CoM 2017: Visa Information

All delegates who require a Visa to enter Nepal can refer to the options below. Please read the sections below carefully to determine whether you require a visa and how to apply for it.

If you would like to have an Invitation letter for the event you Please note you will be able to request an Invitation letter to be sent to you during registration for the COM 2017. Letters will be sent up to 5 days after registration.

Obtaining A Visa

This section applies to most nationalities, please continue reading below for the exceptions – Indian & Chinese Nationals, African Region Nationals

When arriving at Nepal you will need to get a Tourist Visa to attend the CoM 2017.

The easiest way to get a tourist visa for Nepal is by applying on your arrival, but you can also apply in advance. Here are the three current ways to obtain your Nepal visa:

Apply upon your arrival at Kathmandu’s international airport (TIA);

At any of the land border crossings open to foreigners (each has an Immigration office);

Or apply at one of Nepal’s foreign consulates from abroad, in advance.

Price & Duration

There are three options for the length of a tourist visa (for nationals of SAARC countries, the first 30 days is free):

15 days – $25 USD
30 days – $40 USD
90 days – $100 USD
Multiple-entry – $20 USD (useful if going back-and-forth between Tibet/India)

Visa-On-Arrival

You’ll find visa application forms in the arrivals’ hall, as well as electronic registration machines that read your passport, take your photo, and print out a completed form to submit to immigration. Just in case, be sure to have the following items handy:

One passport-sized photo with a light background;
Cash to pay the visa fee (USD is best, especially at land crossings, but you can also pay with EUR, CHF, GBP, AUD, CAD, HKD, SGD, and JPY. Credit card, Indian currency and Nepali currency are not accepted as payment of visa fee.);
A passport that is valid for at least six months.
Please note that the following nationalities cannot obtain a visa-on-arrival: AFG, IRQ, CMR, GHA, SOM, SWZ, PSE, ZWE, NGA, ETH, and LBR.

Expert tip: Fill out your disembarkation card on the plane so you can quickly move through the queue in the arrivals’ lounge.

A few other useful tips:

Kathmandu’s airport has bank counters where you can exchange currencies;
It also has a photo booth to create passport-sized photos, if you forgot to bring some;
Having a couple photocopies of your passport is always handy while traveling;
Bring extra USD cash and convert a small amount at the airport to pay for your taxi to Thamel, where you can convert the rest at a better exchange rate.

Apply Online (In Advance)

Since 2014, you can apply for a tourist visa online within 15 days of your date of arrival in Nepal. You’ll need the address of your hotel and a recent digital version of a passport-sized photo that you can upload to the application. Once you’ve submitted the form, print out the confirmation receipt and show this to the Immigration officer upon arrival along with your passport and the proper amount to pay for your visa.

To apply online, click here: http://online.nepalimmigration.gov.np/tourist-visa

Gratis (Free) Visa

For first visit in one visa year (January to December), gratis visa for 30 days is available only for nationals of South Asian countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Indian Nationals

Indian nationals do not require a visa to enter Nepal. As per the Nepalese Immigration, Indian Nationals traveling to Nepal must possess any one of the following documents:

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

Also, please check with your nearest travel agents for documents required by the Indian Immigration for Indians traveling to Nepal.

Chinese Nationals

As per official circular of the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing, China, Chinese nationals applying for tourist visa to Nepal are being provided “gratis tourist visa” from Jan. 5, 2016, from following Nepali missions in the 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

Other Nationalities – VERY IMPORTANT

Nationals from Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan will need to obtain visa from Nepal Embassies or Diplomatic Missions in their respective countries, as they do not get visa on arrival at the immigration entry points of Nepal.

Further Information

For further visa information for Nepal, please contact:

Department of Immigration Kalikasthan, Kathmandu Tel: 00977-1- 4429660 / 4438862 / 4438868/ 4433934 E-mail: mail@nepalimmigration.gov.np, dg@nepalimmigration.gov.np Website: www.nepalimmigration.gov.np

This information is available on: http://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/visa-nepal-information.html#sthash.Pqqkqhkt.dpuf

You can also approach the closest Nepalese embassy, please see list and contact details here.