City Tour Permits
Entry permits / passes may be required when traveling around Heritage sites and other tourist areas around Kathmandu valley. Rates are different in different sites. The entry fees are included in most of the packages organized by Personal Journeys. If this fees is not included in your package, you will have to pay extra as per rate, which is set by the Nepal Government.
Trekking Permits
Trekking permits are for your safety. Please make sure that you have the required permits before you start your trek. It is illegal to trek without a trekking permit.
You will need to obtain one or more permits, depending on the area that you plan to visit. Some permits are required in advance and some can be bought on the spot. There are different types of permits and/or fees:
Trekkers’ Information Management System/TIMS Card
Conservation Area entrance fee
Special Trekking Permit for restricted/controlled areas
National Park entrance fee
Trekking peak climbing and mountaineering permit
Filming and documentary shooting permit
TIMS Card
Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS Card): TIMS cards have been introduced to provide a proper record of trekkers for their safety and security; in case of natural calamities and other accidents the information gathered by TIMS helps to carry out search and rescue operations for trekkers.
There are 2 types of TIMS cards: green cards for independent trekkers (US$ 20) and blue cards for trekkers in an organized group (US$ 10). The TIMS card has to be obtained before you begin your trek. Independent trekkers can obtain their TIMS card at the offices of Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu and Pokhara, TAAN Secretariat at Maligaon in Kathmandu and TAAN Pokhara Secretariat in Pokhara. You need to bring a copy of your passport and 2 passport size photographs and fill in a TIMS application form. To learn more about TIMS, please click here.
Conservation Area
Popular trekking destinations are part of Conservation Areas. For the areas being managed by the National Trust of Nature Conservation you need to obtain an entrance permit in advance of the trek at the office of the National Trust, which is inside the NTB office in Kathmandu and Pokhara. You need to bring a copy of your passport and 1 passport size photograph. The entrance fee is NRs 2000. The areas are: Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA), Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA). Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA), which is being managed by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), you need to obtain the entrance permit at the DNPWC or at the KCA office at Lelep, Taplejung.
Special Trekking Permit
Special Trekking Permits for restricted/ controlled areas are needed for most trekking areas besides Annapurna region, Everest region, Langtang region & Helambu. Trekking Permits are issued by the Department of Immigration and have to be obtained before you begin your trek. They can only be obtained through an authorized trekking or travel agency. In areas where trekking permits are needed, trekking without a guide is not permitted. The trekking permits are issued for groups of 2 persons and more. Special trekking permit fees vary for different destinations.
National Parks
Many treks enter into National Parks, for which you will need to pay a National Park entrance fees. Nepal has the following national parks: Sagarmatha National Park, Langtang National Park, Makalu-Barun National Park, Rara National Park, Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Chitwan National Park, Khaptad National Park, Bardiya National Park and Shivapuri National Park. Normally, the entrance fee for the National parks is NRs 3000 for foreigners. Besides the National Parks, there are a couple of wildlife reserves: Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Parsi Wildlife Reserve for which the entrance fees is NRs 1000 per day. Nepal also has one Hunting Reserve, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, for which the entrance fee for foreigners is NRs 3000.
Peak Climbing and Mountaineering
All mountaineering permits need to be arranged through a travel or trekking agency. Individuals are not allowed to apply for permits on a personal basis. You will need to fill in a form and pass this to your agency. You can do this online and add your signature and photograph to the form when you are in Kathmandu. The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) is authorized to issue a Peak Climbing permit for 33 peaks up to 6500 meters; climbing permits for other peaks are obtained from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).
Filming & Documentary Shooting
A Special Permit is needed for filming and documentary shooting at trekking destinations inside the National Parks and Conservation Areas. You need to apply for this permit through a trekking agency. The permit is obtained from the Ministry of Information and Communication (MoIC) and the fee depends on the use of camera and technology.
