Tibet Visa Information

Unlike Nepal, Tibet has some stricter rules for its foreign guests. It has no option for the On Arrival Visa and it must be procured before entering its autonomous region.

In addition, Tibet also needs its visitors to be part of an organized group as traveling alone inside its border is not permitted. Thus, regardless of the country from which you enter Tibet, it is essential to participate in a trip or tour arranged by a licensed and reputable travel agency.

Please also understand that inside Tibet, you must travel with a licensed local Tibetan guide and a private vehicle (except for the trekking trip) driven by a qualified driver.

As for the Visa, the Tibet travel Permit which is also known as Tibet Visa will be required for visiting any region of Tibet. Additionally, if you want to further explore the remote corners of Tibet such as Chamdo, Nyingchi, Nagchu, Lhokha, Ngari, and Shigatse, then a few more permits will be needed as these are the restricted and sensitive areas of the region.

Taking into account the time needed to process these permits, you must arrange your Tibet tour at least one month in advance. Also, a Chinese Visa is also needed for entry into Tibet from any part of the world.

However, if you enter Tibet via Nepal through Kerung, Simikot, or Lhasa, you will receive a Chinese Group Visa instead of an individual Visa. Your travel agency will handle all visa and permit arrangements.

Essential Documents for the Tibet and Chinese Group Visa

After you confirm any trip to Tibet, you need to submit the following documents to your travel agency:

• Your photo must be sized 51 mm by 51 mm, set against a clean white background, and taken without makeup or glasses
• Your passport must have a residual validity of at least six months following your arrival and must have at least 2 to 3 blank pages
• A colored scanned copy of your passport

Visa and Permits Arranged for the Tibet Trip from Nepal

If you decide to engage in any type of trip and tour in Tibet, then an authorized Nepali travel and tour agency in collaboration with Tibet Travel partner will look after all your Visa and Permit arrangements which are:

Tibet Visa/Tibet Travel Permit/TTP

The Tourism Department of Tibet is the local government body that grants permission to foreign travelers to explore Tibet by issuing the Tibet Travel Permit.

This official paper will contain all your travel information including your personal information, your overnight hotels or location, your travel program, and your planned arrival and departure dates.

Therefore, once the application for the Tibet Visa has been processed, no single change can be made to the trip program.

As for its procurement procedure, once we get all the documents from you, they will be presented to the collaborated Tibet travel partner who will then manage the registration process.

Once approved, an official receipt will be sent to us which we will present to the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. The TTP will be collected by our Tibet travel partner after 10 to 15 orifice days and our local Tibetan guide will safely keep it till we arrive in Tibet.

Chinese Group Visa

The Chinese Group Visa as the name implies is a single document which is issued as one for the entire group visiting Tibet requiring all the group members to collectively step in and out of Tibet at the same time and day.

Thus, each group member must be present together at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Here, each visitor needs to submit their fingerprints for biometric recognition, their original passport and photos for the visa application.

The group visa can be processed in two ways:

Standard Process:

The standard process for the Group Visa acquirement needs four office days and needs the payment of $175 for US Nationals and $70-$170 for other nationals.

Express Process:

The express process will give you the Visa within two to three office days with the payment between $90 to $180 per traveler based on the country of origin.

Note:

Please note that on Sundays and Saturdays, the Chinese Embassy will be closed so we request you to be in Kathmandu on weekdays. These two official documents (Tibet Visa and Chinese Group Visa) will permit you to visit Tibet except for its sensitive and military-controlled restricted areas.

Other Permits

Tibet is such a diverse country that has many mysteries and locations that foreign travelers want to reach. Among them, the most favorite are the Everest Base Camp and the Kailash Mansarovar. If these two locations are on your bucket list, then the following three permits are also obligatory:

• Foreign affairs permit

The Foreign Affairs Office of Lhasa is the responsible local body to issue this permit upon presentation of your Tibet and Chinese Visa along with your passport copy. The processing time will be 10 to 15 days.

• Alien Travel Permit

The Public Bureau of Security of Tibet grants this permit so it is also called the PSB permit. It will be given to you only when you are present personally in its office where you need to show your Tibet and Chinese Visa along with your original passport.

• Military Permit

The Military Office in Lhasa after going through your travel documents and TTP information grants this Visa. Since the processing time typically will be between 10 to 15 days, the advance presentation of your documents is needed.

Note:

All these extra permits will be managed by our local Tibet travel partner.

Tibet Travel and Permit for the Indian Nationals

An encouraging news has come for the Indian passport holders: the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which has been inaccessible to them for nearly five years, will resume in 2025.

The governments of both countries have finalized a new agreement to reopen the border for Indian pilgrims to access Kailash. Previously, the Chinese government had not been granting the PSB permit to Indian passport holders, even if they had the TTP and a Chinese visa.