Protected Area Permit Requirement

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION VERY CAREFULLY!

The information on this website is offered to assist people who may be interested in visiting Tibetan Settlements in South India for future teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, or other events. The administrators of this website are not involved in the PAP application or issuing processes, so please do not attempt to contact us for PAP applications or assistance.

The following information applies to the PAP application process to visit Tibetan Settlements in Karnataka, South India. Applying for a PAP to visit a different part of India may require a different application process.

FAQ about a PAP

Who is required to have a PAP?

Tibetan Settlements are classified by the Government of India as Protected Areas. Therefore, all foreign visitors to Bylakuppe, Mundgod & Hunsur Tibetan Settlements are required to have a Protected Area Permit (PAP).

During the time of His Holiness’ Teachings, all foreigners must have a PAP to enter Tibetan Settlements and attend the Teachings, even if your accommodation is not within a Tibetan Settlement. Therefore, while in a Tibetan Settlement, you should keep your PAP with you at all times to show the local authorities when you are asked for it.

Indian citizens and Tibetan R.C. holders are not required to have a PAP to visit Tibetan Settlements unless they have a foreign passport.

How do I apply for a PAP?

Your PAP can be obtained by emailing or posting a PAP application form and supporting documents (see below) to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India. There is no fee for obtaining this permit. It is not necessary to already have an Indian Visa in order to apply for the PAP.

Once processed, the Bureau of His Holiness of Dalai Lama will send the PAP to you via email attachment.

The Indian Government’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the department which actually issues all PAPs. Teaching organisers, and the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, do not issue PAPs. However, the Bureau of His Holiness has very kindly offered to help facilitate the PAP application process for attendees of His Holiness’ teachings. Teaching organisers are not involved at all in the processing of PAP applications and have absolutely no control over the issuing of PAPs. The information on this web page is meant solely to assist you in applying for your PAP through the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. More details about all the various offices involved in processing your PAP are available here.

How can I check the status of my PAP application?

After you have submitted your PAP application, you will receive an email from the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama confirming their receipt of your application documents. Once processed, the Bureau of His Holiness of Dalai Lama will send the PAP to you via email attachment.

If you do not receive that confirmation email, or if you have any questions about your PAP processing status, please contact the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama directly at rehab@tibetbureau.in.

How exactly are PAP’s issued and why does it take many months?

Please see the post about this here.

Do I need a PAP Recommendation Letter?

Generally, f you are requesting a PAP only to visit a Tibetan Settlement during the time of His Holiness’ Teachings, you do not need to send a recommendation letter with your PAP application.

If your PAP application lists additional settlement areas, or if you are requesting extended dates (beyond the Teaching dates), then you must also send a recommendation letter to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

This may change at any time, so if you are attending Teachings, you should always check the current PAP guidelines available at the time.

Please see the end of this web page for more details about the PAP recommendation letter.

Advice for Completing the PAP Application Form

Download the PAP application form here. Please note the following important points when completing the form.

Line 10 – References:

Part (a): You can list any person in your country of residence as a reference.
Part (b): If you do not have an Indian reference, it is not necessary to list one.

Line 12 – Indian Visa:

If you have not already obtained your Indian Visa valid for the dates of His Holiness’ teachings, write “Have applied for visa. Not yet received”. Your PAP application will still be processed without any Visa details.

Line 13 – Places proposed to be visited:

Write the name of the Tibetan Settlement (eg. Bylakuppe/ Mundgod Tibetan Settlement)
If you plan to visit other Tibetan Settlements (for example, to visit Gyudmey Monastery in Hunsur), you can list those settlements here, but this may increase the time it takes for your PAP to be processed and a recommendation letter may be required (see end of this web page)

Line 14 – Route intended to be followed:

List your expected arrival point in India (such as Bangalore, Mumbai, etc.) followed by the settlement(s) which you listed in Line 13.

Line 15 – Purpose of visit:

Generally you should specify that it is to attend H.H. Dalai Lama’s Teachings (if that is the case), but you should check for further details specific to the Teachings you wish to attend.

Line 16 – Likely date of visit:

List the date on which you want the PAP to begin.

Line 17 –Likely duration of visit:

We suggest that you apply for at least one month around the dates of the Teachings you wish to attend, in case the dates change unexpectedly.
PAPs can be issued for up to one year, so you can request dates of up to one year here on Line 17. However, If you are applying for an extended PAP (longer than one month around the dates of the Teachings) you must submit a recommendation letter (see end of this web page).

Line 18 – Is anyone accompanying the applicant?:

If you do not already have these details, it is not necessary to list them here.

Line 19 – Arrangements for travel:

If you do not already have these details, it is not necessary to list them here.

Line 20 – Details of previous visits to India:

List the approximate dates of any previous visits to India.

At the bottom of the form, add the following information:

Your email address where the PAP should be sent to
Your phone number in your home country and in India, if any
Your signature — even if you are submitting your application by email, the form MUST include your signature. Therefore, you must print out the form, sign it, scan it, and then email the scan.

Submitting the PAP Application

Send all of the following information to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama via the postal address OR email address listed below (rehab@tibetbureau.in). Do NOT send your PAP application to the Teaching organisers; they can NOT process it for you.

PAP Application Form completed as explained above. (If sending by email, submit in PDF file format. If sending by post, submit original and two photocopies.)
Passport identity page. (If sending by email, submit in PDF file format. If sending by post, submit three photocopies.)
Indian Visa, if you have received it. If not, see line 12 above. (If sending by email, submit in PDF file format. If sending by post, submit three photocopies.)

Please note: PAP applications can not be processed unless they are completed correctly, including your signature, passport copy, and for email applications: PDF file format.

GROUP APPLICATIONS, please note:

All documents must be submitted in PDF format.
Do not submit more than 6 PAP applications in each email.
If you are submitting more than a total of 30 PAP applications for a group, the Bureau strongly requests you to submit the applications by post, not by email.
Include clearly the name of the group’s contact person, his/her phone number and his/her email address so that the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama can acknowledge receipt of the applications.

Send by email OR post to:

Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
10-B Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar IV
New Delhi – 110024
INDIA
Email: rehab@tibetbureau.in
Phone: +91-11-26474798 or 26218546 or 26218548 (then press 1 for English, then 3 for PAP section)

Once processed, the Bureau of His Holiness of Dalai Lama will send the PAP to you via email attachment.

For any questions about your PAP application status (confirmation of receipt, processing status, etc.) please contact the above email or phone number.

While in a Tibetan Settlement, you must keep your PAP with you at all times to show the local authorities when you are asked for it.

PAP Recommendation Letter

Generally, if you are requesting a PAP only to visit a Tibetan Settlement during the time of His Holiness’ Teachings, you do not need to send a recommendation letter with your PAP application. You should check whether this information is still current at the time of the particular Teachings you wish to attend.

If your PAP application lists additional settlement areas, or if you are requesting extended dates, then you must also send a recommendation letter to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

This recommendation letter is from someone you know at one of the monasteries or settlement offices and should be on the letterhead of the Tibetan Settlement Officer (of the settlement you plan to visit) or from an administrator of the monastery (a khangtsen, labrang, etc.) you wish to visit.

The text can be very simple, such as: To Whom It May Concern: We are writing to inform you that the ________ Labrang/Khangtsen of ________ Monastery is hereby recommending ________(your name and your passport number) to visit the Tibetan settlement of ________ for the period of ________ (your dates). We would be very grateful if you could provide them with all possible assistance.

Even if you apply for a PAP for several different settlements, you do not need a recommendation letter from each monastery/settlement you plan to visit. You only need to submit one recommendation letter from one monastery/settlement.

Generally, Teaching organisers are not able to offer recommendation letters to the large number of teaching attendees at various teaching events.