Center scraps immigration system for Indian-flagged ships plying between ports in the country

In a relief to Indian seafarers working along the country’s coastline, the Union Home Ministry on Thursday, November 20, ended two-decade-old immigration processes that were considered a major source of delays.

The two main rules removed for the crew of Indian flagged vessels, such as ships, dredgers, barges and research vessels that operate only within Indian port limits, are the coastal sign-on and sign-off system and the Shore Leave Pass (SLP) process.

Earlier, seafarers had to face a cumbersome paperwork process similar to international immigration clearance even when moving between Indian ports. In addition, a seafarer requires an SLP, a recurring immigration pass, to disembark from the ship and go ashore.

With this decision to scrap the two processes, the government has addressed the long-standing demand of seafarers.

Reacting to the development, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the Narendra Modi government stands firmly with India’s seafarers.

“In a bid to empower our seafarers, the Union Home Ministry under the decisive leadership of Amit Shah ji has specifically abolished the decades-old requirement of sign-on, sign-off and shore leave passes for all Indian ships operating in Indian waters,” he said in a message on Twitter.

Under the previous system, each crew member had to personally visit an immigration office every 10 days to obtain and renew their SLP. These procedures were seen as a huge burden, making it extremely difficult for sailors to concentrate on their essential duties onboard.

Recognizing that these ships operate exclusively in domestic waters, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided that the time-consuming immigration process is obsolete, and simplified a new framework for Indian seafarers, under which they are not required to submit coastal sign-on/sign-off paperwork or 10-day renewal of Shore Leave Pass while operating in Indian waters.

“The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is requested to direct the concerned port authorities to maintain records and data of crew/crew strength of Indian flagged coastal vessels,” a ministry communication on Thursday said.

It said the Bureau of Immigration will conduct periodic surprise inspections and call for crew lists from Indian flagged coastal vessels, dredgers/barges, research vessels and vessels of similar type/category operating within the port limits.

“The shore access of crew/additional vessels of Indian flagged coastal run vessels will be regulated by the port authority,” the ministry said.