Facts about Nepal Visas and Immigration

Nepal’s Immigration is purely handled by Department of Immigration (DOI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. DOI is solely responsible for the implementation of immigration Laws of Nepal.  DOI controls  and regulates entry, exit and further stay of foreign nationals in Nepal under the Government of Nepal. While every foreigner who plan to visit Nepal should bring their valid Passport assigned to them by their local government, Indian nationals will not require will not require a passport or a visa. But they will have to present an ID if asked.

Entry and Exit points in Nepal

There are 8 entry and exit points in Nepal. Tribhuwan International Airport is one of the most popular points of entry and exit. It is the only point of entry and entry ‘By Air’. Since Nepal has only one International airport, every other entry points are via land. Other entry/exit points are via India through the east, west and south borders and via China (Tibet) through the northern border.

·  Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu

Tribhuwan International Airport is the only gateway to Nepal via air. This Airport was named after late King Tribhuwan, 8^th Shah King of Nepal. Luckily, TIA is situated in a suitable place between three cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. So you can commute to these cities without covering long distance. Duty free shops, restaurants, cash exchange, bank facilities along with  tourist information center is at the airport.

·  Birgunj, Parsa (Central Nepal)

This port is the main entry and exit point for Indian tourists especially coming from Patna and Calcutta. Birgunj is 210 Km away from Kathmandu and probably the busiest entry checkpoint for foreign goods entering Nepal. You can fond a railway connecting Birgunj and Raxaul. If you want you can take a 20km ride to Simara and then take a flight to Kathmandu. It will only take you 20 mins to reach Kathmandu from Simara on the plane.

·  Belhiya, Bhairahawa (Western Nepal)

Belhiya or Siddharthanagar is around (280 Km) 8-9 hours of drive from Kathmandu. It is also another city close to the Indian border at the western part of  Nepal. Similarly, it is a very important  city in terms of imports and exports aspects of Nepalese and Indan trade. Bhairahawa is quite popular for its chinese goods market. You will have to fly for 30 mins to reach Kathmandu from Bhairahawa via airport.

·  Kakarvitta, Jhapa (Eastern Nepal)

Taking a trip from Kathmandu to Kakarvitta would cost you about 15-17 hours on a land based transport. However, It is only 610 Km away from the capital city. You will find it as a small town used by foreigners and Nepalese to cross the border. However, there are many lodges and hotels around the area, mostly midranged, to accommodate tourists. Closest airport from Kakarvitta is at Bhadrapur. The distance in between is 25 km and it takes about 20 minutes to reach Kathmadu through the airport from there on.

·  Jamuna, Nepalgunj (Mid Western Nepal)

Jamuna lies at the Midwestern region of Nepal and is 530 Km away from Kathmandu. There are regular direct flights between Nepalgunj and Kathmandu. Nepalgunj is also reputed for its trade and is well connected to other major cities of India via railways and roads.

·  Mohana, Dhangadhi (Far Western Nepal)

This is one of the two Far Western Nepalese entry and exit point through Indian border. It is about 660 Km away from Kathmandu. Although there isn’t much to offer  at this place, it is a place of convenience for some Indian tourists to enter and exit Nepal. It is only 6 hours drive from the capital of India Delhi. It also has facilities of accommodation at considerably economic price.

·  Rasuwagadhi-Kerung (Northern Border)

Kerung is the only place of exit and entry  from Tibet which is now Autonomous region of China. It is around 200 Km distance . Due to unpaved bad conditions of the road takes 8-10 hours’ of drive from Kathmandu one way. After the massive Earthquake in 2015 the running Kodari boarder point in Sindhupalchowk has been destroyed and closed down since. There is no action has been taken to open the boarder from both sides which results in opening and came to operation of Kerung boarder point from Rusuwa district. This checkpoint serves as a very important trade link between Nepal and China.

·  Gaddachauki, Mahendranagar (Far Western Nepal)

It is the furthest away entry/exit point from Kathmandu to enter Nepal. It is 695 Km away from the capital city and takes about 18-19 hours to commute. Tourists like to pay a visit to Mahendranagar as it is also famous for Royal Bardia National Park. People visit the place to explore the floras and faunas. You can crash at Mahendranagar for a night if you want to. There are some good lodges and hotels to serve you well.

Nepali Visas

Visa of Nepal is valid for entry upto anywhere from three months to six months from the visa issuing date. Children under the age of 10 are not required a visa fee although they do require a visa. The passport used to stamp the visa should have at least 6 months of validity.

Indian nationals are freely admitted to Nepal without a visa. But, they should be able to produce any of the documents during their travel in Nepal.

• Passport
• Driving Licence with photo
• Ration Card with photo
• Election Commission card with photo
• Government Agency issued photo identity
• Identity Card with photo issued by Sub- Divisional Magistrate or any other officials above his rank
• Identity Card issued by Embassy of India in Kathmandu

Embassy of Nepal in Beijing China has issued a circular stating that Chinese nationals who are applying tourist visa to visit Nepal will receive “gratis tourist visa”(free visa) until the end of this year (2017). Until that period, Chinese tourists can get their visa from the following Nepali missions in People’s Republic of China:

• Embassy of Nepal, Beijing
• Consulate General of Nepal, Lhasa
• Consulate General of Nepal, Hong Kong
• Honorary Consulate of Nepal, Shanghai

Information on Visa

On arrival visa is simple and quick. You can get a visa at the Tribhuwan International Airport desk. You can expect delays because of some queues at the visa issuing desk during peak Tourist season. But if you want to get rid of the hassle you can consider getting your fisa from your local Nepalese diplomatic mission office.

In case you receive a visa from a Nepalese Diplomatic Missions at your country, you must make your entry within the six months of the visa issue date and your stay will be counted from the date of arrival.

On arrival visas are only Tourist Visas and is only the means to enter the country. On arrival visas can be single entry or multiple entry visa. If you want to visit the country for any other reasons except as a tourist, you still need a tourist visa to get into the country. However,  you must apply again to change the category of visa as per your purpose and length of stay.

There are certain countries whose nationals are not eligible for on arrival visa. These counties should obtain their Nepalese visa from Nepal Embassies or Diplomatic missions at their respective countries. List of these countries who do not qualify for on arrival visas are:

• Nigeria
• Ghana
• Zimbabwe
• Swaziland
• Cameroon
• Somalia
• Liberia
• Ethiopia
• Iraq
• Palestine
• Afganisthan
• Syria

As a tourist you can only stay upto 150 Days in a visa year.

Tourist Visa Fees

Visa extension fee for 15 days or less is $30 USD. Similarly, visa extension for 15 days and over is $2 USD per day. Nonetheless, if you want to convert your extended visa into a multiple entry visa you will have to pay $20 USD extra or its convertible equivalent in Nepalese currency.

Visa extension for 15 or less days is US$ 30 or equivalent convertible currency. Likewise, visa extension for more than 15 days is $2 per day. Additionally, the extension period for multiple entry facility can be obtained by paying extra US$ 20 or equal convertible currency and visa fee for extended period.