Nepal Trekking Permits: The Complete 2026 Guide

Which permits does each Nepal trekking region need?

Most treks need exactly two permits: an area entry (national park or conservation area) plus either a TIMS card or, in controlled zones, a restricted-area permit. The Everest region is the exception that replaced TIMS with a local municipality permit in 2018. The table maps the common routes.

What is a TIMS card and who needs one?

The Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card is a registration document issued by the Nepal Tourism Board and TAAN that logs who is on which trail. It costs NPR 2,000 for foreign nationals in 2026 and applies to national-park routes outside the Khumbu and the restricted zones. Since April 2023, TIMS issuance is tied to booking through a registered agency with a licensed guide on most routes, which is the mechanism behind the solo-trekking rule change covered in the solo trekking guide requirement guide.

How do restricted-area permits differ?

Restricted-area permits are a separate, stricter system for zones near sensitive borders, priced in US dollars per person per week and issued only by the Department of Immigration through a registered agency. They carry two rules TIMS routes do not: a minimum group size (usually two trekkers) and a mandatory government-licensed guide, with no solo travel permitted. Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Tsum Valley, Kanchenjunga, and Upper Dolpo all sit inside restricted zones. The mechanics for the most-trekked of them are in the Manaslu restricted-area permit requirements guide, and the Kanchenjunga permit guide covers the region's USD 20/week rate, the lightest of any restricted zone.

Where and how do you buy each permit?

TIMS cards and most park entries are issued at the Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu (Bhrikutimandap) and Pokhara, or at conservation-area counters on the trail, and they take Nepali rupees in cash with a passport and photographs. Restricted permits must be filed by your agency before you leave Kathmandu, because the Department of Immigration will not issue them to individuals. Everest is the outlier: its municipality permit is sold only in Lukla or at the Monjo checkpoint, detailed in the Everest Base Camp permit costs guide. Dolpo splits further still, with Lower Dolpo needing only the standard park entry and Upper Dolpo adding the full restricted-area system, covered in the Dolpo restricted-area permit costs and rules guide. Carry two passport photos and NPR cash for every trek, since counters rarely take cards.

Which two rules catch people out?

The first is the minimum group size. Restricted areas require two trekkers on one permit plus a government-licensed guide, so a solo traveller cannot enter Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Tsum Valley, Upper Dolpo, or Kanchenjunga whatever their experience. Agencies pair solo travellers with another trekker to make the permit valid, which is a real arrangement rather than a paperwork fiction: you walk as a group of two.

The second is the Khumbu exception. Everest sits outside the TIMS system entirely, so any quote that lists a TIMS card for an Everest trek is charging you for a document that route does not use. It is the single most common line item to challenge when comparing Everest quotes, and it is the reason the fee table above lists a municipality permit in its place.

Fees on this page were confirmed against the Department of National Parks and Department of Immigration schedules in July 2026. Park and conservation entries have held steady since 2021, while restricted-area rates are reviewed by the Department of Immigration and are the ones most likely to move.

What happens if you lose a permit or overstay it?

Checkpoints keep their own records, so a lost permit is an inconvenience rather than a disaster, but replacing one means returning to the issuing office and paying the fee again. Photograph every permit on the day it is issued and keep the image offline, because there is no mobile signal at most checkpoints to retrieve it from a cloud drive.

Restricted-area permits are written for fixed dates and a fixed route. Running past the end date means a fine assessed at the exit checkpoint, and there is no mechanism to extend one from the trail. If weather forces a slower schedule on a restricted route, the guide contacts our Kathmandu office and the extension is filed there, which is one of the practical reasons those areas require an agency in the first place. Ramesh Rai, who files these applications for every departure, is reachable through the team page.