Tourist Visa In Nepal

Visa On Arrival TIA (Tribhuvan International Airport)

Tribhuvan International Airport is the only international airport in Nepal. The Immigration Office at TIA (Tribhuvan International Airport) under the Department of Immigration has been facilitating tourists flying to Nepal by providing visas on arrival. Likewise, other entry and exit points established at the border regions also provide ‘On Arrival Visa’ to foreign nationals hoping to enter Nepal via land.

The ‘on arrival visa’ procedure is very quick and simple. You can expect some queues during peak tourist season. If you wish to skip those queues, you can also consider getting a visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions stationed abroad prior to your arrival. The choice is yours.

If you have obtained a visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions, then you must enter Nepal within six months from the visa-issue date. Your total stay is counted starting from the day you enter Nepal.

‘On Arrival Visas’ are ‘Tourist Visas’. They bear multiple re-entry facilities. Tourist Visa ‘On Arrival’ is the only entry visa to Nepal. If you are visiting Nepal for purposes other than tourism (sightseeing, tour, travel, mountaineering, trekking, visiting friends and families), you should still get a ‘Tourist Visa’ to get into the country. However, you must change the category of visa as per your purpose and length of stay in Nepal with the Department of Immigration by producing the required documents.

Nationals of designated countries are requested to acquire visas prior to their arrival from their nearby diplomatic missions (embassies or consulates) of the Nepal Government. Check the link to make sure you are eligible for the on-arrival visa.

Procedures for Tourist Visa on Arrival.

• 1^st  Step
  • Fill in ‘Arrival Card’
  • Fill in the Online ‘Tourist Visa ‘form (you can fill it up prior to your arrival by visiting the official website of the Department of Immigration or fill it up using Kiosk machines upon your arrival at the airport). If you fill it out on the website, you will get a submission receipt with a barcode. Please print it out and bring it along to acquire a visa. It works for fifteen days and becomes invalid after that. If so, you will have to fill it up again.
• 2^nd  Step
  • Make payments at the bank according to your visa requirement (15/30/90 days).
  • Get the receipt.

While you can use different modes of payment (at the visa fee collection counter), we advise you to carry some cash to be on the safe side.

On Arrival Visa Fee

15 Days – 30 USD

30 Days – 50 USD

90 Days – 125 USD

• 3^rd Step
  • Proceed to the Immigration desk with your online form, payment receipts, and passport.
  • Hand in your documents to the immigration officer for visa processing. He/she issues a visa to you upon his/her satisfaction.

Documents to be submitted for Tourist Visa

• A valid passport and one passport-size photo with a light background.
• Visas can be obtained only through payment of cash in the following currencies: Euro, Swiss Franc, Pound Sterling, US Dollar, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, Singapore Dollar, and Japanese Yen.
• Credit cards, Indian currency, and Nepali currency are not accepted as payment for visa fees.

Additional Documents Required for Refugee Travel Document Holders

1. Sponsorship letter from a Nepali citizen (Download the format of the sponsorship letter  HERE)
2. A copy of the citizenship certificate of the sponsor.

Visa Extension Fee

• A tourist visa extension is done for a minimum of 15 days, with a fee of USD 45 and a fee of USD 3 per day for additional days.
• In the case of a delay less than 150 days, an additional USD 5 per day is charged as a late fine.

Gratis Visa (Visa for Free)

A Gratis Visa is issued free of charge to the following categories of visa applicants:

• Children below 10 years old, except US citizens
• Up to 30 days for SAARC citizens (except Afghanistan) visiting Nepal for the first time in a given visa year. Afghan citizens are eligible for the Gratis Visa on Arrival only upon the recommendation of the Department of Immigration. If you are an Afghan citizen, you can request the concerned institution inviting you to Nepal for the necessary paperwork with the Department of Immigration to get your Gratis Visa ‘On Arrival’.
• Non-resident Nepalese (NRN) card holder (issued by MoFA /Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad)
• Chinese Nationals

Officials from China, Brazil, Russia, and Thailand do not need an entry visa based on the reciprocal visa waiver agreement.

Visas of all kinds, including ‘Gratis’ issued at the airport, are tourist visas. Contact the Department of Immigration about extending your visa or changing the category of your visa. Tourist visa extensions can be done at the Immigration Office in Pokhara too. Non-tourist visa extensions can be done only at the Department of Immigration (if eligible) for a maximum of one year (except business visas).

Visa for Indian Nationals

Indian nationals do not require a visa to enter Nepal. As per Nepalese Immigration, Indian nationals traveling to Nepal by air must possess any one of the following documents:

• Passport
• Election Commission Card

Visa for Chinese Nationals

As per the official circular of the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing, China, Chinese nationals applying for a tourist visa to Nepal are being provided a “gratis tourist visa” from January 5, 2016, following Nepali missions in the People’s Republic of China:

• Embassy of Nepal, Beijing
• Consulate General of Nepal, Lhasa
• Consulate General of Nepal, Hong Kong
• Honorary Consulate of Nepal, Shanghai

Countries are requested to acquire Visa from Diplomatic missions (Embassies/consulates) of Nepal Government.  

Nationals of the following countries are requested to acquire Visa prior to their arrival from their nearby Diplomatic missions (Embassies or consulates) of the Nepal Government.

1. Nigeria
2. Ghana
3. Zimbabwe
4. Swaziland
5. Cameroon
6. Somalia
7. Liberia
8. Ethiopia
9. Iraq
10. Palestine
11. Afghanistan
12. Syria
13. Refugees with travel documents

For further visa information for Nepal, please contact

Department of Immigration Kalikasthan, Kathmandu
Tel: +977 1 4429660, +977 1 4438862, +977 1 4438868, +977 1 4433934
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: www.nepalimmigration.gov.np