As a Union Territory, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is nominally under the direct control of the Indian Head of State. In practice, the position of Lt. Governor is appointed to directly administer the territory.

The territory is divided into two districts for administrative purposes. These are the Andaman district and Nicobar district, responsible for their respective island groups. Each district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner, in charge of the various local administrative service departments, assisted by several Assistant Commissioners and sundry other posts. the districts also have Indian Administrative Service-appointed post of district collector, responsible for overseeing revenue collection and some other related services. In both cases, this post forms part of the Deputy Commissioners’ portfolios, rather than being held by a separate individual.

In turn, these two districts are further sub-divided into administrative entities known locally as tehsils, which are roughly equivalent to local councils or counties. The tehsils are also grouped into local Sub-Divisions, another administrative level which primarily serves as a basis for the combining of local resources. In the case of the Nicobars, the Sub-Divisions and the tehsils are effectively one and the same.