Haryana to revise Travel Agents Act following MEA concerns
Amended Bill likely to be introduced in ongoing budget session
The Haryana Government is set to amend the ‘Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Act, 2025’ following objections raised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The amended Bill is likely to be introduced during the ongoing budget session of the Haryana Legislative Assembly.
The MEA has informed the state government that certain provisions of the Act appear inconsistent with the Emigration Act, 1983, which governs the emigration of Indian citizens for employment abroad. It has also pointed out that some clauses — particularly those relating to the scope of operation of travel agents — overlap with the Central legislation.
“Certain provisions of the statute (Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Act 2025) could potentially be exploited by travel agents to bypass the provisions of the Emigration Act, 1983, including mandatory registration with the Protector General of Emigrants (P.G.E.),” the Haryana Government has been told.
In response, the state has proposed key changes in definitions under the new Bill. The term “emigrant” in the existing Act currently includes any Indian citizen who intends to emigrate or has emigrated abroad for purposes such as study, work or tourism. The revised definition will clarify that it excludes emigration for employment abroad, which falls under the purview of the Emigration Act, 1983.
Similarly, the definition of “travel agent” will be modified to exclude the processing of applications for recruitment or emigration for employment abroad, as well as consultancy services related to overseas employment.
A new section has also been incorporated in the proposed amendments. It states that the provisions of the Haryana Act “shall be in addition to and not in derogation of provisions of any other Central Act for the time being in force except specifically provided” under the state Act. It further clarifies that in case of any inconsistency — other than where specifically provided — “the provisions of Central Act shall have overriding effect to the extent of inconsistency.”
A senior official said, “The amendment in the existing Act is required to remove inconsistencies and harmonise its provisions with the Emigration Act, 1983, to strengthen the regulatory framework governing the recruiting agents.”
Under Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983, no person or agency can function as a Recruiting Agent without a valid Registration Certificate issued by the Registering Authority, the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE). As of January 2026, a list of 3,505 unregistered agents — against whom grievances have been received — has been published on the eMigrate portal to caution prospective emigrants.
