RGP (Returnable Gate Pass)

What is an RGP?

RGP (Returnable Gate Pass) is the pass issued when material leaves a factory, warehouse, or office but is expected to come back. It authorises the exit, records exactly what left, and — most importantly — stays open until the material returns.

Common reasons to issue an RGP:

Tools and instruments sent out for repair or calibration
Moulds, dies, and fixtures sent to a job-worker
Equipment taken to a project or customer site
Samples dispatched to a vendor or buyer for review
Laptops and equipment loaned for demos or events

What goes in an RGP register

The RGP register is the log that makes returnables traceable. At minimum, each entry should carry:

Pass number and date — unique, sequential
Material — description, quantity, serial or asset tag where one exists
Sent to — party name and address
Purpose — repair, job work, demo, sample, loan
Expected return date — the field paper registers most often leave blank
Raised by / approved by — and security sign-off at exit
Returned on, quantity returned, condition — with partial returns recorded item by item
Status — open, partially returned, closed, overdue

Why RGPs go wrong

An RGP's risk is not the moment of exit — it is the months after. Paper registers record the exit reasonably well but nothing chases an open pass. The result is familiar: dies sent to a job-worker that nobody can confirm came back, calibration instruments missing at audit time, loaned equipment written off by default. The fix is an expected-return date on every pass, and reminders that escalate when it passes.

RGP vs NRGP

An NRGP (Non-Returnable Gate Pass) covers material leaving for good — its risk is concentrated at the exit (was this authorised?). An RGP's risk stretches over time (will it return?). For a side-by-side, see RGP vs NRGP: what's the difference.

Digitising the RGP register

ManMov'e issues RGPs from the same gatehouse console security already uses for visitors and vehicles, with expected-return dates, automatic reminders and escalations for overdue passes, item-level partial returns, condition photos at issue and return, and a searchable register of open, overdue, and closed passes. See RGP / NRGP gate pass software.

FAQs

What is the full form of RGP? +

RGP stands for Returnable Gate Pass — the document that authorises material to leave a factory, warehouse, or office on the understanding that it will come back.

What is an RGP register? +

The RGP register is the running log of every returnable gate pass issued: pass number, date, material, quantity, where it went, why, the expected return date, and the actual return date and condition. Its purpose is to show, at any moment, which returnable items are still outside the premises.

When should an RGP be used instead of an NRGP? +

Use an RGP whenever the material is expected back — repairs, calibration, job work, demos, loans to a project site, samples sent for review. Use an NRGP (Non-Returnable Gate Pass) when the material leaves for good, such as scrap sales or finished-goods dispatch.

Is an RGP the same as a delivery challan? +

No. The RGP is an internal security and custody document. When goods move for job work, the GST delivery challan is a separate statutory document — and inputs or capital goods sent for job work are generally expected back within the time limits in Section 143 of the CGST Act, which makes tracking open RGPs a tax matter as well as a custody one. Confirm specifics with your tax advisor.

Who approves an RGP? +

Typically the requesting department head raises it, a stores or admin authority approves it, and security checks the material against the pass at the gate. High-value material often needs an additional (maker-checker) approval.

Last updated: 2026-09-27