In October Foreign travelers can apply for RAP & PAP online to visit Sikkim.

In October Foreign travelers can apply for RAP & PAP online to visit Sikkim.

As per the latest developments, foreign tourists visiting the Himalayan state of Sikkim will now be able to apply for Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and Protected Area Permit (PAP) online from October this year. This was being currently informed by officials in the know-how.

Also, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang during his Independence Day speech announced the same and added that online applications for RAP and PAP for foreign tourists will be made available soon.

The official added that the work on the development of the dedicated website goes on in complete swing so that in the upcoming tourist season in October, foreigners are capable of easily applying online through a dedicated website for the Restricted Area Permit and Protected Area Permit.

Till now, to visit Sikkim, foreigners were required to get a Restricted Area Permit (RAP), which was previously known as InnerLine Permit, from Sikkim Tourism Officers, if they had a legitimate Indian Visa.

In reaction to the latest development, the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) thanked the Chief Minister, as 60 percent of the state is totally dependent on tourism, and is hopeful that this step will help attract more and more tourists to the region.

And if reports are to head by, this has been an age-old demand of the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS).