India Ends Outdated Seafarer Immigration Rules for Coastal Ships

(INDIA) India’s Home Ministry has scrapped two long-running immigration paperwork steps for seafarers working on Indian-flag vessels that operate only on coastal routes, a move shipping operators say should cut delays at ports and reduce confusion for crews who never leave domestic waters. The change, set out in an office memorandum dated November 20, 2025, removes the old sign-on/sign-off and shore leave pass (SLP) requirements for “crew and supernumeraries” on Indian-flag ships engaged exclusively in coastal trade, including dredgers, barges and research vessels operating within port limits.

What the change means in practice

Seafarers on these coastal vessels will no longer need to complete immigration-style embarkation and disembarkation formalities that were designed for international voyages, even when the ship is moving between Indian ports.

Instead, access to shore for crew and supernumeraries will be handled directly by port authorities, according to the memorandum. This shifts day-to-day gatekeeping from immigration desks to port-level systems that already control entry for port workers, contractors and visitors.

Background on the SLP and coastal context

The shore leave pass (SLP) has been a familiar document for generations of seafarers — especially those on foreign-going ships — because it grants short-term shore access while a vessel is alongside.

On coastal ships, operators argued the same paperwork felt out of place:

• Voyages remain within Indian territory.
• Crews are typically Indian nationals or residents whose immigration status is not in question on domestic runs.
• Repeated ports-of-call and quick crew changes made immigration-style formalities impractical.

Scope and limits of the relief

The Home Ministry’s memorandum draws a clear line: the relief applies to Indian-flag vessels “plying exclusively on local routes” and craft “operating within port limits.” This scope is important for vessels with mixed operations.

Key implications:
– A vessel that normally trades coastwise but occasionally undertakes an international voyage or calls at a foreign port may still be subject to immigration formalities under other rules.
– Operators will monitor how port authorities interpret “exclusively” when scheduling or charter arrangements change.

Continued government oversight

The government has not removed oversight — it has shifted where records are kept and who enforces rules.

• The memorandum states port authorities will regulate shore access.
• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is expected to direct ports to maintain records and data of crew and supernumeraries on affected vessels.

In short, paperwork will be relocated to port files and databases so records remain available for later checks.

Role of the Bureau of Immigration

The memorandum explicitly assigns an audit role to the Bureau of Immigration:

• The Bureau will conduct periodical surprise inspections.
• It can seek crew lists from Indian-flag coastal vessels, dredgers, barges, research vessels and similar craft operating within port limits.

This signals that the government still regards a security and compliance angle even for domestic voyages. For crews, the immediate experience may shift from standing in immigration queues to responding to spot checks and document requests tied to port entry rules.

Important: The Bureau’s public-facing information and updates are available at the Bureau of Immigration website: https://boi.gov.in

Practical and operational considerations

The Home Ministry did not name which official signed the memorandum, leaving ship managers and crewing agents without a single public contact for follow-up. In India’s fast-moving maritime sector, the absence of an identified signatory can slow clarifications because companies often depend on written replies, circulars and meetings to resolve edge cases.

Operators say the older system often created a mismatch between coastal trade patterns and immigration workflows:

• Coastal ships may call at several ports in quick succession and have rapid crew changes.
• Under the old approach, sign-on/sign-off formalities could require repeated submissions or endorsements even though the ship never crossed an international border.

Removing those steps could save time for masters and port agents, especially for vessels like dredgers and barges that shift within port limits as work fronts change.

Human impact on seafarers

There is a clear human-angle benefit:

• Seafarers on domestic runs often have limited rest time ashore.
• Extra formalities can erode short breaks needed for errands, medical visits, or contacting family.

If port authorities implement the new framework smoothly, faster shore access could reduce day-to-day stress for crews and supernumeraries such as riding gangs, technicians, surveyors or specialist staff.

Risks: inconsistency across ports

The shift places more responsibility on port authorities to run consistent and fair checks. India’s ports vary greatly in size and governance, so outcomes may differ:

• One port may treat shore access as a simple gate pass.
• Another may demand extensive letters and verification.

The memorandum’s instruction that ports keep records and data appears intended to reduce this patchwork by setting a baseline expectation that crew lists are documented and available for review.

Impact on companies and enforcement practice

For port agents and crewing firms, the new approach will likely require:

• Rewriting standard operating procedures.
• Retraining staff who prepared SLP files and sign-on/sign-off packets.
• Ensuring port submissions are accurate, crew lists are current, and entry permissions meet the port’s requirements.

For government enforcement teams, the reliance on “periodical surprise inspections” suggests a model of targeted checks rather than routine processing for every shore movement. This could work well if inspections are timely and risk-based, but it raises questions for crews about:

• Which documents to carry when leaving a vessel.
• How quickly they must respond when officials request lists.

Wider regulatory context

Industry watchers connect this move with other seafarer-related messaging in 2025 from the Directorate General of Shipping. The DG Shipping has issued circulars this year on topics ranging from engagement statistics to Malta visa exemptions, though those circulars do not directly address the Home Ministry’s coastal-rule revocation.

Separately, seafarers have raised concerns about DG Shipping Circular 31 of 2025 through the All India Seafarer & General Worker Union, showing that the maritime workforce closely watches rule changes affecting daily life at sea — even when those rules are not strictly immigration-related.

Analysis and next steps

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the policy rollback is best read as an attempt to align India’s port-side controls with the reality that domestic coastal trade does not create the same border-management issues as foreign-going shipping, while still preserving an audit trail.

The next tests will be:
1. How quickly port authorities receive directions from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
2. Whether the on-the-ground experience for crews matches the Home Ministry’s intent of simpler operations without losing basic oversight.

Summary table of key points

If you need the exact wording from the memorandum or help drafting an updated port-agent checklist or crew briefing under the new framework, I can help produce templates or a procedural checklist tailored to your operation.