We've stood at the visa counter in Tribhuvan International Airport often enough to know exactly where the queue backs up: it's not the payment, it's trekkers who didn't bring a spare passport photo and the online form doesn't save if your flight lands after midnight and the wifi drops. None of that is complicated once you know it's coming. Nepal's visa on arrival is one of the more straightforward systems in Asia — most nationalities can walk up, pay, and be stamped through inside 20–30 minutes. But if you're heading straight into a multi-week trek with a fixed Lukla flight or a Kathmandu-to-Pokhara connection booked for the same afternoon, the small details matter more than they would on a city break.
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This is what you need, what it costs, and what changes if your trip includes a side trip to Tibet.
Who Needs a Visa, and Who Doesn't
Most nationalities can get a Nepal tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu, Pokhara, or one of the open land border crossings. Indian citizens do not need a visa to enter Nepal at all — a passport or a valid photo ID is sufficient, and there's no fee or form. Chinese passport holders receive a free 30-day visa on arrival under the current tourism arrangement between the two countries.
A short list of nationalities — including citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Afghanistan, and a handful of others — are not eligible for visa on arrival and must apply through a Nepali embassy or diplomatic mission before flying. If you're unsure which category you fall into, it's worth checking with your nearest Nepali embassy directly rather than assuming, since this list is set by the Department of Immigration and isn't something a trekking agency can override.
Nepal Visa on Arrival Fees for 2026
Tourist visa fees are set by duration, not by nationality (aside from the exceptions above), and all three tiers are multiple-entry — useful if your itinerary includes a day trip across the Nepal–Tibet border or a quick hop to Bhutan mid-trip.
| Duration | Fee (USD) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 15 days | $30 | Short cultural tours, Kathmandu Valley trips |
| 30 days | $50 | Most standard treks (ABC, Poon Hill, Langtang, EBC) |
| 90 days | $125 | Annapurna Circuit + extensions, combined trek-and-Tibet trips, longer expeditions |
Fees are paid in cash, in USD or another major convertible currency — Nepali rupees and Indian rupees are routinely refused at the immigration counter, so don't plan to pay in either. Carry exact change where you can; the bank counter at TIA doesn't always have small bills on hand during peak arrival hours.
One thing worth doing the math on before you land: 30 days is tight for the Annapurna Circuit or a combined Circuit-plus-ABC itinerary, especially once you build in a couple of Kathmandu buffer days for flight delays. We've had clients land on a 15-day visa assuming they'd extend "if needed" and then discover the extension queue in Pokhara costs them a rest day they'd rather have spent acclimatizing. If your itinerary runs close to 30 days once you include arrival and departure buffers, book the 90-day visa from the start — the price difference is small next to the hassle of an extension mid-trek.
What You Need at the Airport
The process at Tribhuvan International Airport runs in three stages: fill out the arrival form, pay at the bank counter, then present your documents at immigration. You'll need:
- A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your entry date, with at least one blank page
- A recent passport-sized photo — the kiosks can take one digitally, but bring a physical print as backup in case a machine is down, which happens more often during the October–November rush than the airport would like to admit
- The visa fee in cash (USD preferred)
- Your completed arrival form, either the paper version handed out on the flight or the online pre-registration form completed in advance
Completing the online form before you fly — ideally a day or two ahead — is the single biggest time-saver we recommend to clients. It doesn't cost anything extra and it moves you past the paper-form line straight to the payment counter. During peak trekking season (late September through November, and again in spring), the paper-form queue at TIA can run 45 minutes to an hour on its own before you've even reached the bank counter.
Extending a Visa Mid-Trek
If your plans change once you're already in Nepal — a longer route, a weather delay, an add-on trip — extensions are handled at the Department of Immigration offices in Kathmandu or Pokhara, not at trailhead checkpoints. The minimum extension is 15 days for $45, with additional days charged at roughly $3 per day beyond that. Tourist visas can be extended up to a combined total of 150 days within a calendar year.
Overstaying carries a daily fine on top of the extension fee, and immigration officers apply it without much flexibility — we've seen clients caught out by a single overstayed day at the airport on departure, which is not where you want to be negotiating. If there's any chance your trip will run long, extend before you head back into the mountains, not after. Once you're a week into the Annapurna Circuit, a same-day trip back to a Department of Immigration office isn't realistic.
If You're Combining Your Trek with Tibet or Kailash
This is where things genuinely diverge from a standard Nepal visa, and it catches out more clients than any other part of the process. A Nepal tourist visa does not cover entry into Tibet. Tibet is administered under a separate Chinese group visa system, processed through a Chinese-government-approved agency, and it cannot be arranged individually the way a Nepal visa on arrival can — you need a Tibet Travel Permit alongside the group visa, both arranged well in advance of departure. If your trip includes our Tibet Overland Tour or another Tibet crossing, plan on submitting passport details several weeks ahead, not at the border.
The practical order of operations we use with clients doing a Nepal-then-Tibet trip: secure the Nepal visa on arrival as usual, then handle the Tibet group visa and permit through us well before the Nepal leg begins, since Chinese visa processing has fixed lead times that don't bend for a compressed itinerary.
FAQ
How much does a Nepal visa on arrival cost in 2026? Nepal visa on arrival costs $30 for 15 days, $50 for 30 days, and $125 for 90 days, payable in cash in USD or another major convertible currency at the airport or land border.
Do Indian citizens need a visa for Nepal? No. Indian citizens can enter Nepal with a valid passport or approved photo ID and do not need a visa or entry fee.
Can I apply for a Nepal visa online before I arrive? Yes. The Department of Immigration's online pre-registration form can be completed up to 15 days before arrival, which speeds up the airport process significantly but does not replace paying the fee on arrival.
What happens if my Nepal visa expires while I'm trekking? Overstaying incurs a daily fine in addition to the standard extension fee, charged at departure or at an immigration office. Extensions must be arranged at Department of Immigration offices in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you return to the trail.
Does my Nepal visa let me visit Tibet too? No. Tibet requires a separate Chinese group visa and Tibet Travel Permit, arranged through an approved agency well in advance — a Nepal visa on arrival has no validity across that border.
Is the Nepal visa on arrival multiple-entry? Yes, all three duration tiers (15, 30, and 90 days) are multiple-entry, so you can cross into Tibet or Bhutan and return without applying for a new Nepal visa, provided your original visa hasn't expired.
What currency should I bring for the visa fee? USD is the safest choice. Nepali rupees and Indian rupees are frequently refused at the visa payment counter, and card payment isn't consistently available at every entry point.
Ready to Plan Your Trip?
Getting the visa right is one small piece of a much bigger itinerary. If you're weighing which duration to book against a specific route — Annapurna Base Camp, the full Annapurna Circuit, or a combined trek-and-Tibet itinerary — talk to our trekking specialists and we'll help you match the visa length to the trip, not the other way around.
