Starting a Homestay in Nagaland

01 / Executive finding

The practical starting point

• The current State policy instrument located is the Nagaland Tourism Policy, 2024, notified by the Department of Tourism through Circular No. TRSM-17/13/2001 dated 14 March 2024, with immediate effect. The Department describes itself as the State nodal tourism agency and specifically lists approval and categorisation of homestays among its regulatory functions. [S1, opening notification; Role and Function]
• A current authenticated Nagaland rule defining “homestay” and setting applicant, residence, room, bed, document, fee, inspection, validity and renewal requirements was not located. The 2024 Policy itself says homestays/Special Paying Guest accommodation will be introduced at selected places/villages and that “appropriate regulatory guidelines will be brought out.” [S1, §8.2(a)]
• The Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 2000, Act No. 6 of 2000, remains published on the State portal and India Code. Its broad definition of “hotel” includes lodges, resorts and houses supplying lodging for monetary consideration, and Part III requires a person proposing to operate a hotel in a notified tourist area to register. [S2, ss.1–2, 9]
• The Act cannot safely be treated as a complete current homestay licensing route. Section 1(3) says it commences on a separately notified Gazette date, “tourist area” requires notification, and the required current commencement/tourist-area notifications were Not stated in the current official material reviewed. A CAG audit found historically that no tourist area had been notified and no dealers/hotels/travel agents had been registered under the Act. [S2, ss.1(3), 2(l), 9; S5, para 2.3.23]
• Official sources are internally inconsistent about the Act. The 2024 Policy creates/anticipates a Registration Cell for registrations “under the Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Act,” yet §8.2(c) says there is a need to “introduce” the Tourist Trade Act and Rules. This is an unresolved State-law implementation conflict. [S1, §8.1(b), §8.2(c)]
• Nagaland’s current Ease of Doing Business service inventory expressly lists “Registration of Homestay” as a Tourism Department service, and the Tourism Department maintains a public page listing homestays. However, an authenticated public application form, login journey, fee schedule, document list and current homestay inspection checklist were not exposed through the material inspected. [S6, service item 274; S7, homestay listing]
• Consequently, State-law applicant eligibility remains unresolved for companies, LLPs, partnerships, lessees, non-resident owners, caretakers and professional managers. The 2000 Act's general definition of “person” encompasses firms/companies and its “hotel-keeper” definition can include a person managing for a proprietor, but that does not establish that such structures qualify for the distinct State homestay category. [S2, s.2; S1, §8.2]
• No verified State homestay room/bed cap is publishable from authenticated Nagaland rules. The frequently usable figures of 1–9 rooms and up to 20 beds belong instead to DPIIT's UNNATI 2024 Homestay Guidelines, an incentive eligibility/classification regime for the North-East; they must not be represented as Nagaland's general homestay licensing limit. [S12, pp.8–10]
• Under the separate UNNATI homestay incentive route, qualifying units require at least ₹50 lakh investment, State Tourism registration/endorsement, location within 10 km of notified tourist attraction points/events, specified property/facility standards, and ordinarily 1–9 rooms/20 beds. Nagaland's Industries & Commerce Department currently identifies Nagaland as Zone B. [S12, pp.6–11; S14, UNNATI page]
• The UNNATI application period was officially extended in April 2026 from 31 March 2026 to 30 September 2026, with grant-of-registration processing extended to 31 March 2027. Application or expenditure does not guarantee sanction; the main scheme expressly makes approval and availability of approved funds relevant. [S13, clauses C–D; S11, §§5–6]
• For foreign guests, current national law is clear: Rule 17 of the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 expressly covers home stays; the keeper must maintain prescribed foreigner information electronically for at least one year and electronically transmit Form III within 24 hours of arrival and departure. [S15, r.17]
• Foreign tourists currently require a Protected Area Permit for Nagaland. MHA withdrew the earlier Protected Area relaxation with immediate effect on 17 December 2024; the Nagaland ILP portal, last updated 15 July 2026, also states that PAP is mandatory. Older official Nagaland pages suggesting foreigners require no PAP are stale and must not be followed. [S18, paras 3–5; S19, portal information]
• Food compliance is separate from tourism registration. From 1 April 2026, FSSAI's revised turnover categorisation places registration up to ₹1.5 crore, State licence above ₹1.5 crore up to ₹50 crore and Central licence above ₹50 crore, with licences/registrations having perpetual validity unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered. Exact FoSCoS Kind-of-Business treatment must be determined for the property's food operation. [S21, FAQ Q1–Q4]

02 / Document chronology

Use the current rules and implementation

2000 — Tourist Trade Act

The Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 2000 received gubernatorial assent on 14 September 2000. Section 1(3), however, makes commencement dependent upon a Government Gazette notification. [S2, s.1(3)] The Act:

• extends to the whole State;
• defines a broad “hotel” to include houses providing lodging for monetary consideration;
• separately defines “tourist area” as an area notified by Government;
• requires hotel registration in such tourist areas;
• allows rules to prescribe forms, fees, classification and records. [S2, ss.1–2, 9, 51]

2001 — Tourist Trade Rules, historical evidence

The 2017 CAG report says the Department introduced Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Rules in May 2001. The Tourism RTI disclosure instead labels a held instrument “Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Rules, 2000.” [S4, Manual V; S5, para 2.3.23] An authenticated current copy of those Rules was Not stated in the current official material reviewed. The CAG found that, at the audited time, the Department had not notified any tourist area, had not registered dealers/hotelkeepers/travel agents and had not collected the prescribed fees, while still publicising hotels, homestays and tour operators. [S5, para 2.3.23]

2018 — Central Ministry of Tourism B&B/Homestay classification

The Ministry's 2018 Guidelines replaced its earlier national B&B/Homestay classification guidelines. They distinguish:

• Homestay: owner/promoter and family physically live in the establishment;
• B&B: owner does not reside, but a designated agent/operator does. Both national categories use 1–6 guest rooms/12 beds. [S10, p.4] These are national classification standards, not a substitute for Nagaland permission.

14 March 2024 — Nagaland Tourism Policy 2024

The Policy was notified with immediate effect under Circular No. TRSM-17/13/2001. [S1, opening notification] It:

• makes Tourism the nodal agency;
• identifies homestay approval/categorisation as a function;
• favours rural/village homestay development;
• proposes a Research Cell cum Registration Cell for Act registration;
• says homestay/Special PG regulatory guidelines “will be brought out”;
• paradoxically says the Tourist Trade Act and Rules still need to be “introduced.” [S1, Role; §§8.1–8.2] No express repeal/supersession of the 2000 Act was located.

9 March 2024 — UNNATI 2024

DPIIT notified UNNATI for all eight North-Eastern States, including Nagaland. It is an incentive scheme, not a replacement State tourism law. [S11, §§1–5]

17 December 2024 — PAP reinstated

MHA withdrew the earlier Protected Area relaxation and again brought the whole of Nagaland within the Protected Area regime. [S18, paras 3–5]

2025 — UNNATI Homestay Guidelines

DPIIT published specific homestay guidelines prescribing incentive eligibility, property and classification standards. [S12]

1 September 2025 — Immigration and Foreigners Rules 2025

Rule 17 replaced the old foreigner accommodation reporting framework with a current Form III-based electronic reporting obligation covering homestays. [S15, r.17]

4 September 2025 — Dimapur ILP implementation order

The Dimapur DC's revised ILP guidelines specifically required hotels, guest houses, resorts and homestays to inform police about arrivals of guests from outside Nagaland. This is relied upon only within that order's jurisdiction, not as a proven State-wide Tourism rule. [S20]

2025 — apparent newer Tourist Trade Rules copy

A non-government-hosted apparent 2025 Rules document was discovered but not authenticated against a Nagaland Gazette/Department source. Its requirements are not incorporated as law.

1 April 2026 — UNNATI amendment

The UNNATI registration application deadline changed to 30 September 2026 and the grant period to 31 March 2027. [S13, C–D]

1 April 2026 — FSSAI reform effective

Revised food-business turnover thresholds and perpetual validity became effective for relevant new licensing/registration actions. [S21]

03 / Category definitions

Choose the right accommodation category

Practical rule: Do not transfer the MoT 6-room rule or the UNNATI 9-room rule into the Nagaland State-homestay row.

04 / Eligibility decision tree

Check whether the applicant and property qualify

Step 1 — Establish the exact property address and local-body category.

• Identify village/town/municipal area, district, ward/village council and whether the site is inside or near a protected/forest/heritage area.
• If the Tourism Directorate confirms that the address is within a currently accepted State homestay place/category: continue.
• If no current selected-area list or destination eligibility can be produced: Confirm this in writing with the authority. [S1, §8.2(a)] Step 2 — Establish property ownership or lease position.
• If individual owner with clean title: continue to applicant/residency check.
• If inherited, jointly owned, customary title, village allocation or co-owned: obtain title and consent position before relying on tourism eligibility — Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• If lessee: Nagaland State homestay eligibility for a lessee is not authenticated — Not established in the published material.
• If only pursuing UNNATI, a registered lease can be eligible under that separate scheme subject to its duration/claim requirements — This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks only for the UNNATI scheme, not for State registration. [S12, pp.9–10] Step 3 — Identify the proposed registration holder.
• Individual resident homeowner: State eligibility particulars still missing, but this structure is closest to conventional homestay concepts — Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Company/LLP/partnership/trust/society: the general Act's “person” definition is insufficient to prove homestay-category eligibility — Not established in the published material.
• Professional manager without property/applicant eligibility: Not established in the published material. Step 4 — Establish who will live at or near the property.
• Owner/family residing in property: compatible with the Central MoT homestay definition and potentially compatible with State concept, but State rule missing — Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Owner elsewhere, caretaker residing/nearby:
• UNNATI scheme: caretaker route expressly contemplated;
• Nagaland State homestay: Not established in the published material.
• Owner absent and professional operator resident: may fit Central MoT B&B, not its Homestay classification — Consider another accommodation category. [S10, p.4] Step 5 — Fix the room and bed plan.
• Do not design a State project around 6 rooms, 9 rooms or 20 beds without current Tourism confirmation.
• If applying under UNNATI: 1–9 rooms / maximum 20 beds is a published scheme criterion — This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks only if all other UNNATI criteria are met. [S12, p.10]
• If the proposed capacity exceeds the authority-confirmed homestay cap: Consider another accommodation category. Step 6 — Establish development status.
• Existing/running home: verify lawful building use, State homestay route, local-body requirements and any legacy tourism listing/certificate.
• Building requiring renovation/change of use: tourism eligibility does not authorise building work — Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Land/new construction: obtain land/title and planning position before treating homestay registration as available — Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Capital only/no property selected: there is no address on which regulatory eligibility can yet be tested — Not established in the published material until a candidate site and applicant structure are identified. Use these branches as a starting test and confirm the result for the exact property.

05 / Applicant and operating structures

Set the ownership and operating structure

Important separation of roles

For each project, separately record:

1. land/title holder;
2. building owner;
3. eligible tourism applicant;
4. registration/certificate holder;
5. resident host or caretaker;
6. operating/management entity;
7. employer of staff;
8. food-business operator;
9. GST contracting entity;
10. investor/lender. The sources do not establish that these roles may freely be split between entities.

06 / Property and classification standards

Prepare the property for inspection

Critical scope note: The UNNATI standards in this table are not proof that a non-UNNATI Nagaland homestay is lawfully limited to those parameters.

07 / Documents and declarations

Assemble the application file

Photographs, plans, maps and file formats

State homestay-specific:

• number/type of photographs: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• site plan/floor plan requirement: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• sanctioned-building plan upload: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• Google/location map: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• permitted PDF/JPEG size: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• signature/e-sign requirement: Not stated in the material reviewed. These details should be obtained from the current Tourism Directorate form before preparing an application package.

Download the Nagaland property and application checklist ↓

08 / Application and inspection process

Follow the application and inspection process

A. Nagaland State homestay route

Because the State publishes the service but not the authenticated current application package inspected for this guide, only the following sequence can safely be used.

The 2000 Act provides that a Part III hotel-registration application is to be disposed of in six months, failing which it is deemed accepted. This should not be treated as the current Nagaland homestay processing guarantee until Tourism confirms that the Act has commenced, the relevant site is within a notified tourist area and Part III is in fact the legal basis of the present homestay service. [S2, s.9(3)]

B. Optional UNNATI funding route

This is additional to, not a substitute for, State Tourism registration.

1. Establish State Tourism registration/endorsement. [S12, p.10]
2. Confirm the property lies within the scheme's geographic eligibility criteria, including the 10-km tourist-attraction/event rule and applicable State notification/list. The Nagaland-specific attraction list was Not stated in the material reviewed. [S12, p.8]
3. Confirm ₹50 lakh minimum qualifying service investment and other scheme conditions. [S12, p.6]
4. Prepare project/land/financial records and register through the official UNNATI portal.
5. DIC and the prescribed State/DPIIT layers scrutinise the application. Nagaland Industries describes the implementation route as DIC → Directorate → Secretary-level recommending committee → DPIIT-level approval. [S14]
6. Homestay evaluation involves the prescribed district-level Evaluation Committee under the homestay guidelines. [S12, p.13]
7. Registration/sanction remains discretionary within the scheme framework; application confers no right to benefits. [S11, §5]
8. Incentive claims arise only after applicable operational/investment milestones; the Homestay Guidelines state that a homestay holder can apply for incentive after one year of operation and must meet annual-booking requirements. [S12, p.8]

09 / Fees, timelines, validity and renewal

Confirm fees, timing and certificate validity

Legacy certificates

No authoritative current transitional rule was located describing:

• treatment of old Paying Guest approvals;
• conversion of old homestay listings into new certificates;
• whether pre-2024 certificates remain valid indefinitely or for a fixed period;
• automatic migration into an EoDB/NTSW service. Any running property should obtain written confirmation of its present certificate status rather than rely on its presence on the Tourism website.

10 / Operating duties after registration

Run the registered homestay correctly

Certificate and billing

If the 2000 Act applies to the establishment:

• prescribed information must be displayed conspicuously under s.16;
• detailed bills and payment receipts must be provided under s.17;
• the registration certificate is to be exhibited conspicuously under s.42;
• the certificate must not be lent, transferred or assigned under s.30. [S2, ss.16–17, 30, 42] The exact homestay-specific rate board/complaint notice format is Not stated in the material reviewed.

Rates

The 2000 Act allows the prescribed authority to fix maximum hotel rates through the specified notification mechanism. A current Nagaland homestay tariff notification was Not stated in the material reviewed.

Guest identification and domestic records

A State-wide current Tourism rule specifying:

• domestic guest identity documents;
• register format;
• domestic record-retention period;
• visitor register;
• monthly occupancy return, was Not stated in the current official material reviewed. For UNNATI units, the scheme separately requires guest identity/register practices and monitoring records; these are scheme conditions, not evidence of a universal State register.

Foreign guests

Rule 17 of the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 is mandatory nationally:

• foreigner includes OCI cardholder for this reporting provision;
• arrival particulars and signature are required;
• departure date/time/onward address are recorded;
• records are kept electronically for at least one year;
• Form III is transmitted electronically within 24 hours after arrival;
• departure details are transmitted electronically within 24 hours after departure;
• “accommodation” expressly includes home stay. [S15, r.17] Nagaland Police/DIPR notices in 2026 have reiterated this requirement. [S17]

Out-of-State domestic guests / ILP

The Dimapur DC's September 2025 guidelines state that hotels, guest houses, resorts and homestays must inform police of arrivals of guests from outside Nagaland. [S20] This guide does not extrapolate that district-level order into a proven identical State-wide lodging-reporting format.

PAP/ILP checking

Foreign guests must presently comply with PAP requirements. Domestic guests for whom ILP is required must hold the appropriate permit. Accommodation operators should verify current permit conditions without assuming that tourism registration itself performs immigration/ILP compliance. [S18–S20]

Tourism statistics

The 2024 Policy says the Research Cell cum Registration Cell will gather tourism information/statistics. [S1, §8.1(b)] A current State homestay rule requiring monthly/quarterly returns from every unit was Not stated in the material reviewed. UNNATI units separately face scheme monitoring, including annual financial reporting to DIC and annual booking performance. [S12, p.13]

Staff/caretakers

• Universal State homestay staff-police-verification rule: Not stated in the material reviewed.
• UNNATI local Police Clearance Certificate: required and annually renewed under the scheme. [S12, p.11]
• UNNATI caretaker: formally authorised by owner, agreement displayed and caretaker should not manage more than two scheme homestays. [S12, p.9]

Training/local employment

The 2024 Policy emphasises local skills and capacity building. A mandatory homestay local-hiring percentage was Not stated in the material reviewed. [S1, §§8.4 etc.] UNNATI monitoring calls for minimum 50% participation in specified training sessions/workshops. This is a funding-scheme condition only. [S12, p.13]

Food

Food service requires separate Food Safety Act/FSSAI compliance appropriate to the activity. Tourism registration does not resolve this.

Safety and waste

Actual local waste, sanitation, fire and safety obligations remain additional. The 2000 Act expressly preserves local-authority powers. [S2, s.49]

Insurance

Mandatory Nagaland homestay insurance: Not stated in the current official material reviewed. As a business-risk recommendation rather than a located legal rule, each project should obtain advice on property, fire, public-liability, employee and vehicle cover applicable to its actual operations.

11 / Adjacent approvals and dependencies

Close the approvals outside Tourism

The statutory reason for keeping these layers separate is reinforced by s.49 of the 2000 Act, which provides that the Act does not take away or diminish local-authority powers. [S2, s.49]

12 / Incentives, subsidy and funding

Evaluate incentives without assuming sanction

A. UNNATI 2024 — principal verified homestay funding route

Scheme: Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme (UNNATI), 2024 — Homestay Guidelines. Authority: DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Coverage: Nagaland and the other North-Eastern States. [S11; S12]

Eligible applicant/property conditions relevant to homestays

Published scheme conditions include:

• minimum investment of ₹50 lakh for the homestay/MSME service route; [S12, p.6]
• State Tourism registration/valid certificate or endorsement; [S12, p.10]
• ordinarily within 10 km of main tourist attraction points/events; State is to notify qualifying geographical areas/attractions; [S12, p.8]
• legal ownership or qualifying registered lease documentation; [S12, pp.9–10]
• 1–9 rooms and maximum 20 beds; [S12, p.10]
• applicable local registrations, licences, land-use requirements, PCC and other scheme conditions. [S12, pp.10–11] Nagaland-specific 10-km attraction notification/list: Not stated in the current official material reviewed.

Zone

The Government of Nagaland Industries & Commerce implementation page states: “Nagaland falls under Zone B under the Scheme.” [S14] A property should nevertheless confirm its address mapping in the current UNNATI system, especially where district boundaries/nomenclature have changed.

Capital Investment Incentive — CII

For Zone B, the Homestay Guidelines state:

• where GST is applicable: 50% of eligible investment, capped at ₹7.5 crore;
• where GST is not applicable/exempt: 50%, capped at ₹10 crore. [S12, p.7] Eligible expenditure and asset timing must satisfy UNNATI rules; headline percentages are not a reimbursement of every rupee spent.

Central Capital Interest Subvention — CIS

For Zone B:

• 5% interest subvention;
• up to 7 years, subject to the scheme's eligible financing and claim rules. [S12, p.7] The underlying scheme routes eligible financing through qualifying banks/financial institutions; sanction is not automatic.

Manufacturing & Services Linked Incentive — MSLI

For new eligible Zone B units, the guidelines state:

• upper eligibility limit of 100% of eligible investment value for the component;
• actual incentive is linked to net GST payment, generally GST paid less input tax credit, for the prescribed eligible period;
• valid GSTIN is required for this component. [S12, pp.7–8] This is not equivalent to a guaranteed cash grant equal to total project cost.

Operational conditions

The Homestay Guidelines state:

• minimum 10 bookings annually to claim incentives;
• incentive application only after one year of operation;
• annual monitoring;
• other State benefits may be used only without duplicating assistance on the same component. [S12, pp.8,13]

Application timing

The April 2026 amendment changed:

• application deadline → 30 September 2026;
• deadline for grant/disposal of registration → 31 March 2027. [S13, C–D] The main scheme additionally makes clear that:
• merely applying does not create entitlement;
• there is no right to register or obtain incentives without competent-authority approval;
• availability of approved funds is part of registration consideration. [S11, §5] Current open-status conclusion as of 05 September 2026: the notified application window has not yet expired, but the guide does not represent that every homestay application is guaranteed to be accepted by the portal or sanctioned because the scheme permits funding/registration controls.

B. Nagaland Tourism Policy incentives

The 2024 Policy states that:

• registered eligible tourism units including homestays may receive marketing/promotional support;
• event-support arrangements are contemplated;
• HRD/training assistance is contemplated;
• awards include “Best Home-Stays.” [S1, §8.7] However:
• current quantified homestay capital-assistance amount: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• current FY 2026-27 homestay marketing reimbursement ceiling: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• current HRD subsidy formula/ceiling: Not stated in the material reviewed;
• current application window/forms: Not stated in the material reviewed. The Policy also refers to older State Industrial Policy 2000 benefits. Those references should not be converted into a present 2026 subsidy promise without the current operative Industries notification/scheme. [S1, §8.7]

13 / Business implications

Translate the rules into a workable project

Before selecting or acquiring property

the project team should establish, for every candidate:

1. exact address, district and local-body/village category;
2. title type, transfer/lease status and customary/community constraints;
3. whether Tourism will accept the address into the current homestay category;
4. eligible registration-holder identity;
5. owner/family/caretaker residence requirements;
6. permissible State homestay scale;
7. current building use and approval status;
8. access, utilities and local trade requirements;
9. protected-area/forest/environment dependencies;
10. whether the intended property structure can support the proposed operating model. Capital alone does not resolve any of those eligibility questions.

Before construction or renovation

Do not design around the UNNATI 9-room maximum or MoT 6-room maximum unless the project is deliberately pursuing those respective classifications. For State registration, the controlling Nagaland room/bed/building standard must first be obtained from Tourism. New construction additionally needs address-specific planning/building review; Tourism Policy support is not a building sanction.

Registration holder versus operator

A registration-holder/operator split is not presently established for the State homestay category. Although:

• the general Tourist Trade Act recognises management of a hotel on behalf of a proprietor; and
• UNNATI recognises caretakers, neither proposition proves that a Nagaland homestay certificate can be held by one entity while a separate company operates it under a management agreement. Written Tourism confirmation is necessary before structuring contracts around that assumption.

LLP or management agreement

An LLP incorporation certificate or management contract can allocate commercial duties between parties. It cannot by itself:

• make the LLP an eligible State homestay applicant;
• cure defective title;
• satisfy an owner-residence rule if one exists;
• authorise land use;
• replace local trade/fire/FSSAI requirements;
• transfer a tourism certificate contrary to its governing rules.

Property-development scope

The project's architectural/development scope should remain conditional on:

• verified title;
• sanctioned use;
• local planning/building permission;
• Tourism category/room limits;
• fire/sanitation requirements;
• environmental constraints;
• UNNATI standards only if incentive eligibility is actually targeted.

Property assessment and commercial planning

Each assessment should show separate columns for:

• legal title;
• tourism category;
• registration holder;
• operator;
• host/caretaker;
• maximum verified State guest-room capacity;
• local-body use/trade status;
• building regularity;
• food plan;
• foreign-guest readiness;
• access/utilities;
• safety/fire status;
• incentive eligibility;
• unresolved authority questions.

Questions required before proposing business terms

Before ownership percentages, investment obligations, development budgets, management fees or revenue-share terms are proposed, determine:

• who can legally hold the Tourism registration;
• whether lease/management structures are accepted;
• whether host residence is required;
• approved room/bed number;
• which entity owns improvements;
• which party obtains adjacent licences;
• certificate treatment on sale/death/lease termination/operator change;
• whether intended funding is conditional on UNNATI;
• whether an existing running unit possesses a valid certificate rather than only a tourism-directory listing.

14 / Official-source conflicts

Resolve conflicting official instructions

Conflict 1 — Is the 2000 Act already the operative registration framework?

Source A: The Tourist Trade Act itself remains on India Code and the Nagaland State portal. The 2024 Policy says a Research Cell cum Registration Cell will undertake registration under that Act. [S2; S1 §8.1] Source B: The same 2024 Policy, §8.2(c), says “There is a need to introduce the Tourist Trade Act and Rules in the State.” [S1, §8.2(c)] Contradiction: registration is described both as taking place under an existing Act and as requiring introduction of that Act/Rules. Hierarchy/date: the Policy does not expressly repeal the Act. No commencement notification resolving s.1(3) was located. Result: The official sources are not aligned. Affected properties: every proposed/running accommodation whose State registration is said to derive from the Tourist Trade Act. Authority to resolve: Commissioner & Secretary/Director/Registrar, Department of Tourism, preferably with the current Gazette notification and rules.

Conflict 2 — Historic absence of tourist-area notifications versus present Homestay Registration service

Source A: CAG's 2017 audit records that the Department had not notified tourist areas or registered dealers/hotelkeepers/travel agents. [S5, para 2.3.23] Source B: Current EoDB inventory now expressly lists “Registration of Homestay.” [S6] Contradiction: not a direct temporal contradiction—the system may have changed—but the intervening Gazette instrument establishing the current legal route was not located. Result: The official sources are not aligned / DOCUMENT CHAIN INCOMPLETE. Affected properties: all new applications. Authority to resolve: Tourism Registrar/Directorate; request notification numbers for commencement, prescribed authority, current Rules and tourist areas.

Conflict 3 — 2024 Policy promises future homestay guidelines while current registration service exists

Source A: Policy §8.2(a): appropriate homestay regulatory guidelines “will be brought out.” [S1] Source B: EoDB lists “Registration of Homestay.” [S6] Practical effect: an applicant can identify a service but cannot reproduce its legal eligibility/document/fee process from authenticated current public materials inspected. Result: The official sources are not aligned.

Conflict 4 — Tourist Trade Rules date/history

Source A: CAG says Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Rules were introduced in May 2001. [S5] Source B: Tourism's RTI disclosure labels a held document “Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Rules, 2000.” [S4] Result: The official sources are not aligned as to naming/date; authenticated operative Rules and publication details must be obtained.

Conflict 5 — Apparent 2025 Rules document

A third-party copy appears to contain a newer and much more detailed Tourist Trade Rules framework. No corresponding official Gazette/Department copy was located after searches by title and distinctive text. Result: the document is Background source only and its homestay conditions must not appear in a public guide as legal requirements. Authority to resolve: Tourism Directorate should state whether a 2025 Tourist Trade Rules notification exists and supply Gazette number/date/file.

Conflict 6 — PAP: current MHA/Home position versus stale State web material

Current Source A: MHA's 17 December 2024 circular withdrew the exemption and requires PAP for foreign visitors to Nagaland. [S18] Current Source B: Nagaland ILP portal, updated July 2026, says PAP is mandatory. [S19] Older Nagaland informational pages have historically stated that PAP had been scrapped/relaxed. Hierarchy/date resolution: current MHA circular + current Home/ILP implementation prevail over stale informational pages. Result: RESOLVED BY DATE AND AUTHORITY — PAP REQUIRED, subject to any later MHA order.

Conflict 7 — UNNATI FSSAI wording versus current food law

UNNATI p.10 says homestays with more than four rooms and a separate kitchen are required to obtain an FSSAI licence. [S12] FSSAI's current legal categorisation, effective 1 April 2026, determines Registration/State/Central licensing using its applicable food-business framework and turnover thresholds. [S21] Result: The UNNATI clause is treated as a scheme requirement, not a legal statement that properties with four or fewer rooms are exempt from FSSAI law or that every >4-room property necessarily belongs in the same FSSAI licence class.

Conflict 8 — UNNATI deadline on Nagaland Industries page

The Nagaland Industries implementation page still displays 31 March 2026 in some sections. [S14] The later Gazette amendment dated 1 April 2026 substitutes 30 September 2026. [S13] Resolution: S13 is later and expressly amends the notification. 30 September 2026 controls.

15 / Unresolved questions for the authority

Take the remaining questions to the authority

The following questions should be sent in writing to the Department of Tourism:

1. Please provide the current Gazette notification, Government Order or notified Rules governing “Registration of Homestay” presently listed on Nagaland EoDB, including notification number, date and effective date.
2. Has the Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 2000 been brought into force under s.1(3)? If yes, please provide the commencement notification.
3. Which areas are currently notified as “tourist areas” under s.2(l) of the 2000 Act? Please provide all operative notifications.
4. Does Part III of the 2000 Act legally govern the present Homestay Registration service, or is the service administered under a separate scheme/order?
5. The Tourism Policy 2024 §8.2(c) says the Tourist Trade Act and Rules need to be introduced, while §8.1 says the Registration Cell will register activities under the Act. How should applicants reconcile these provisions?
6. Were revised Nagaland Registration of Tourist Trade Rules notified in or around 2025? If yes, please provide the authenticated Gazette copy, notification number and all annexures/forms.
7. What is the current official State definition of “homestay,” and how does it differ from Paying Guest, guest house, lodge, hotel, resort and B&B?
8. Are homestays currently restricted to selected villages/places under §8.2(a)? If so, please provide the current eligible-place/destination list.
9. Must the applicant be a Nagaland permanent resident, indigenous inhabitant, domicile holder or other local-residency category?
10. Must the property owner or owner's family physically reside in the same house?
11. Can an owner living elsewhere use a resident or nearby caretaker?
12. Can an individual holding a registered long-term lease apply as the certificate holder?
13. Can a private limited company, LLP, partnership firm, trust or society be the State homestay registration holder?
14. Can the Tourism certificate holder appoint a separate professional management company? If yes, must the manager/operator be approved or endorsed on the certificate?
15. What is the current minimum and maximum number of guestrooms, beds and total guests under the State homestay category?
16. Is there a distinction between total bedrooms in the owner's house and bedrooms permitted for guests?
17. Please provide the current State classification/inspection checklist, including minimum room/bathroom/common-area and safety standards.
18. Please provide the complete current application form and list of mandatory documents.
19. Are title documents, co-owner consent, affidavit/stamp paper, PCC, character certificate, local NOC, trade licence, building plan, occupancy/completion certificate or fire NOC mandatory? For which property types?
20. What are the current application, inspection, classification and renewal fees, and is any fee refundable following refusal?
21. What is the current processing timeline, and is it statutory, administrative or indicative?
22. For how long is the current homestay registration valid?
23. What is the renewal window and procedure?
24. How must additional rooms, operator changes, ownership changes or renovation be reported?
25. How are inheritance, sale, lease termination or change of control treated?
26. What domestic guest register and retention period are required by the Tourism Department?
27. Must homestays submit monthly/quarterly tourism statistics? If yes, please provide the form/portal.
28. Which Tourism office handles applications for each district, and what is the appeal/escalation hierarchy?
29. For UNNATI Homestay applications, please provide Nagaland's notified list of tourist attractions/geographical areas for the 10-km eligibility test.
30. Which current State Tourism incentives for homestays have a live FY 2026-27 application window, quantified ceiling and sanctioned budget?

Current contact route

Directorate of Tourism Opp. Indoor Stadium, Raj Bhawan Road, Kohima – 797001 General: nagalandtourisminfo@gmail.com Homestay/training/tour-operator queries: training.nagalandtrsm@gmail.com Phone: +91 370 2243124 Current Tourism page also identifies a Registrar and district Tourist Officers. [S8]