Requirements and documents
Requirements, documents, special cases
A valid passport, a few dollars or a card, and that is about it. This page says who needs what, what to pack depending on how you do it, what the online form really asks for, and what you will not be asked.
Which case is yours?
| Your passport | What applies |
|---|---|
| India | No visa. Passport or photo voter ID, “Nepali / Indian nationals” desks on arrival. |
| Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (SAARC) · China, Hong Kong and Macao included | Free visa: 30 days once per calendar year for SAARC citizens, free for Chinese citizens. The form is still required, nothing to pay. Also free for children under 10 (except US citizens) and NRN card holders (all free visas). |
| The 13 countries below · travel documents · temporary passports issued outside the European Union AfghanistanCameroonEswatiniEthiopiaGhanaIraqIranLiberiaNigeriaPalestineSomaliaSyriaZimbabwe | No visa on arrival. The visa is applied for before departure at a Nepalese embassy or consulate (the embassy route). |
| Every other passport | Visa on arrival, paid (USD 30, 50 or 125; free for children under 10, except US citizens), with or without online steps before you leave. To choose: Which visa for me? |
Coming to work, study or settle? The tourist visa does not allow it. Working, study, business or residential visas are applied for in Nepal, with a Nepali sponsor: see other visas.
What to pack
Tick as you go. Only one column applies to you, depending on what you prepared before leaving.
Nothing prepared
Everything happens at the airport
Online form
With or without online payment
Embassy visa
Visa obtained before departure
The online form: what it asks for
The official portal's form takes five minutes if you have everything at hand. It must be done within the 15 days before arrival, not earlier.
The fields
- Surname and given names exactly as in the passport, passport number, expiry date, nationality, date of birth
- A valid email (the PDF and the receipt go there: check your spam folder) and a phone number
- Occupation, purpose of visit (tourism)
- Address in Nepal: the name of your hotel or accommodation and its neighbourhood are enough
- Arrival date, entry point (Tribhuvan International Airport for Kathmandu) and visa duration: 15, 30 or 90 days
The two files to upload
- Your photo (“User Photo, passport size”): facing the camera, on a white or very light background, no sunglasses or hat, framed like a passport photo (35 × 45 mm). A phone photo against a white wall works. JPG or PNG.
- The passport ID page (“Passport Scanned Copy”): a clearly readable scan or photo, flat, without glare. JPG or PNG.
- The portal shows no size limit: stay under 1 MB per file to avoid an upload that fails silently.
Passport pitfalls
- Less than 6 months' validity on the date of entry: the airline may refuse boarding, and immigration will refuse entry. Renew before you leave.
- Emergency or temporary passport: refused for visa on arrival, unless issued by a European Union member state. Otherwise, embassy visa.
- Dual nationals: enter and leave on the same passport. The visa is stuck into one specific passport, and the exit stamp must go into the same one.
- New passport during your stay (loss, theft, renewal): the visa must be transferred into the new one by the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu (“visa transfer” service) before you leave the country.
- Children: each child has their own passport and their own form, free under 10 (except US citizens). A child travelling without both parents may need an exit authorisation required by the departure country, not by Nepal.
What you will not be asked
No return ticket, no proof of funds, no insurance to issue the tourist visa. Insurance covering medical costs and repatriation is still strongly advised, especially for trekking: a helicopter evacuation is paid upfront.
No mandatory vaccine for direct travel from Europe or North America. A yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from a country at risk (sub-Saharan Africa, South America), including after a layover of more than 12 hours; a polio certificate for a few countries. Other vaccines are medical advice, not an immigration matter.
Customs, however: above USD 5,000 in cash (or USD 10,000 including travellers' cheques), declare the amount on arrival and keep the receipt; it may be requested when exchanging money or on departure.
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Getting your visa
Our recommendation
Most travellers
The visa on arrival
Issued at Kathmandu airport, in Pokhara, Bhairahawa and at the land border posts. Nothing is mandatory before you leave, but two steps can be done online and save you time at the airport.
10 min to 1 h 30See the visa on arrival
The eVisa (ETA)
Same form and same price as the visa on arrival paid online, with one difference: immigration reviews your file before you leave (a few hours to three working days) and sends you a QR-coded authorisation, valid 6 months. At the airport, the same direct walk to the immigration desk. Note: the number of eVisa applications accepted each day is capped, for all travellers combined.
≤ 3 working daysSee the eVisa steps
Mandatory for 13 nationalitiesAfghanistan, Cameroon, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Syria, Zimbabwe
The embassy visa
Obtained before departure from a Nepalese embassy or consulate, in person or by post. Same price, about 5 working days. Visa sticker in the passport or QR-coded authorisation, depending on the embassy, valid 6 months. Essential if your passport is not eligible for visa on arrival, or if you want to leave with peace of mind.
≈ 5 working daysSee the embassy procedure
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