Emigration check eased...
Kindly note with effect from 01st October, 2007 Indians travelling abroad for reasons other than employment will not required POE (emigration clearance) for any country.

However, People travelling abroad for employment on a passport with ECR mark would still have to obtain emigration clearance before leaving the country.

LIST OF PERSONS/CATEGORIES OF WORKERS IN WHOSE CASE EMIGRATION CHECK IS NOT REQUIRED
  1. All holders of Diplomatic / Official Passports.
  2. Persons holding permanent immigration Visas, such as the visas of UK, USA and Australia.
  3. All Gazetted Government servants.
  4. All Income-tax payers (including Agricultural Income-tax payees) in their individual capacity.
  5. Persons possessing two years’ diploma from any institute recognized by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) or State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT) or persons holding three years’ diploma/equivalent degree from institutions like Polytechnics recognised by Central/State Governments.
  6. All professional degree holders, such as Doctors holding M.B.B.S. degrees or Degrees in Ayurved or Homoeopathy; Accredited Journalists; Engineers; Chartered Accountants; Lecturers; Teachers; Scientists; Advocates etc.
  7. Spouses and dependent children of category of persons listed from (2) to (4).
  8. Nurses possessing qualification recognised under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947.
  9. All persons having educational qualification of matriculation and above.
  10. All persons above the age of 50 years.
  11. Seamen who are in possession of CDC or Sea Cadets, Desk Cadets (i) who have passed final examination of three year B.Sc. Nautical Sciences Courses at T.S. Chanakya, Mumbai; and (ii) who have undergone three months Pre-sea training at any of the Government approved Training Institutes such as T.S. Chanakya, T.S. Rehman, T.S. Jawahar, MTI (SCI) and NIPM, Chennai after production of identity cards issued by the Shipping Master, Mumbai/Calcutta/ Chennai.
  12. All persons who have been staying abroad for more than three years (the period of three years could be either in one stretch or broken) and their spouses
  13. All children upto the age of 18 years of age. (At the time of re-issue at the age of 18 years, ECR stamping shall be done, if applicable).

List of 174 countries which do not require Emigration Clearance.
Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia Zimbabwe and Vatican City.

List of the countries which require Emigration Clearance

  • United Arab Emirates (UAE)
  • The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
  • Qatar
  • Oman
  • Kuwait
  • Bahrain
  • Malaysia
  • Libya
  • Jordan
  • Yemen
  • Sudan
  • Brunei
  • Afghanistan
  • Indonesia
  • Syria
  • Lebanon
  • Thailand
  • Iraq (emigration banned)

OFFICES OF PROTECTOR OF EMIGRANTS
 
Delhi: Jaisalmer House, Canteen Block, New Delhi. Tele. 233 82472

Chennai: TNHB Ashok Nagar, Shopping Complex (Annexe), Ashok Nagar, Chennai-83.
Tele 044-24891337

Triuvananthapuram: Suganthi, 24/846(1), Thycaud, Triuvananthapuram- 694 014.
Tele. 0471- 2324835.
 
Kolkata: Room No. 118,A Wing, M.S.O. Building, D.F. Block, Salt Lake, Kolkata- 700 084
Tele. 033 23343407

Mumbai: Building ‘E’ Khira Nagar, S.V. Road, Santa Cruz (W),
Mumbai -54  Tele 022-26614393, 26614353
 
Cochin: Mercy Estate, Ravipuram, M.G. Road, Cochin - 682 015.
Tele 0484-2360187
 
Chandigarh: Kendriya Sadan,5th Block,Ground Floor,Sector 9-A, Chandigarh-160 017.
Tele. 0172- 741790

Hydrabad: A.P.H.B. Chandra Vihar, M.G. Road, Hydrabad - 500 001.
Tele. 040 24732869 P.P.