Foreign Vessel Permit for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands
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The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are open to foreign flag vessels. What is not straightforward is how the process works, because it is fundamentally different from calling any other port in India.
The single most important thing to understand upfront: foreign flag vessels require prior approval from the Andaman and Nicobar Administration before they can enter and berth at any port across the islands. This is not a standard port clearance. It is a pre-entry authorization specific to this jurisdiction, and it has to be in place before your vessel arrives. No other major Indian port operates this way.
Everything else in this guide flows from that fact.
Port Blair Is the Port of Entry and Exit
Port Blair is the designated port of entry and exit for all foreign flag vessels calling the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All inward and outward clearances are processed here.
Calling other ports across the island chain is possible, but requires separate special permissions on top of the standard clearances. This includes the full range of islands under the jurisdiction of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. The permissions are port-specific and need to be arranged in advance.
This is not a process that can be improvised after arrival. The approvals need to be lined up before your vessel departs its last port.
Prior Approval from the Andaman and Nicobar Administration
This is the step that catches operators unfamiliar with these waters off guard.
At every other Indian port, a foreign flag vessel arrives, completes the standard customs, immigration, and port authority clearances, and proceeds. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands require an additional layer: prior approval from the Andaman and Nicobar Administration specifically authorizing the vessel to enter and berth.
This approval needs to be applied for and obtained before arrival. The application process requires vessel particulars, purpose of call, intended ports, and supporting documentation. The timeline for approval is not guaranteed, which is why starting the process early, through a local agent with established relationships with the Administration, is the only reliable way to ensure your call proceeds on schedule.
A local agent who knows this process is not a convenience. It is how the approval gets done correctly and on time.
Facility Availability Across the Islands
One of the practical complexities of calling ports beyond Port Blair is that not all facilities are available everywhere. Here is the current picture:
Customs is fully available at Port Blair. For other ports called under special permission, customs facility availability follows the specific approval.
Immigration is fully available at Port Blair. Limited immigration facilities are available at other islands, subject to the special permissions obtained for those calls.
Port Health is available at Port Blair. Availability at other islands is subject to special permission.
Plant Quarantine has a presence at Port Blair. It is also available at Nancowry (Kamorta) and Port Meadows, with advance notice required for those locations.
What this means operationally is that calling any port beyond Port Blair requires advance planning across every one of these facilities. Availability cannot be assumed. Each needs to be confirmed and arranged as part of the pre-call coordination.
Why Local Agent Support Is Essential Here
Foreign flag vessel clearance in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands involves the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, customs, immigration, port health, plant quarantine, and the port authority. These are separate bodies, and no single government window manages all of them.
More importantly, the prior approval requirement means the process starts well before your vessel arrives. A local agent manages the full chain: the pre-approval application to the Administration, coordination with each facility, documentation submission, port authority liaison, and outward clearance when your call is complete.
The difference between a smooth call and a vessel sitting at anchorage waiting on approvals that should have been in place is almost always the presence or absence of a competent local agent who has done this before.
At Anko Marine, we have been handling foreign flag vessels at Port Blair and across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for over two decades. We know the Administration, we know the process, and we know what needs to happen and when to make sure your call goes the way it should.
If your vessel is planning a call to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, get in touch before you finalize your schedule. The earlier we start, the smoother the arrival.
Anko Marine is a Port Blair-based shipping agency providing port agency services, vessel clearance, husbandry, offshore support, and logistics across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
