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The Immigration Office, TIA under the Department of Immigration has been facilitating tourists who are flying to Nepal by providing Visa on Arrival in Nepal. Likewise, the border regions also have established entry and exit points that provide ‘On Arrival Visa’ to those foreign nationals hoping to enter Nepal via land.
On-arrival visa is a very quick and simple procedure. Some queues can be expected during peak tourist season. If you wish to skip those queues, you can consider getting a visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions stationed abroad prior to your arrival. The choice depends upon you.
If you have obtained a visa from Nepalese Diplomatic Missions, then you must enter Nepal within six months from the visa issued date. Your total stay is counted starting from the day you enter Nepal.
On Arrival visas are ‘Tourist Visas’ which bears multiple re-entry facility. A tourist Visa ‘On Arrival’ is the only entry visa to Nepal. If you are visiting Nepal except for the purpose of Tourism (sightseeing, tour, travel, mountaineering, trekking, visiting friends and families), you should still get a ‘Tourist Visa’ to get into the country. However, the category of visa should be changed as per your purpose and length of stay in Nepal from the Department of Immigration by handing required documents.
Nationals of designated countries are requested to acquire visas prior to their arrival from their nearby Diplomatic missions (Embassies/consulates) of the Nepal Government. Check the link to make sure your eligibility for visa ‘On Arrival’.
Step by Step guide for Visa on Arrival.
1st Step
- Fill in ‘ Arrival Card ‘
- Fill in the Online ‘Tourist Visa’ form ( you can fill it up prior to your arrival via the official website of the Department of Immigration / fill it up using Kiosk machines upon your arrival at the airport). If you fill it out from the website, you will get a submission Receipt with a barcode, please print it out and bring it along to acquire a visa. It works for fifteen days and becomes invalid after. If so, you will have to fill it up again.
2nd Step
- Make payment at the bank according to your visa requirement i.e ( 15/30/90 Days)
Get the receipt - You can use any mode of payment at the visa fees collection counter however, we advise you to carry some cash to be on the safe side.
Nationals of the following countries are requested to acquire a Visa prior to their arrival from their nearby Diplomatic missions (Embassies/consulates) of the Nepal Government. In other words, these nationals won’t get an arrival visa until and unless they have official letter issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs Nepal.
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Zimbabwe
- Swaziland
- Cameroon
- Somalia
- Liberia
- Ethiopia
- Iraq
- Palestine
- Afghanistan
- Syria
- Refugees with travel document
Fee structure of Visa on Arrival
- 15 Days – 30 USD
- 30 Days – 50 USD
- 90 Days – 125 USD
3rd Step
- Proceed to the Immigration Desk with your online form, payment receipts, and your passport
- Hand in your documents to the immigration officer for visa processing. He/she issues a visa to you upon his/her satisfaction.
Gratis Visa on Arrival (Visa for free)
Gratis Visa is issued free of cost to the visa applicants in case of the following categories:
Visa on Arrival for Children below 10 years
Up to 30 days for SAARC Citizens (except Afghanistan) once in a given visa Year. Afghan citizens are eligible for Visa on Arrival only upon the recommendation of the Department of Immigration. If you are an Afghan citizen, you can request the concerned institution invite you to Nepal for the necessary paperwork with the Department of Immigration to get you a Gratis Visa ‘On Arrival‘.
Non-Residential Nepalese(NRN) card holder ( issued by MoFA /Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad)
Visa on Arrival for Chinese Nationals
Officials from China, Brazil, Russia, and Thailand do not need an Entry Visa based on a reciprocal visa waiver Agreement.
All kinds of visas including ‘Gratis’ issued at the Airport are Tourist Visas. Contact the Department of Immigration to extend or change the category of your visa. Tourist Visa extension can be done from the Immigration Office in Kathmandu, and Pokhara too. Nontourist visa extension can be done only at the Department of Immigration (if eligible) for a period of a maximum of one year (except for business visa).
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