Anyone running a travel agency in Haryana will now need a government registration, a police verification and a QR-coded certificate. The Haryana cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, approved the Haryana Travel Agent Registration and Regulation Rules, 2026 at a meeting in Chandigarh on Monday, November 3. The aim is to crack down on visa fraud, illegal overseas recruitment and human trafficking, including the dangerous "donkey route" that has cost many young people from the state their savings and, in some cases, their lives.
Why Haryana needed these rules
Haryana, like neighbouring Punjab, has a large number of young people who dream of studying or working abroad, especially in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. That demand has created a big market for agents, and with it a long trail of complaints: fake job offers, forged documents, money taken and never returned, and illegal journeys through multiple countries known as the donkey route.
The deportation of Indian migrants from the US last year brought the issue into the spotlight, as several of those sent back were from Haryana and had paid agents lakhs of rupees. The state passed the Haryana Travel Agent Registration and Regulation Act in 2025, and the newly approved rules now spell out how that law will work on the ground.
What the new rules say
- Registration for all: Every travel agent operating in Haryana must register, including agencies that are already running.
- Separate registration for each branch: An agency with offices in different towns must register each branch.
- Separate registration for each service: Passport assistance, tour and travel services, study visa consultancy and ticketing will each need their own registration.
- Fee: Rs 5,000 for each service category.
- Police verification: Compulsory for every applicant before registration is granted.
- Digital certificate with QR code: Registered agents will get a certificate that citizens can scan to check whether the agent is genuine.
Key facts at a glance
| Rules | Haryana Travel Agent Registration and Regulation Rules, 2026 |
| Parent law | Haryana Travel Agent Registration and Regulation Act, 2025 |
| Approved by | Haryana cabinet, Chandigarh, November 3, 2026 |
| Announced by | Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini |
| Who must register | All travel agents, including existing agencies and each branch |
| Fee | Rs 5,000 per service category |
| Checks | Mandatory police verification |
| Proof for public | Digital certificate with scannable QR code |
What it means for families and students
For a family planning to send a son or daughter abroad, the biggest change is the QR code. Before handing over money or documents, you will be able to scan the agent's certificate and see whether the agency is registered, and for which services. An agent registered only for ticketing, for example, should not be offering study visa consultancy.
Here is a simple checklist to follow once the system is live:
- Ask the agent to show the registration certificate and scan the QR code yourself.
- Check that the service you need, such as a study visa, is listed on the certificate.
- Insist on written receipts for every payment.
- Be wary of anyone promising a job or visa without proper paperwork, or routes through third countries.
- Verify job offers abroad through official channels such as the Ministry of External Affairs' eMigrate portal.
What it means for agents
Genuine agencies may welcome the move because a verified certificate can help them win customer trust. Small operators working out of a single room without any paperwork will either have to register or shut down. Agencies offering several services will need to budget for a separate fee for each category and each branch.
What happens next
The state government is expected to notify the rules and open the registration process. Details on the deadline for existing agents to register and on penalties for those who don't have not yet been made public. Once registration begins, unregistered agents operating in the state could face action under the 2025 Act.
Other states with heavy overseas migration, such as Punjab and Gujarat, have also been tightening checks on recruitment and immigration agents. If Haryana's QR-based system works well, it could become a model for others. For now, officials say the focus is on making it easy for an ordinary person to tell the difference between a licensed agent and a fraudster before any money changes hands.
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