Nepal's visa system is genuinely straightforward, which is a relief after the paperwork involved in restricted-area trekking permits. Most visitors arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, fill in a form at a kiosk, pay in cash, and walk out with a tourist visa inside half an hour.
The details below are what save you time in the queue and stop you buying the wrong visa length — the most common and most annoying mistake, because a trek that overruns by two days against a 15-day visa turns into an immigration office visit in Kathmandu.
Visa Options and Fees
| Visa | Fee (USD) | Entries | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 days | 30 | Multiple | Short treks — Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Langtang Valley, a tour plus a short walk |
| 30 days | 50 | Multiple | Most treks — Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu, Gokyo |
| 90 days | 125 | Multiple | Long expeditions, Dolpo and Kanchenjunga, or a trek plus extended travel |
Buy one length longer than your itinerary strictly needs. The USD 20 step from 15 to 30 days is the cheapest insurance available against a weather-delayed Lukla flight, and the visa is multiple-entry either way, which matters if you plan a side trip to Tibet, Bhutan, or India.
The Process at Kathmandu Airport
- Fill in the arrival form before you land if the cabin crew hand one out, or use the electronic kiosks in the arrivals hall.
- Use a kiosk to complete the visa application. It scans your passport, takes a photograph, and prints a receipt. There are usually several machines; if one is out of paper, move to the next.
- Pay at the bank counter. Cash in US dollars is simplest; euros, pounds, and several other currencies are accepted, and card payment works intermittently. Keep the receipt.
- Queue for the immigration desk with your passport, the kiosk receipt, and the payment receipt. The officer stamps the visa in.
- Collect your luggage and walk out past the arrivals barrier, where our representative will be waiting with a name board for anyone on a booked trip.
Total time is typically 20 to 45 minutes, longer if two wide-body flights land together. Two practical notes: carry a pen, and carry two passport photographs as backup in case the kiosk camera is down.
Applying in Advance
You can also apply online before travelling at the Department of Immigration website, which generates a pre-arrival confirmation valid for 15 days. It saves a few minutes at the kiosk but you still queue and still pay on arrival, so it is optional for most travellers.
Some nationalities are not eligible for visa on arrival and must apply at a Nepali diplomatic mission before travelling. This list has included Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ghana, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Palestine, Ethiopia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, and it changes — check with your nearest Nepali embassy well ahead of booking flights.
Two special cases worth knowing. Indian nationals do not need a visa for Nepal, but do need photographic identity documents — a passport, a voter ID card, or equivalent. Chinese and most SAARC nationals receive a gratis visa, free of charge, though the rest of the process is unchanged.
Entry Requirements Checklist
- A passport valid for at least six months from your date of entry, with a blank page for the stamp.
- The visa fee in cash, in clean notes. Torn or heavily marked dollar bills are sometimes refused.
- Two passport-sized photographs as backup — you will need more anyway for trekking permits.
- Your hotel address in Kathmandu for the arrival form. We send this with your trip confirmation.
- An onward or return ticket, which is rarely checked but occasionally is.
- No vaccination certificate is currently required for entry, though hepatitis A, typhoid, and tetanus are sensibly up to date for a trekking trip.
Extending a Visa in Nepal
If a trek runs long or you decide to stay, extensions are handled at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu at Kalikasthan, or at the regional office in Pokhara. Budget a morning. The process is an online application followed by an in-person visit with your passport and the fee.
Extensions cost roughly USD 3 per day with a 15-day minimum, plus a small service charge, and a tourist visa can be extended to a maximum of 150 days in a single calendar year. Overstaying carries a daily fine and an unpleasant hour at the airport on departure, so if your return flight is tight and a pass is snowed in, tell your guide — we will handle the extension while you are still walking out.
One planning note specific to trekkers: your visa length must cover the whole trip including buffer days, not just the trek. If your Everest Base Camp itinerary is 14 days and you arrive two days early with two spare days for a weather-delayed Lukla flight, a 15-day visa is already too short.
