Of everything Dashain disrupts, permits cause the most real trouble, because they are the one thing that cannot be improvised. A lodge can find you a mattress and a jeep can be paid to drive. A restricted-area permit exists only when an official at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu stamps it, and for a week in October that official is at home receiving tika.
Not every permit is affected. This guide separates the ones that are from the ones that are not, and gives the dates. For what each permit is and costs, see Nepal trekking permits explained.
Which Permits Are Affected
| Permit | Issued by | During the Dashain holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted Area Permit — Manaslu, Tsum, Upper Mustang, Nar Phu, Upper Dolpo, Kanchenjunga, Humla | Department of Immigration, Kathmandu, through a registered agency | Not available. The office is closed |
| Annapurna and Manaslu conservation-area permits | The conservation trust's counters in Kathmandu and Pokhara; also sold online | Counters closed or on short hours for the main days; buy beforehand |
| National park entry — Sagarmatha, Langtang, Makalu Barun, Rara, Shey Phoksundo | At the park gate or checkpost on the trail | Available as usual |
| Khumbu municipality fee for the Everest region | Paid on arrival in Lukla | Available as usual |
| Trekkers' registration card | Through a registered agency | Arrange before the holiday |
| Peak climbing permits | Nepal Mountaineering Association, Kathmandu | Not available; office closed — see peak permits and fees |
| Expedition permits | Department of Tourism, Kathmandu | Not available; office closed |
| Tourist visa extension | Department of Immigration | Not available; office closed |
The rule that falls out of the table: if the permit is handed over on the trail, Dashain does not matter. If it is handed over in Kathmandu, it does.
The Restricted-Area Problem
Restricted-area permits are the hard case, for three reasons that compound.
- Only one office issues them, and it keeps government hours. It is closed on Saturdays all year and for the whole Dashain holiday block.
- It needs your original passport with the Nepal visa already in it. The application cannot be completed before you land.
- Only a registered agency can apply, for travellers accompanied by a licensed guide. You cannot walk in and do it yourself.
So the sequence is fixed: you arrive, your passport goes to the office on the next working day, and the permit comes back that afternoon or the following day. If the next working day is nine days away, so is your trek. The full rules, fees and party-size requirements are in restricted-area trekking permits in Nepal.
The 2026 Timetable
In 2026 the calendar is unkind. Phulpati is a Saturday, the holiday block runs through the following week, and it is followed by another Saturday and then the full-moon holiday on Sunday 25 October. Government offices are likely to be shut, or on skeleton hours, from 17 to 25 October inclusive.
| Date (2026) | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Up to Thu 15 Oct | Working days | Normal processing |
| Fri 16 Oct | Last working day | Passport must be at the office this morning at the latest — which means landing by Thursday 15th |
| Sat 17 – Sun 25 Oct | Closed | No restricted-area permits, no visa extensions |
| Mon 26 Oct | Offices reopen | Expect a queue; allow an extra day |
| Tue 27 Oct | Earliest realistic start | For a trek whose permit was applied for on the 26th |
The dates for other years are in our Dashain calendar. The pattern is the same every year: count back from Phulpati to the last working day, and be in Kathmandu the day before it.
Three Ways to Handle It
1. Arrive early enough
Land at least two working days before Phulpati. The permit is done on the last working days, and the festival's public days can be spent in the valley before you drive to the trailhead. This is how most of our Dashain departures for Manaslu and Upper Mustang run. Remember that the drive to the trailhead then falls inside the holiday — book the jeep with the trek.
2. Start after the holiday
Arrive during the festival, enjoy it, and begin the trek once offices reopen. In 2026 that means walking from about 27 or 28 October, which is still well inside the season: the Larkya La and the passes of Mustang are normally open through November.
3. Choose a trek that does not need the office
If your dates are fixed inside the holiday block, pick a route whose permits are all issued on the trail.
Treks That Need No Kathmandu Office
| Trek | Permits | Where they are issued |
|---|---|---|
| Everest Base Camp, Gokyo, Everest View | Municipality fee; national park entry | Lukla and Monjo |
| Langtang Valley, Gosaikunda | National park entry | The checkpost at Dhunche |
| Pikey Peak | Local area entry | On the route |
| Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, Mardi Himal | Conservation-area permit | Online, or at the counter before the holiday — see our Annapurna permits guide |
The Everest region is the most robust choice: nothing about its paperwork depends on a weekday. See Everest Base Camp during Dashain.
Conservation-Area Permits: Buy Them First
The Annapurna and Manaslu conservation-area permits are easier than restricted-area permits — no passport is surrendered and no working day is needed if you buy online — but they still catch people. The permit counters in Kathmandu and Pokhara do not keep normal hours on the main festival days, and inside the Annapurna area a trekker found without a permit pays double at the checkpost.
If you are booking with an agency, send your passport details and a photograph in advance and the permit will be waiting. If you are buying it yourself, do it online before you travel or at the counter before Phulpati, and check the portal is working before you rely on it.
Peaks and Expeditions
Climbing permits for trekking peaks such as Island Peak and Mera Peak are issued by the Nepal Mountaineering Association in Kathmandu, and those for the higher expedition peaks by the Department of Tourism. Both close for Dashain. Autumn climbs are normally permitted well before the festival, because the application goes in with the booking; the risk is a late addition — a second peak, a changed route — that needs a new permit in the holiday week. Settle the objective before you fly. Our beginner's guide to peak climbing covers the rest.
If You Are Caught Out
- Ask about the special window. In some years a tourist-services desk opens for an hour or two a day. Your agency will know by the first morning of the holiday.
- Switch region. A Manaslu booking can become Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit with a day's notice. Similar length, similar difficulty, no office required.
- Reverse the trip. Do the sightseeing, Pokhara or Chitwan first — Kathmandu and Pokhara, a Chitwan safari — and trek when the office reopens.
- Do not start without the permit. Checkposts on restricted routes turn people back, and the fine for a guide who takes a client through without one ends careers.
