Nepal Visa Requirements: Making travel to Nepal Easier

Traveling within and outside the country nowadays has become a hobby for many people around the world. Whether for study and research or the purpose of recreation and refreshment, traveling is very common today. The most important thing while traveling to foreign countries is Visa.

Nepal is a beautiful country which is a destination for thousands of international tourists every year. The geographical, ethical, cultural and traditional diversities are the major factors that have made Nepal the most favored place where any tourist can spend a pleasant time.

Things are not that difficult for international tourists in Nepal. All countries except India require a visa to enter Nepal for any purpose. There are various types of visas one can apply to come to Nepal. They include visas such as working visa, diplomatic visa, study visa, relationship visa, marriage visa, etc. There are also procedures and the requirements for the tourist visa who want to explore Nepal.

Nepal has made traveling very comfortable by arranging the various options for a visa. The visa can be obtained from the embassy of Nepal in the country where traveler belongs. Otherwise, you can also get a visa as soon as you land on the Tribhuvan International Airport, the only international airport in Nepal. The facility is also available in the land border entry points of the country which are Kakadvitta (Eastern border), Birjung (Central border), Bhairahawa (Western border), Nepalgunj (Midwestern border), and Gaddhachowki in Far western Nepal-India border and Kodari in Northern Nepal-China border. So either you are traveling by airways, or you are entering Nepal through the land borders, you do not need to worry about the visa. You can get one after you arrive. All you need is a valid passport with a blank page, two passport-sized photos (not needed in the airport) and foreign currency to pay for the visa.

Visa Information for Nepal

Here is the information which might be useful for international tourists who are planning to explore Nepal:

Tourist Visa Nepal

Here are the types of visas with their duration and the cost of the tourist visa in Nepal:

Visa Facility                            Duration                      Cost

Multiple Entry                         15 days                        US $30 or equivalent convertible currency

Multiple Entry                         30 days                        US $50 or equivalent convertible currency

Multiple Entry                         90 days                        US $125 or equivalent convertible currency

Gratis Visa (Free Visa)

There is also the provision of a free visa. However, here are the criteria to obtain a free visa in Nepal:

1. Must be a child below the age of 10 years
2. The visitors from SAARC countries (except for Afghanistan) for their first visit in one visa year. Afghan citizen is eligible for Gratis Visa on Arrival only upon the recommendation of the Department of Immigration. If you are an Afghan citizen, you can request a concerned institution inviting you to Nepal for necessary paperwork with the Department of Immigration to obtain your Gratis Visa ‘On Arrival’. The citizens from the countries Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh can get a free visa of 30 days. However, for the extension of the visa, procedures are similar to that of other countries.
3. Chinese citizens
4. Non Residential Nepali (NRN) cardholders

Nepal Visa Requirement for Indian citizens

The visitors from India do not require a visa to travel to Nepal. But in case they are traveling using airways, they need to carry either of the following documents with them during their traveling time:

1. Passport
2. Election Commission Card

 Nepal Visa Requirement for Chinese citizens

The Chinese who are applying for the tourist visa in Nepal are provided with the gratis visa from Jan 5, 2016. The Chinese can get the visa from any of the following Nepali missions in The People’s Republic of China:

1. Embassy of Nepal, Beijing
2. Consulate General of Nepal, Hong Kong
3. Consulate General of Nepal, Lhasa
4. Honorary Consulate of Nepal, Shanghai

Nepal visa requirements on arrival

Nepal offers visitors the visa they need to travel after arriving in Nepal to make your travel easier and more convenient. Visa on arrival is a fast and easy process. However, it might be tedious when the tourist flow is high. There might be a long queue during the peak seasons. If you want to avoid the queue, then we suggest you take the visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Stations in your own country before coming to Nepal. The choice is totally up to you.

The tourist visa is the only kind of visa you can get after the arrival. No other forms of visas are available after the arrival. So, if you are visiting Nepal for any other purpose than tourism (trekking, traveling, sightseeing, visiting a friend and tours), you need to change your visa type. You can do this by contacting the office of the Department of Immigration (DOM) Nepal.

It is not a very long and difficult process to obtain a visa after landing on the Tribhuvan International Airport. Here are the step-wise procedures you need to follow to get the visa after your arrival:

Step 1: The Arrival Card

1. You need to fill the Arrival Card as soon as you arrive at the airport
2. Next is to fill the online tourist visa form. For a quicker process, you can also fill out the form before coming to Nepal which is available on the website of the Department of Immigration Nepal. You need to bring the print of the submission receipt and bring it with you. The form is valid only for 15 days, and you need to refill the form if the given time expires.

Step 2: Payment for the visa

Make sure about the type of visa you will need (15 days, 30 days or 90 days) and make the payment accordingly. You need to make the payment in the bank and make sure you get the receipt.

 You can make the payment for the visa in different currencies. These are like the Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Euro, Hong Kong dollar, Japanese Yen, Singapore dollar, Pound Sterling and the US dollar. Payment is often preferred in US dollars. However, if you are entering Nepal through any of the land borders as mentioned above, payment of the visa fee by the US dollar is the only option. They do not accept any other currencies and credit cards.[pullquote align=”right”] Make sure to bring one passport size photo with you for this purpose as well as the exact cash amount of the current visa fee in US$ while paying at the visa counter.[/pullquote]

You may also save your time by filling in the form beforehand online here and uploading a digital photo, but you must do this less than 15 days before your arrival date.

In addition, you must write down the information on Nepal’s local address while filling up the application form. If you are trekking with Nepal Sanctuary Treks then please fill the details under the following headings:

House number: 1246

Street Name: Lamtangeen Marg, Chundevi-4,

Municipality/VDC: Municipality, Kathmandu

Ward number: 04

District: Kathmandu

Step 3: Time for the stamp

1. As you receive the receipt of the payment you have made for the visa, proceed towards the Immigration desk with the receipt, passport and the online visa form you have filled earlier.
2. Occasionally, they might ask you about your accommodation and the return tickets. Bring them while you are proceeding for the visa. The person at the Immigration desk will then mark a stamp on your passport upon their satisfaction.

Visa Extension in Nepal

There is a provision of the extension of the visa in case your visa turned out to be short. The Department of Immigration (DOI) in Kathmandu and the Immigration Office in Pokhara are the only two offices that extend the visa in Nepal. It is generally not a headache to extend the visa within the few days of the expiration but in case of really long overstay huge fines and arrest resulting up to a seven-year ban on re-entry. So, it is very important to be careful about the visa expiry date and timely extension.

Tourist Visa Extension

Visa Extension (within valid visa period): USD 3 per day

Visa Extension (With Multiple Entry): Additional USD 25

Visa Extension (After Visa Expiration): Late fee USD 5 per day

Nepal visa Extension Requirements

There is not much required to extend the visa. All you need is your passport, the fee for visa extension, photo and the application form that is required to be filled online. While filling the form, it asks you about the street and the building number you will be living in. Since most Nepalese streets do not provide the building numbers; you can make it up. Now look forward to a photo studio that can give you a print of a digital passport photo of you.

You can further carry out the extension process on the same day. The process completes within around 2 hours. However, you can also go for the process even faster which will extend your visa within 15 minutes. But, this will cost you an extra charge of Rs 300. If you feel bored with the whole visa extension process, the travel agencies also do the work for you under some monetary charge.

A tourist cannot stay in Nepal for more than 150 days in his one visa year (January 1 to December 31). Thus, you cannot extend your visa for more than 150 days. So, if you are running close to your maximum days, you need to show your air ticket to confirm your return back to your country.

Other Visa Information

There are some countries that do not get a visa after arrival in Nepal. Visitors from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Palestine, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Iraq, and Swaziland should get their visas from the Embassies of Nepal or the Diplomatic Missions in their own countries.

You can get the other detailed information on the visa on the official website of the Department of Immigration, Nepal.

Revised on October 27, 2019