The Ministry of Home Affairs’ Foreigners Division has done away with immigration procedures, including Sign On/Off and Shore Leave Pass requirements, for Indian national crew and supernumerary personnel serving on Indian flag coastal run vessels, in a landmark facilitation measure for the country’s seafaring community.
The Office Memorandum, dated August 6, 2026, and issued by Under Secretary (Immigration) Heera Lal Singh, supersedes the Ministry’s earlier OM dated November 20, 2025 on the same subject. The exemption covers Indian flag coastal run vessels including research vessels, dredgers and barges.
Under the revised arrangement, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has been requested to direct concerned Port Authorities to maintain records and data of Indian national crew and supernumerary personnel serving on Indian flag coastal run vessels. The Bureau of Immigration will conduct periodic surprise inspections and seek crew lists from coastal run vessels, dredgers, barges, research vessels and similar categories of vessels, with shore access for Indian national crew henceforth to be regulated by the respective Port Authority instead of through immigration clearance.
The order has been addressed to the Secretary (Ports), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, with a copy marked to the Commissioner, Bureau of Immigration, New Delhi, with a request to circulate the order to all concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Offices for necessary action.
The move marks a significant and unprecedented facilitation for Indian seafarers operating on coastal shipping, removing a longstanding procedural bottleneck that had required immigration clearance for domestic coastal voyages. The decision follows sustained efforts by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration toward securing this relief for India’s coastal seafaring workforce.
