Nepal visas and trekking permits, explained

Trekking paperwork in Nepal divides cleanly in two: the tourist visa, which is yours to arrange and takes minutes at the airport, and the trekking permits, which are ours to arrange and take a folder of forms you will never see. Knowing the split — and the approximate costs — removes most of the anxiety from planning.

The tourist visa

Most nationalities get a visa on arrival at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan airport. The current fees are US$ 30 for 15 days, US$ 50 for 30 days and US$ 125 for 90 days — for a standard two-week trek with margin, take the 30-day visa. You can pre-fill the application online up to fifteen days before you land, which turns the kiosk queue into a formality; pay at the visa counter (US dollars in cash are the smoothest) and you are through. A small number of nationalities must apply at a Nepali embassy in advance, so check your own passport's rules early.

• Passport valid at least six months beyond arrival, with a free page.
• The online-form confirmation (or fifteen spare minutes at the airport kiosks).
• Visa fee in cash, plus a couple of spare passport photos for permits.

Everest region

Treks in the Khumbu — Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Lakes, the Three Passes — need two documents: the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit (NPR 3,000, about US$ 22) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee (NPR 2,000–3,000), collected on the trail at Lukla or Monjo. Unusually, no TIMS card is required for the Khumbu — the municipality fee replaced it.

Annapurna, Langtang and the TIMS card

The Annapurna treks run on the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP, NPR 3,000); Langtang uses the Langtang National Park permit at the same price. Alongside these sits the TIMS card (Trekkers' Information Management System, NPR 2,000), the registration that logs who is on which trail — since 2023 it is issued through registered trekking agencies, which in practice means we file it with the rest.

Restricted areas: the special case

A band of culturally sensitive border regions — Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Dolpo, Kanchenjunga — sit behind an additional Restricted Area Permit that individual trekkers cannot obtain at all. The rules: a minimum of two trekkers, a licensed Nepali guide, and an application filed by a registered agency with your actual passport details. Costs vary by region and season — Manaslu runs about US$ 75–100 for the first week depending on the month; Upper Mustang is the premium ticket at US$ 500 for ten days. These fees fund conservation and local development in areas that see a fraction of Nepal's visitors.

Extensions and other fine print

A few details that save trouble later. The tourist visa can be extended at the Immigration offices in Kathmandu or Pokhara — a minimum fifteen-day extension at a few US dollars per day — useful if a trek runs long or Nepal simply refuses to let you leave on schedule. Children under ten receive the visa free, though they still need the paperwork. And do not overstay: fines are collected at the airport on departure, and they are priced to make the extension look very reasonable.

• Keep a phone photo and a paper copy of your passport, visa sticker and each permit — checkpoints accept the original, insurers and replacements want the copies.
• Total stays on a tourist visa are capped at 150 days per calendar year.
• Permit fees change from time to time; treat the figures here as close guides and the line items in your quote as exact.

Who arranges what

• You arrange: your visa, your flights to Kathmandu, travel insurance, and two passport photos.
• We arrange: every permit above, the TIMS card where it applies, restricted-area filings, and guide and porter registrations. Permit costs are itemized line by line in every quote — never buried in a lump sum.
• On the trail: carry your passport. Permits are checked and stamped at posts along every route, and the passport is your matching ID.

Land in Kathmandu a full day before your trek starts and the whole apparatus — visa, photos, permit copies, kit check — resolves itself over one relaxed afternoon, most of it spent somewhere better than a queue: a garden café in Thamel, with a trek briefing and a very good coffee.