If you are traveling in the northeast of India and want to go on the monastery route, you should know that you need a permit to enter Sikkim, and if you are in Darjeeling, you are in luck, because we are going to explain the steps to follow to get it quickly.
The first thing you need to do is to go to the Foreigners Registration Office, opposite the Darjeeling clock tower (you can see the map below), where you will have to fill out a form with your details and the dates to enter Sikkim. Once you have filled it out, they will stamp and sign it. With this paper you have to continue to the next step.
NOTE: Our reader Vanessa has sent us a photo of the current office, which is in the same place and is the same building, but now has had a facelift and is also a police station. We thank her a thousand times here 🙂
Then, with the above form, you have to go to the District Magistrate’s Office. This time you have to walk a little further, leaving the urban center of Darjeeling. It is about a 15-20 minutes walk from the previous place. We also leave here the map, so you don’t get lost.
The correct office is on the first floor, just follow the sign as you go up the stairs.
And there, a friendly lady will ask you for your passports in a matter of 5 minutes, so she can stamp them and give you the duly completed permit.
And here is our permission to enter Sikkim as a sample. Easy isn’t it?
