Getting into Nepal and onto the trail involves two separate sets of paperwork: your tourist visa (immigration) and your trekking permits (the parks and regions you'll walk through). Here's what each one actually involves.
Nepal tourist visa
Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, paid in cash (USD is widely accepted) or via the airport's card/kiosk system. Typical fees for a multiple-entry tourist visa are:
- 15 days — around US$30
- 30 days — around US$50
- 90 days — around US$125
You'll need a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your travel dates and a passport-sized photo (kiosks at the airport can also take one on the spot). Visa fees are set by Nepal's Department of Immigration and do change periodically, so treat the figures above as a solid planning estimate and confirm the current rate before you fly.
TIMS card
The Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card is a Nepal Tourism Board registration used to track and locate trekkers for safety purposes. It's issued per trekker, and the fee differs for independent versus group trekkers, with a lower rate for SAARC nationals. Some regions — notably the Khumbu (Everest) area — have replaced TIMS with their own local municipality entry permit instead (see below), so the card isn't always the relevant document.
What your specific trek actually requires
Rather than one fee covering all of Nepal, each region has its own permit or entry fee. On every trip page on this site, the exact permits your package includes are listed under "What's Included," but as a general guide:
- Everest / Khumbu region — Sagarmatha National Park permit (around US$30), plus the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entry permit (around US$20), which replaced the TIMS card specifically for this region.
- Annapurna region — Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), typically in the US$25–30 range, plus a TIMS card.
- Langtang region — Langtang National Park permit, typically in the US$25–30 range, plus a TIMS card.
- Restricted areas (Upper Mustang, Manaslu, Upper Dolpo, and similar) — a special restricted-area permit on top of the above, arranged only through a licensed agency and usually priced per day.
Who arranges what
For every trip booked here, permits are part of what's included in your package price and are arranged by your guide before the trek begins — you don't need to queue at a permit office yourself. What you do need to bring is your passport and a handful of passport photos, since permits are issued in your name and require both.
The 2023 guide requirement
Nepal's tourism authorities introduced a rule requiring independent (unguided) trekkers to hire a licensed guide in many of the country's most popular trekking regions. Every departure on this site already includes a licensed, English-speaking guide as standard, so this requirement is handled automatically — it's only relevant if you were planning to trek entirely independently outside of a booked itinerary.
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