Nepal Visa on Arrival Guide 2026: Fees, Documents & Entry Points

Landing in Nepal is easier than most travelers expect. While many countries make you chase embassy appointments weeks in advance, Nepal hands most visitors their visa right at the airport or border — stamped into the passport within the hour. It is one of the most traveler-friendly entry systems in Asia, and it works whether you fly into Kathmandu or roll in overland on a bus from India.

That said, "easy" does not mean "no preparation." Show up without cash, without a photo, or without knowing which counter to queue at, and a twenty-minute process can stretch into two frustrating hours — especially in peak trekking season when several international flights land at once.

This guide walks you through everything: who qualifies, what it costs in 2026, which documents to carry, the exact step-by-step process at the airport and at land borders, and how to extend your stay if Nepal wins you over (it usually does).

Who Can Get a Nepal Visa on Arrival

The short answer: almost everyone. Citizens of the vast majority of countries — including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, all EU member states, and most of Asia and South America — can obtain a tourist visa on arrival at Nepal's designated entry points. No embassy visit, no advance approval, no interview.

There are two important exceptions.

Indian citizens need no visa at all. Under the long-standing open-border arrangement between the two countries, Indians can enter Nepal freely with a valid passport, voter ID, or other accepted identity document. If you are crossing by bus at Sunauli, Kakarbhitta, or Birgunj with an Indian passport, you simply walk through — no visa counter, no fee.

A small list of nationalities must apply in advance. Citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (Swaziland), Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, and Syria — along with refugees holding travel documents — are not eligible for visa on arrival and must obtain a visa from a Nepali embassy or consulate before traveling. If your passport is on this list, contact the nearest Nepali diplomatic mission well ahead of your departure date.

A few groups also receive their visa free of charge (gratis): children under 10, SAARC nationals (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) for their first 30 days in a calendar year, Chinese nationals, and Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) card holders.

Nepal Visa on Arrival Fees in 2026

Nepal keeps its pricing simple — three durations, three flat fees, set by the Department of Immigration:

All tourist visas issued on arrival are multiple-entry, which matters if you plan to hop across to India and back during your trip.

A practical word of advice: if you are trekking, take the 30-day visa even if your itinerary says 18 days. Himalayan weather delays flights, altitude forces rest days, and plenty of travelers have had to cut an Everest Base Camp trip short because they saved twenty dollars on a 15-day visa. The buffer is worth far more than the fee difference.

How to pay: US dollars in cash remain the safest bet everywhere. Tribhuvan International Airport officially accepts major foreign currencies and cards, but card machines there have a reputation for going down at inconvenient moments. At land borders, assume cash only — clean, undamaged USD notes or Nepali rupees. Torn or heavily worn bills are routinely rejected.

Documents You Need

The checklist is short, but every item matters:

• A passport valid for at least six months from your entry date, with at least one blank page for the visa sticker and stamps

• One passport-size photo with a light background (the airport has digital cameras and photo booths, but land border equipment is unreliable — carry printed photos)

• The visa fee in cash (exact amounts save time)

• Your online application receipt with barcode, if you filled the form in advance (strongly recommended — more on this below)

Immigration officers may occasionally ask for proof of onward travel, accommodation booking, or sufficient funds, particularly at the airport. Most travelers are never asked, but having a hotel confirmation on your phone costs nothing.

How to Apply: Step by Step at Kathmandu Airport

Immigration Department at TIA

Here is the exact sequence at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu — Nepal's busiest entry point.

Step 1 — Fill the form (ideally before you fly). The Department of Immigration's online portal lets you complete the visa on arrival application up to two weeks before landing. Submit it, save the barcode receipt, and print it or screenshot it. This single step lets you skip the electronic kiosk queue entirely — the longest line in the arrivals hall. If you did not apply online, use the self-service kiosk machines after you enter the immigration lounge; they scan your passport and print a submission slip.

Step 2 — Pay at the bank counter. Take your barcode or kiosk slip to the payment counter, choose your visa duration, pay the fee, and collect the official payment receipt. Guard this receipt — you cannot get the visa without it.

Step 3 — Get stamped at immigration. Hand the officer your passport, payment receipt, and arrival card. The officer stamps the visa directly into your passport, and you are officially in Nepal. Head to baggage claim and out into Kathmandu.

On a quiet day the whole process takes 20 to 40 minutes. During peak season (March–May and September–November), when multiple wide-body flights land in the same window, budget up to 90 minutes — or beat the crowd entirely with the online pre-application.

Visa on arrival is also officially available at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara International Airport, though international flight schedules at both remain limited, so nearly all air arrivals still come through Kathmandu.

Getting Your Visa at Land Borders

For overland travelers, Nepal issues visas on arrival at its major road crossings with India:

• Kakarbhitta (Panitanki) — the eastern gateway, connecting Siliguri, Darjeeling, and Northeast India

• Birgunj (Raxaul) — the busiest commercial crossing, convenient from Kolkata and Patna by rail

• Belahiya / Sunauli (Bhairahawa) — the most popular tourist crossing, on the route from Gorakhpur, Varanasi, and Delhi, just 26 km from Lumbini

• Nepalgunj (Rupaidiha) — the mid-western crossing from Lucknow's side

• Dhangadhi (Gauriphanta) and Mahendranagar / Gaddachauki (Banbasa) — the far-western crossings from Uttarakhand

The paperwork at a land border is the same as at the airport, but the setting is more basic: expect paper forms, cash-only payment, and looser queues. Three things make border crossings dramatically smoother — carry printed passport photos (border cameras are frequently out of service), carry exact USD cash, and complete the online application in advance so your barcode does the talking.

One more overlooked detail: get your exit stamp from Indian immigration before walking to the Nepali side. The offices sit a few hundred meters apart at most crossings, and travelers regularly walk straight past the Indian post — a mistake that causes real problems when leaving.

Foreign nationals crossing these borders by bus will find the visa counters within walking distance of where intercity buses stop, and onward connections to Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan run daily from every major border town. You can compare schedules for the Kakarbhitta to Kathmandu bus route and other border connections before you even reach Nepal.

Extending Your Stay

Fell in love with Nepal? You are in good company, and the rules accommodate you. Tourist visas can be extended up to a total of 150 days per calendar year.

Extensions cost USD 45 for a minimum 15-day block, then roughly USD 3 per additional day. The process starts online through the Department of Immigration portal, followed by a visit to the immigration office in Kathmandu (Kalikasthan) or Pokhara (Lakeside). Apply before your current visa expires — overstaying triggers daily fines, and serious overstays can mean deportation or re-entry bans.

Plan ahead if you are trekking in a remote region: make sure you are back in Kathmandu or Pokhara before your visa runs out, not after.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few errors show up again and again at Nepal's entry points, and every one of them is preventable:

• Arriving without cash. The card machine gamble fails often enough that seasoned travelers never rely on it.

• Choosing 15 days for a 14-day trek. Zero buffer means one weather delay ruins your exit plan.

• Letting the online receipt expire. The pre-arrival barcode is only valid for about two weeks — do not fill the form months early.

• Forgetting the Indian exit stamp at land borders.

• Assuming the 150-day annual limit resets with a new visa. It does not; the cap counts every tourist day in a calendar year, across all entries.

Explore Nepal with GoMyGo

Your passport is stamped — the real journey starts now, and Nepal's intercity bus network is how most of the country actually moves once you clear immigration. Flew into Kathmandu and heading toward the Annapurnas on the Kathmandu to Pokhara bus route? Crossed at Sunauli and want to reach Chitwan or Lumbini? Landed at a far-western border like Mahendranagar and need to connect onward on the Kathmandu to Dhangadhi bus route, or head south from Nepalgunj on the Kathmandu to Nepalgunj bus route? GoMyGo covers the intercity network that gets you there, with transparent fares, real coach photos, and seats you pick yourself before you leave the guesthouse.

Book on the app or the website. Both show the same live inventory, available on Android and iOS, so you can compare every departure — shift, seat type, fare, boarding point, drop point — in one screen instead of asking around at an unfamiliar bus park counter on your first day in the country.

Pay the way you already pay. Tickets can be booked with eSewa, Khalti, IME Pay, ConnectIPS, Indian UPI, PayPal, or any major debit or credit card — useful the moment you land, since you may not have Nepali cash sorted out yet. Confirmation lands by email and SMS the instant payment goes through, so you're holding proof of a booked seat before you've even found your hotel.

First days in a new country come with first-day questions — a boarding point you can't find, a departure that's running late. Support is reachable around the clock, so a paperwork day doesn't have to turn into a stressful one.

Final Words

Nepal's visa on arrival is genuinely one of the simplest entry systems you will encounter anywhere: three flat fees, a short document list, and counters at every major airport and border. Fill the online form before you travel, carry USD cash and a printed photo, give yourself a buffer on the visa duration, and you will be through immigration and into the Himalayas before your bags hit the carousel.

The paperwork takes an hour at most. What comes after — the mountains, the temples, the tea houses, the winding highways — takes a lifetime to exhaust. Book your onward journey with GoMyGo, and start exploring.

Visa fees, rules, and entry-point procedures are set by Nepal's Department of Immigration and can change. Always confirm current requirements on the official immigration website before you travel.