In a move aimed at fast-tracking and better streamlining the provisions of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Dimapur, the Nagaland government has announced that offline ILPs will now be issued to daily wage labourers under the “floating population” category with immediate effect.
According to an official notification issued on June 27 by the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Dr. Tinojongshi Chang, NCS, the offline ILP will be granted on the condition that the applicant is vouched for by a guarantor—who may be the landlord, house owner, or the company or firm employing the labourer.
The new guidelines follow a Home Department notification dated June 18, 2025, and are understood to be part of a broader effort to strengthen ILP enforcement across Nagaland’s commercial hub.
The notification also outlines additional provisions for better clarity. Family members and dependents of Central or State government employees will not require an ILP if they carry the identity card of the concerned employee.
Heads of duly registered public or private companies can serve as guarantors for their regular employees. In cases where employer certifications are submitted as guarantor documents, these must be supported by the landlord or house owner of the applicant. Additionally, transit passengers passing through Dimapur will be exempt from producing an ILP altogether.
This directive follows growing calls from civil society groups and local bodies in Nagaland, particularly in Dimapur, for a more streamlined ILP enforcement mechanism and better regulation of the district’s floating population.
The ILP is a regulatory mechanism enforced under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, aimed at monitoring the entry and stay of non-indigenous persons in certain northeastern states.
In a recent decision, the Government of Nagaland announced the statewide implementation of the ILP system, making it mandatory even in previously exempted districts such as Chumoukedima, Niuland, and Dimapur.
Furthermore, from January 1, 2025, the ILP application and issuance process had been made entirely online, with the offline mode discontinued—until now, with the exception now being made for daily wage labourers under the new guidelines.
