of my Visa . Please help me .
@Pervez
We don’t have much knowledge on UAE visas. Please contact UAE embassy for same.
Thank you Sir………
Sir, i got residency visa in qatar, now iam planning to bring my wife on family visa. But the problem is she got ecr written on the last address page in passport without any stamps. Will it creates any problems if i apply with that passport? Plz let me know .really appreciated.
@Dr Abdur
As she is not going on employment visa, she won’t need ECNR status on passport.
Dear Sir..
How to check my passport is ECNR or not..
@Mudassir
There would be a stamp saying emigration check required in case your passport is ECR.
If not present, then passport would be ECNR.
how to cliam emigralian maney
Sir ECR stamp mention on my pass port wish document provide for my ECR clearance in pass port office
@Prakash
Please check this page: http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/onlineHtml/NonEcrDocuments.html