Chandigarh, Nov 3 The Haryana government is set to introduce an effective regulatory mechanism to protect the state’s youth from unscrupulous individuals who deceive them with promises of overseas employment and better career prospects and facilitate illegal migration abroad.
The Haryana Cabinet, which met here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, approved the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Rules, 2026, under the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Act, 2025.
The primary objective of these rules is to safeguard the state’s youth against fraudulent travel agents, illegal overseas recruitment, human trafficking and unlawful activities such as the “dunki route”, while ensuring transparency and accountability in the travel agency business.
Many youth from Haryana have earlier narrated how they were exploited by unscrupulous travel agents.
In June, a youth from Kurukshetra had narrated a harrowing ordeal of alleged torture, extortion, and imprisonment after being sent to Europe through the illegal “dunki route” by travel agents who had promised him legal passage to Moldova.
Under the new rules, registration will be mandatory for all new and existing travel agents operating in the state. Separate registration will be required for every new office or branch.
Similarly, separate registration will be mandatory for each service category, including passport services, tour and travel agency services, study visa consultancy and ticketing services, an official statement said.
To ensure financial accountability, a registration fee of Rs 5,000 has been prescribed for each service category. Police verification of every applicant will be mandatory before registration to ensure proper background checks of individuals engaged in the business.
Upon receipt of the police verification report, the competent authority will issue the registration certificate within 30 days. The certificate will remain valid for three years.
To facilitate public convenience and ensure transparency, travel agents will be issued digital registration certificates equipped with QR codes. Citizens will be able to scan these codes to verify the authenticity and validity of the concerned agent’s registration.
In addition, district-wise lists of registered travel agents, along with their registration certificates, will be made available on the Antyodaya SARAL Portal as well as the official websites of the Home Department and Police Department, enabling citizens to easily verify the legitimacy of travel agents.
As per the rules, every registered travel agent will be required to display the registration number and the dates of issuance and expiry of the registration certificate both inside and outside their office. It will also be mandatory to mention the registration number in advertisements, on websites and on other online portals.
According to the government, these rules will bring greater transparency to the functioning of travel agents and help protect young people from illegal overseas recruitment, human trafficking and other unlawful activities.
(PTI News)
