Tourist Visa processing for Nepal

Tribhuvan International Airport is the only international airport in Nepal. The Immigration Office, TIA (Tribhuvan International Airport), under the Department of Immigration, has been facilitating tourists flying to Nepal by providing visas on arrival. ‘On Arrival’ visa procedure is very quick and simple. You can expect some queues during peak tourist season. If you wish to skip those queues, you can also consider getting Visa from Nepalese diplomatic missions stationed abroad prior to your arrival. Choice is yours.

If you have obtained a visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions, then you must enter Nepal within six months from the visa issued date. Your total stay is counted starting from the day you enter into Nepal.

Visas obtained on Arrival at the Entry and Exit points are ‘Tourist Visas.’  They bear multiple reentry facilities. The tourist visa ‘on arrival’ is the only entry visa to Nepal. If you are visiting Nepal for purposes other than tourism (sightseeing, tours, travel, mountaineering, trekking, visiting friends and families), you should still get a ‘Tourist Visa’ to get into the country.  However, you must change the category of visa as per your purpose and length of stay in Nepal from the Department of Immigration by producing required documents.

Nationals of designated countries are requested to acquire a visa prior to their arrival from their nearby diplomatic missions (embassies/consulates) of the Nepal government.  

Please follow these simple procedures for a tourist visa on arrival at the airport (TIA) if you have not acquired a visa prior to boarding the plane.

STEP 1

• Fill in the ‘Arrival Card.’
• Fill in the online ‘Tourist Visa’ form (you can fill it up  prior to your arrival by visiting our official website, Department of Immigration / fill it out using Kiosk machines upon your arrival at the airport).  If you fill it from the website, you will get a submission receipt with a bar code; please print it out and bring it along for acquiring a visa. It works for fifteen days and becomes invalid then after.  If so, you will have to fill it up again.

STEP 2

• Make payment at the bank according to your visa requirement (15/30/90 days).
• Get the receipt

While you can use different modes of payment (at the visa fees collection counter), we advise you to carry some cash to be on the safe side.

On Arrival Visa Fee

STEP 3

• Proceed to the Immigration Desk with your online form,  payment receipts and your passport
• Hand in your documents to the immigration officer for visa processing. He/she issues a visa to you upon his/her satisfaction.

Gratis Visa (Visa for Free)

Gratis visas are issued free of cost in case of the following categories of visa applicants:

• Children below 10 years
• Up to 30 days for SAARC citizens (except Afghanistan) visiting Nepal for the first time in a given visa year.  Afghan citizen are eligible for Gratis Visa on Arrival only upon the recommendation of the Department of Immigration. If you are an Afghan citizen, you can request concerned institution inviting you to Nepal for necessary paperwork with Department of Immigration to get you a gratis visa ‘on arrival.’
• Non-Residential Nepalese (NRN) cardholder (issued by MoFA/Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad)
• Chinese Nationals

Officials from China, Brazil, Russia, and Thailand do not need entry visas based on the reciprocal visa waiver agreement.

Visas of all kinds, including ‘Gratis’ issued at the airport, are tourist visas. Contact the Department of Immigration for extending your visa or changing the category of your visa. Tourist visa extensions can be done from the Immigration Office in Pokhara too. A non-tourist visa extension can be done only at the Department of Immigration (if eligible) for a period of maximum one year (except for a business visa).