Different Visas of Nepal
Visa for Nepal – Visa Type, Duration and Fees
Are you planning to visit Nepal? It is compulsory for every foreign national to get a visa for Nepal. However, if you’re an Indian national, you won’t need a visa to visit Nepal. Though it’s super easy for Indians to travel to Nepal, it doesn’t mean it is difficult for others to get a Visa for Nepal. Here we have gathered some information on obtaining a tourist visa to visit Nepal and how they can get a visa-on-arrival.
Nepal welcomes its guests from the whole world to enjoy the natural beauty and scenery of Nepal. Every foreign traveler in Nepal must have ease in traveling and fully enjoy their visit, for that visas are available on arrival. Visas can be obtained from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and at all land border crossings that are open to foreigners.
For visas at land border crossings, you need to have a passport photo on hand which is not necessary while obtaining a visa at Kathmandu airport. You can pay the visa fee in foreign currency and some border crossings may insist on payment in US dollars. For obtaining the visa in Nepal, your passport must be valid for at least six months and you will need a whole free page for your visa.
Here are some of the Visas that you can obtain from the Department of Immigration for different visit purposes in Nepal:
- Tourist Visa (most popular visa)
- Marriage Visa
- Study Visa
- Business Visa
- Residential Visa
- Reciprocity Visa
- Transit Visa
- NRN Visa
- Relation Visa
- Working Visa
- Diplomatic Visa
- Official Visa
- Dependent Visa
- Gratis Visa(Free)
Visa Requirements
- A valid passport with a validity of at least six months and one passport size photo with a light background.
- Tourists can obtain visas only through cash payment in Euro, Swiss Franc, Pound Sterling, US Dollar, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, Singapore Dollar, and Japanese Yen.
- For the payment of Visa fee, Indian currency, credit card or Nepali currency are not accepted.
Visa Fees and Duration
The following visa fees are effective from 17 July 2019 after the decision made by Nepal Government on 26 May 2019.
For a tourist visa, there are three options for different lengths of time and various other visas like student visa, residential visa, business visa, etc are available.
For nationals of SAARC countries, the first 30 days are free for the first time visit in a calendar year. And no visas are required for Indian nationals to enter into Nepal.
| Duration | Visa fee |
|---|---|
| Tourist Visa: 15 Days (Multiple entries) | 30 USD |
| 30 Days (Multiple entries) | 50 USD |
| 90 Days (Multiple entries) | 125 USD |
| Visa Extension (With Multiple Entry) | Additional 25 USD |
| Visa Extension (Within Valid Visa Period) | USD 3 per Day |
| Visa Extension (After Visa Expiration) | Late fee USD 5 per Day |
| Study Visa: New Visa or Visa Extension for students and their dependents | USD 30 per Month |
| New Visa or Visa Extension for students and their dependents | USD 75 per Month |
| Bhutanese students and their dependents | USD 15 per Month |
| Dependents of the students receiving a waiver on visa fee as per MoU between Universities | USD 15 per Month |
| Foreigners and their dependents for teaching and research | USD 50 per Month |
| Non-Tourist Visa Foreigners with Nepalese Origin | USD 10 per Month |
| Journalists and their dependents | USD 15 per Month |
| Foreigners working in offices or project directly affiliated with GoN and their dependents | USD 30 per Month |
| A foreigner married with Nepali Citizen | USD 15 per Month |
| Relatives of foreigners having marital relation with Nepali Citizen | USD 25 per Month |
| Foreigners and their dependents working in organizations | USD 50 per Month |
| Other foreigners working in Nepal | USD 75 per Month |
| Business Visa: Foreigner | USD 20 per Month |
| Foreigner and their dependents having an investment more | USD 200 per Year |
| Foreigner and their dependents having an investment more | USD 500 for 5 years |
| Foreigner and their dependents having an investment equal to | USD 35 per Month |
| Foreigner and their dependents having an investment equal | USD 400 per Year |
| Residential Visa: New Visa with Multiple Entry facility | USD 500 |
| Visa Renewal with Multiple Entry facility | USD 200 per Year |
| Gratis Visa | Free |
Updated Visa fee as of July 17, 2019
How to Get a Tourist Visa for Nepal?
Tourist visa for Nepal can be obtained by applying on your arrival. However, you can also apply in advance, prior to your arrival. Below we have mentioned three ways to obtain your Tourist Visa for Nepal:
- By applying on your arrival at Tribhuvan international airport (TIA), Kathmandu.
- At any of the land border crossing’s Immigration office which is open to foreigners.
- By applying in advance at Nepal’s foreign consulates or Embassies from abroad.
Visa on arrival is facilitated by the Department of Immigration at the Immigration Office, TIA (Tribhuvan International Airport) to the tourists flying to Nepal. It is a very quick and simple procedure to obtain Visa in Nepal. There may be some queues during peak Tourist season.
If you want to take Visa before arrival, then you can also obtain Visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions stationed abroad prior to your arrival. However, if you have obtained a visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions, then you will have to enter Nepal within six months from the visa issued date. But your total stay will be counted starting from the day you enter into Nepal.
Few designated countries citizens are requested to acquire Visa prior to their arrival in Nepal. They can get a Visa for Nepal from nearby Diplomatic missions such as Embassies and consulates of the Nepal Government in their respective country.
How to get a Tourist Visa on Arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport?
To get a Tourist Visa on Arrival at the airport (Tribhuvan International Airport), the following procedure needs to be followed:
- Fill in Tourist Visa form
First of all, you need to fill in the Online ‘Tourist Visa’ form that can be filled in before your arrival by visiting the official website of the Department of Immigration. Or you can also fill it up using Kiosk machines upon your arrival at the airport. If you have filled it from the official website, then you will receive a submission receipt with a barcode. The receipt needs to be printed.
And you must bring it along with you for acquiring a visa. This printed barcode receipt will only be valid for fifteen days and becomes invalid after 15 days. If you arrive in Nepal after 15 days with an invalid barcode, then you will have to fill the form again.
- Payment
You will need to pay at the bank according to your Visa requirements which are available for 15, 30 and 90 days.
The visa fee can also be paid at the visa fee collection counter at the airport. On Arrival Visa fee for 15 days is about US$ 30, for 30 days, it is about US$ 50 and for 90 days, it is about US$ 125.
- Visa Processing
It is the final step in obtaining an arrival visa. You need to proceed to the Immigration Desk with your online form, payment receipts, and your passport. The immigration officer will approve your visa upon their satisfaction, that’s all.
How to Apply Online in Advance?
Tourists can apply for a tourist visa online within 15 days of arrival in Nepal. For filling the form, you’ll need the address of your hotel where you will be staying and a recent digital version of your passport-sized photo that you can upload to the application.
After you submitted the form, you will need to bring the confirmation receipt in printed format. After your arrival in Nepal, you can show this to the Immigration officer along with your passport and the required amount to pay for your visa.
You can apply online by clicking this link provided here: online.nepalimmigration.gov.np/tourist-visa
Advice for Online Visa Applicants
You can avoid the long queues and unnecessary problems for filling forms by simply submitting the online visa application form. To send the online application to the Immigration Authority of Nepal, here are a few things you need to prepare for:
- A valid passport with a validity of at least six months.
- Recently taken a digital photograph of size 1.5” x 1.5” to upload your photograph for the application.
- You must gather detailed information about your permanent residence address in the home country and also the detailed address in Nepal where you will be staying.
- You need to provide contact information, your telephone numbers, and mobile as well as an email address.
- After you submit the application, it will remain in the system for 15 days only. The application will be automatically deleted from the system after 15 days.
- Check your email for a receipt, which will be sent immediately after the application is successfully submitted.
- You should keep a printed receipt as you will need it to show before the Immigration Authority.
- For your convenience, the receipt which is sent via email will also provide the deadline to contact the Immigration Authority, documents you will need to produce before Immigration authority.
- Do not miss to contact the Immigration Authority within 15 days after the submission of the application, as it will be deleted after 15 days.
- Make sure you have the receipt and proper documents with you including the necessary fees while contacting the Immigration Authority.
Countries which have to Apply in advance for Visa and which do not get visa on arrival are:
- Afghanistan-AFG,
- Iraq-IRQ,
- Cameroon-CMR,
- Ghana-GHA,
- Somalia-SOM,
- Swaziland-SWZ,
- Palestine-PSE,
- Zimbabwe-ZWE,
- Nigeria-NGA,
- Ethiopia-ETH,
- Liberia-LBR
These countries will need to obtain a visa from Nepal Embassies or Diplomatic Missions in their respective countries, as nationals of the above-mentioned countries do not get visa on arrival at the immigration entry points of Nepal.
Tourist Visa Extension Location
Tourists can extend their Visa from the immigration offices located in Kathmandu and Pokhara only. The cost for extending visas is about US$30 which is payable in rupees only for a 15-day. And it will cost US$2 per day after that. You can extend for 30 days for US$50 and for extending a multiple-entry visa, it will add on US$20. If you’ll be staying in Nepal for more than 60 days, it is better to choose a 90-day visa on arrival, rather than a 60-day visa plus an extension.
The visa extension process will require your passport, the visa extension fee, one photo and an application form which should be completed online first. Visa extensions are available the same day, normally within two hours.
Travel agencies can help you in the visa-extension process and which can save you the time and from queuing. A tourist visa can be extended up to a total stay of 150 days within a calendar year.
You can also visit the official website of the Department of immigration of Nepal for up-to-date information on immigration: nepalimmigration.gov.np.
Tourists can also obtain a visa for Nepal on arrival at Kathmandu’s International Airport and at border entry points in Kakarvitta, Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Gadda Chauki on the Nepal-India border and Kodari on the Nepal-China border. You can go to the Department of Immigration, Kalikasthan, Kathmandu to renew or extend the visa for Nepal.
Related: Nepalese American: Facts and Statistics
Trekking Permits Fee
If you want to go for Trekking in remote and rural parts of Nepal in Himalayan regions then you may need to pay for Trekking Permits Fee to the Department of Immigration, Nepal.
The remote areas in the Himalayas which require permits for Trekking are Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpa, Gorkha Manaslu Area, Humla, Taplejung, Lower Dolpa area, Dolakha, Gorkha Tsum Valley area, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbhu, Rasuwa, Manang, Bajhang, Mugu and Darchula. Permits Fee ranges from US$ 10 to US$ 500 per week per person. And you will also require the help of a registered trekking agency to trek in those areas.
Customs Regulations at the Tribhuvan International Airport
- Baggage is X-rayed on arrival and departure. And smuggling of drugs or other illegal products is strictly prohibited, as well as the illegal export of antiques.
- You are not allowed to import Nepali currency, however, nationals of Nepal and India may import Indian currency.
- You can bring either cash or travelers’ cheques without any restrictions but officially you should bring cash or travelers’ cheques in excess of up to US$ 2000 only. But you cannot take amount more out at departure than that the amount you brought in.
- Exports of antique works of art from Nepal is not allowed. Nepal has been a particular victim for last 20 years in international art theft. If you buy any souvenirs from local shops, and if there is any doubt on its antiquity, then those should be cleared by a certificate obtained from the Department of Archaeology in central Kathmandu’s National Archives building. These controls are also applied in the export of precious and semiprecious stones from Nepal.
Nepal Visa For Indian Nationals
Citizens of India do not require a visa to enter Nepal. But if they are traveling to Nepal by air then as per the Nepalese Immigration, Indian Nationals must possess either one of the following documents:
- Passport
- Election Commission Card
Nepal Visa For Chinese Nationals
Chinese Nationals applying for a tourist visa for Nepal are provided a “Gratis Tourist Visa” from January 5, 2016. The following Nepali missions in the People’s Republic of China provided the Gratis Tourist Visa for Chinese nationals:
- Embassy of Nepal, Beijing
- Consulate General of Nepal, Lhasa
- Consulate General of Nepal, Hong Kong
- Honorary Consulate of Nepal, Shanghai
Gratis Visa(Free)
Gratis visa is a Tourist Visa provided free of cost only in few cases. Here are some of the cases on which Gratis Visa is provided to foreign nationals.
- If the children traveling to Nepal are below 10 years.
- If the SAARC country’s Citizen (except Afghanistan) is visiting Nepal for the first time in a given Visa Year, then up to 30 days Gratis Visa is provided. For Afghan citizens the eligibility for Gratis Visa on Arrival only upon the recommendation of the Department of Immigration. An Afghan citizen can request a concerned institution, which is inviting them to Nepal, for necessary paperwork with the Department of Immigration to get you Gratis Visa ‘On Arrival’.
- The Non-Residential Nepalese (NRN) cardholder can get Gratis Visa. NRN card is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad.
- Chinese Nationals who want to visit Nepal can obtain Gratis Visa from Nepali Missions in China.
- Officials from China, Brazil, Russia, and Thailand do not need an Entry Visa based on a reciprocal visa waiver agreement.
Visas of all kinds which are issued at the Airport are Tourist Visas that also includes Gratis Visa. You can change the category of your visa or extend your visa by contacting the Department of Immigration. Tourist Visa can be extended from Immigration Office, Pokhara too.
If eligible, a non-tourist visa except business visa can only be extended at the Department of Immigration, for a period of maximum one year.
Tips for Nepal traveler:
- It will be easy for you and time saving if you bring 4-5 passport-sized photos from home for your visa and trekking permit applications and other official documents.
- You can easily exchange your currency at Tribhuvan International airport, as it has bank counters for exchanging currencies.
- A photo booth is also available at TIA to create passport-sized photos if you forgot to bring.
- It will be handy to keep a couple of photocopies of your passport while traveling.
- You can exchange a small amount of cash at the airport to pay for your taxi fare to Thamel and then there you can convert the rest at a better exchange rate.
