Entry requirements
Nepal visa information
Tourist visa costs, visa on arrival, extensions, and the entry rules for Bhutan and Tibet.
Most tourists get their Nepal visa at the airport, not before they fly. A visa on arrival costs USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days or USD 125 for 90 days, all multiple-entry, issued at Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bhairahawa international airports. Your passport needs six months of validity on the day you land. Citizens of thirteen countries must apply at a Nepali mission instead; that list changed in March 2026.
What do you need to enter Nepal as a tourist in 2026?
Five things clear the counter, and the passport rule is absolute: immigration refuses anything under six months of validity, land borders included.
- Passport valid at least 6 months from arrival, with a blank page.
- One recent colour passport photo. Airport kiosks will take one, but operators report that costs 10 to 15 minutes and around NPR 500. Bring two from home.
- The pre-arrival online form receipt, or time to fill it at a kiosk.
- The fee in cash, USD or another convertible currency, in clean recent-series notes.
- A return or onward ticket. Nepali immigration rarely asks; your airline may.
How does Nepal's visa on arrival work and what does it cost?
Nepal's visa on arrival is a tourist visa issued in person at the border, priced by duration rather than nationality. Every tier is multiple-entry, which matters if your route crosses into Tibet or India and back. Fees below are as of July 2026.
| Visa | Fee | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 15 days | USD 30 | Kathmandu Valley and a short trek |
| 30 days | USD 50 | Everest Base Camp or Annapurna Circuit |
| 90 days | USD 125 | Two treks, or an expedition |
| Extension | USD 45 first block, then USD 3 per day | Under-bought the first visa |
Visa on arrival also runs at the main open land crossings from India, though which posts issue it moves. Entering overland, confirm your border post with the Department of Immigration first. We tell Swotah travellers which entry point their itinerary uses.
- Have passport, photo, form receipt and cash out before you queue. Queue length at Tribhuvan tracks how many wide-bodies landed at once.
- Pay the fee, then hand passport and receipt to the immigration desk. The visa is issued in person.
Card machines exist at Tribhuvan International Airport but as of mid-2026 are widely reported as unreliable, and land borders rarely have a working one. Cash in USD always works, and notes must be undamaged. Check current options on the TIA Immigration fee-payment page.
What does the pre-arrival online visa form actually do?
The Department of Immigration portal at nepaliport.immigration.gov.np pre-registers your details and prints a barcode. It does not issue a visa or guarantee entry: you still hand over a passport, pay in person, and collect the sticker from an officer. Fill it close to departure, because operators report the receipt lapses after a set window and has to be re-submitted; read the validity note on the portal itself. Our guide to visa on arrival and visa extension walks through the screens.
Which nationalities cannot get a Nepal visa on arrival?
Thirteen countries sit outside the on-arrival system: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Swaziland (Eswatini), Syria and Zimbabwe. Holders of refugee travel documents are also excluded. Citizens of these countries must obtain a Nepal visa in advance from a Nepali diplomatic mission.
Iran was added on 13 to 14 March 2026 by a Ministry of Home Affairs decision, taking the list from twelve to thirteen countries. Iranian diplomatic and official passport holders are exempt and can still get a visa on arrival. Any guide written before March 2026 is wrong on this; check the TIA Immigration list of ineligible nationals.
Do Indian citizens need a visa for Nepal?
Indian nationals need no visa and pay no fee, under the framework of the 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship. A valid Indian passport works everywhere. At land crossings an original physical Election Commission Voter ID is commonly accepted too. Aadhaar is not universally accepted, so never make it your only document. That is practice, not published rule, so confirm with the Nepal Embassy in India before relying on anything but a passport. See our notes on travelling to Nepal from India.
Who gets a free Nepal visa?
Children under 10 receive a gratis visa, with one carve-out: US citizen children are excluded and pay the full adult fee, because no reciprocal fee-waiver arrangement exists between Nepal and the United States. Check the passport, not the age.
SAARC nationals other than Afghans get a free 30-day gratis visa on their first visit within a visa year, at any age. Afghan nationals need a Department of Immigration recommendation arranged in advance instead. Non-Resident Nepali card holders and Chinese nationals also appear in current Department guidance as gratis, though country waivers have changed before, so confirm yours.
How do you extend a Nepal tourist visa and what does overstaying cost?
Extensions cost a minimum of USD 45 for the first block, commonly quoted as up to 15 days, then USD 3 per additional day. Apply at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu at Kalikasthan, or the Pokhara Immigration Office. The fee is quoted in USD but paid in Nepali rupees at the prevailing rate, and travellers report a small extra service charge at the counter. Total stay is capped at 150 days per visa year across all visas and extensions combined.
Nepali lawyers commonly cite a late-stay penalty of roughly USD 5 per day on top of the USD 3 per day extension fee, about USD 8 in total, settled before you can fly out. Past the 150-day cap the Department can levy a discretionary fine reported at up to NPR 50,000, with deportation or an entry ban at the Director General's discretion. These come from legal-advisory sources, not a published circular; confirm the current schedule with the Department.
What do you need to add Bhutan to a Nepal trip?
Bhutan does not sell independent travel. Every foreign visitor books through a government-licensed Bhutanese operator, who arranges the permit or visa and collects the Sustainable Development Fee inside the package price. There is no visa on arrival for Bhutan.
The Sustainable Development Fee for international visitors is reported at USD 100 per person per night, a rate Bhutan-specialist operators describe as fixed until 31 August 2027. Children aged 6 to 12 pay about half and under-6s are exempt. Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals pay a lower regional rate, quoted for Indians at INR 1,200 per night. Indians need no Bhutan visa, only the permit. These are operator figures; confirm the current SDF with the Department of Tourism Bhutan. See our Bhutan destination guide and the Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet itinerary.
What do you need to enter Tibet from Kathmandu?
A Tibet Travel Permit from the Tibet Tourism Bureau is mandatory for every foreign traveller and is issued only through a licensed Chinese or Tibetan agency as part of a booked tour. Independent travel into Tibet is not available to foreign nationals, which is why every Tibet itinerary you will see is a group departure.
Entering from Kathmandu changes the China visa you need. Travellers crossing from Nepal are issued a Group Visa by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu through the agency, not an individual Chinese visa. It is single-entry and tied to the named group: you enter and leave China with the people on it. If you already hold an individual Chinese visa, ask your Tibet operator and the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu what happens to it before applying; that answer decides your routing. Agencies quote two to three weeks for the permit and three to five working days for the Group Visa, so start early.
How much is a Nepal visa on arrival in 2026?
USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days and USD 125 for 90 days, all multiple-entry, as of July 2026. Paid per person, in cash.
Can I pay the Nepal visa fee by card at Kathmandu airport?
Not reliably. Card machines at Tribhuvan International Airport are widely reported as unreliable and land posts rarely have one. Carry the exact fee in clean USD notes.
Does the online visa application mean I skip immigration?
No. The pre-arrival form only pre-registers your details; you still pay and collect the visa at the desk.
Can I extend my Nepal tourist visa in Pokhara?
Yes. Pokhara Immigration Office handles extensions, as does the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu. Reckon on USD 45 for the first block plus USD 3 per day, in rupees.
Does Swotah arrange my Nepal visa?
No agency can issue a Nepal visa, and any that claims to is worth avoiding. We brief you on documents, fees and the entry point for your itinerary, and advise on extensions or Tibet and Bhutan permits. Ask us if your route is unusual.
Fees and rules above are as of July 2026, checked against Nepal Tourism Board and Department of Immigration pages. Confirm current figures on the Department of Immigration site before you travel; Bhutan and Tibet figures come from licensed-operator sources. Trekking permits are separate (see our guide to trekking permits in Nepal); rescue cover sits under travel insurance.
Not sure which visa your route needs?
Tell us your nationality, your itinerary and your dates. A Kathmandu-based specialist will tell you what to apply for, including the Bhutan and Tibet paperwork if your trip crosses a border.