How to Apply for a Nepal Visa?

Planning a travel to Nepal? Excited about Visit Nepal 2020? Here’s how you can avail a tourist visa.

First things first, Nepal ensures an easy visa access by making tourists visas (ranging from 15 – 90 days) available at Kathmandu’s international airport and all other land border crossings open to foreigners.

Tourists can fill details online before-hand or do it at the venue. They can also avail the visas at Nepali embassies and consulates across the globe.

How to Go About a Nepal Tourist Visa?

Checklist for Visa:

• Passport-size photos
• Visa fee in foreign currency (particularly US dollars for some crossings)
• Passport validity for six months
• A whole free passport page

Visa Exemptions:

• All foreigners except Indians must have a Nepali tourist visa
• Children under 10 require a visa but are exempt from Visa fees

List of Nepal Land Borders Crossings:

• Birgunj/Raxaul Bazaar
• Dhangadhi
• Nepalgunj
• Kakarbhitta
• Mahendranagar
• Rasuwagadhi Checkpoint (China/Tibet border)
• Sunauli

Visa Validity
A Nepali Visa validity lasts from three to six months from the issuing date. Citizens of South Asian countries except India need Nepali visas. Although, in case a tourist is entering once in a calendar year then the Visa is free.

Nepal Air Visa
To obtain a visa after flight arrival, tourists must fill an application form at one of the auto-registrations machines, equipped to take a digital picture.

If travelers are particular about their time then they may fill out the form online and upload a digital photograph in less than 15 days from their Nepal visit.

Types of Visas

1) Single-entry Visa: A single-entry visa’s validity lasts for 15, 30 and 90 days and costs USD 25, 40 and 100, respectively. Tribhuvan International Airport allows tourists to pay visa fees in any major currency. However, at land borders officials mandate payment in US dollars.

SAARC countries can avail a 30-day visa for free on arrival.

2) Multiple-entry Visa: If tourists make sudden plans of branching out to Bhutan, India or Tibet, then it’s best to avail a multiple-entry visa at a cost of extra USD 20

Tourist Tip: Tourists can also convert their single-entry visa to a multiple-entry visa at a cost of USD 20 at Kathmandu’s Central Immigration Office.

If tourists stay beyond the Visa expiration date, then they will have to pay a fine of USD 3 + Visa extension fee of USD 2 per day at the airport for within 30 days from expiration.

Visa Extensions
A visa extension can be availed only at Kathmandu and Pokhara immigration offices at a minimum fee of USD 30 (payable only in NPR) for 15 days and plus USD 2 after that period.

Instead of getting a 60-day visa and later on applying for an extension, it is advisable to apply for a 90-day visa.

Checklist for Visa extension:

• Passport
• Visa Extension Fee
• One Photo
• Application Form which should be completed online

Tourist Tip: The application form also enquiries for tourists’ Nepali street address

Kathmandu and Pokhara have plenty of photo studios that can print a set of eight passport-size photos at a cost of NPR 250.

The Visa extension is processed on the same day, usually within two hours.

Tourist Tip: Trekking and travel agencies can assist with the visa-extension process with a commission.

Tourists can extend their stay up to 150 days in a calendar year after which they’ll have to produce an air ticket to prove that they are leaving the country.

Restricted Area Permits
Many remote rural areas, particularly the ones close to Tibet border require a restricted area permit, which is applicable to those trekking in Dolpo,Humla, Kanchenjunga, Manaslu,Mustang, Nar-Phu, and Tsum Valley regions. Permits can be obtained from a registered trekking agency and range between
USD 10-500 per week.

Customs Dos and Don’ts
Most people are upset about making past the airport with only their belongings. If you don’t want to face any customs regulations hassles, you will want to keep the below in mind:

• All baggage is scanned on arrivals and departures.
• Nepal Customs is strict with the illegal export of antiques, besides the import and export of drugs

The reason behind the concern on antique exports is the theft of Nepali art over the last 20 years. If there is any doubt concerning an antique’s authenticity, a tourist should visit and obtain a certificate from the Department of Archeology, National Archives Building in central Kathmandu.

Tourist Tip: If a tourist is visiting the department between 10 and 1 PM, he/she should receive their certificate by 5 PM, the same day.

(These regulations also apply for precious and semiprecious stones)

• A tourist cannot import Nepali Rupees (NPR) and only Nepalis and Indians can import Indian currency
• Nepal doesn’t restrict tourists from bringing cash or traveler cheques, but it is important that tourists ensure that the amount taken along at departure should not exceed the amount brought in
• Travelers should inform regarding cash or traveler cheques exceeding or equal to USD 2000

Information on US Citizens Visa to Nepal

Visa is one of the requirements for the entry of US citizens into Nepal.

There are two ways for US Citizens to obtain a Nepal visa:

• Before-hand from the Embassy
• On arrival at entry points into Nepal from neighboring countries

Checklist for US Citizens Applying for Nepal Visa:

• Passport with 6 months validity from the date of travel
• Please note: Passports with less than six months validity will not be accepted for visa application, even upon arrival at the border
• Visas with a short validity will be refused at entry and tourists will have to exit the country or cross the border at their own expense.
• One-blank visa page in the passport
• Note: Nepali authorities generally allow entrance on an emergency passport printed overseas
• Completed application form and TWO passport-size photos.
• This is mandatory for both embassy and visa-on-arrival applications
• Visa fee in US Dollar or equivalent cost in Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Euros, Hong Kong Dollar, Japanese Yen, Pound Sterling, Swiss Francs and Singaporean Dollar

Nepal Visa Fees and Payment Modes:

• Visa fee for American Nationals is USD 25, USD 40 and USD 100 for 15, 30 and 90 days, respectively
• Consular Offices, Embassies and Visa-on-arrival centers DO NOT accept credit cards and Indian Rupees
• Transfer of single-entry to multiple-entry visa costs an additional USD 20.
• This can be done at the Central Immigration Office in Kathmandu
• Tourists will have to pay a fine of up to USD 3 per day for overstaying in Nepal for 30 days from the day of Visa Expiry. Extension beyond 30 days will be fined at USD 2 per day.

Visa Extension
US citizens travelling to Nepal can extend their visas for up to 150 days. However, if their extension exceeds 120 days, they will have to produce proof of outward travel from Nepal, which may be a
pre-booked flight.

Medical Clearance

For entry to Nepal, tourists require:

• Proof of polio vaccination
• Proof of yellow fever vaccination. (If you are traveling from a region with the illness or have recently visited there)

Please note that the medical clearance may not be limited to the points listed above.

US Embassy in Nepal
All US citizens visiting Nepal should register with the STEP program before their trip. This State Department program provides extra information and support in case of emergency. Passport Health’s travel documents staff can assist you in registering.

Tourist Tip: Travelers can obtain additional information by contacting the Embassy of Nepal at 2131 Leroy Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008; Telephone: 202/657-4550; or the Nepali Consulate General in New York:  Telephone: 212-370-4188.

List of Visa Offices in US for Nepal

Tourists can avail a visa before they begin their trip at the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and at following locations:

• California: San Francisco
• Chicago: Illinois
• Idaho: Sun Valley
• Massachusetts: Boston
• Maryland: Baltimore
• New York City: Manhattan
• Washington DC

Procedures for Application at the Embassy
Whether tourists apply for visa through an embassy or consular office and by mail or drop-off, they must first complete the online application process at https://us.nepalembassy.gov.np/tourist-visa/

Once the online application form (including a tracking number for the mailing of documents to the embassy or consular offices) is filled up, applicants can either send the documents by registered mail or courier or drop them off at the nearest embassy or consular office with the fee.

If tourists send the documentary requirements by mail, they will need to include a prepaid return envelope.

When applying through the embassy, visa fee payment must be made in the form of a money order with at least one-year validity with the application forms and required documents period. The money order payment must be made in the name of the Embassy of Nepal and must have the applicant’s full name & address on the back.

US Embassy in Nepal Address:
U.S. Embassy Kathmandu
Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel.: 977-1-423-4000
Website: us.nepalembassy.gov.np

Nepali Sansar wishes you a safe flight and a hassle-free visa application!