Nepal Visa on Arrival: Fees, Process & Extensions

How does the Nepal visa on arrival process work at Tribhuvan airport?

Nepal visa on arrival is available to most nationalities at Tribhuvan International Airport, issued at self-service kiosks followed by a payment counter and an immigration desk, all inside the arrivals hall before baggage claim. A short list of nationalities set by Nepal's Department of Immigration, including several African and Middle Eastern countries, cannot use this route and must arrange a visa in advance through a Nepali embassy or consulate. Everyone else fills in the kiosk form, pays in US dollars or by card, and receives a passport stamp valid from the date of entry.

Processing time runs 15 to 30 minutes on a normal arrivals bank, longer when three or four wide-body flights land within the same hour, which happens most often in the October and April peak weeks. Carrying cash in exact or near-exact USD denominations speeds the payment counter, since it makes change in a currency few travellers arrive holding.

What are the 2026 Nepal visa on arrival fee tiers?

Three fee tiers cover the standard tourist visa in 2026: USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days, and USD 125 for 90 days. Nepal's Department of Immigration sets these rates nationally, and they apply per person regardless of age beyond infancy, with children under 10 exempt from the fee entirely.

The 30-day tier covers most single-trek itineraries with room to spare, since even a 16-day Everest Base Camp departure plus Kathmandu days rarely exceeds three weeks. Trekkers combining two treks, or adding a Tibet or Bhutan side trip that returns through Kathmandu, should buy the 90-day tier up front rather than paying for two separate visas.

What documents and photos does the counter need?

One passport-sized photo and a passport valid for at least six months beyond the entry date are the two items the kiosk and counter require. The online arrival form, available in advance through Nepal's immigration website, speeds the kiosk step, though a paper version is available on-site for travellers who arrive without it. No proof of onward travel or hotel booking is checked at the counter as a matter of routine, though immigration officers can ask for either.

Passport photo services exist in the arrivals hall for travellers who forget one, at a modest fee, so a missing photo delays rather than blocks entry. Carrying two spare passport photos in a daypack covers this and the later permit counters in Kathmandu, which also require them.

How do you extend a Nepal visa if your trek runs long?

Visa extensions are processed at the Department of Immigration office in Kathmandu, at Kalikasthan, for trekkers whose itinerary outruns their original tier. The extension fee runs USD 45 for the first 15 additional days and USD 3 per day beyond that, payable in US dollars or Nepali rupees at the counter, and processing typically completes within one working day when filed on a weekday morning. This is the same office that files Manaslu and Upper Mustang restricted-area permits, detailed in the Nepal trekking permits master guide.

Overstaying without an extension carries a fine assessed at the airport on departure, calculated per day over the visa's valid period, and repeat or lengthy overstays can complicate a future Nepal entry. Trekkers whose flight delays or Lukla cancellations threaten to run past their visa window should file the extension before the original expiry rather than risk the departure-day fine.

What comes next after landing in Kathmandu?

Landing with a visa stamped is the first step in a longer pre-departure sequence, and the transfer from Tribhuvan airport to Thamel, Kathmandu's trekking district, is the immediate next task. That 20 to 40 minute drive, depending on traffic, delivers most trekkers to the hotels and gear shops where final trek preparation happens. From there, the sequence runs through travel insurance with helicopter evacuation insurance coverage and on to acclimatization planning in the altitude sickness prevention guide, the two items worth confirming before any trek that reaches above 3,000 m.

Handling the visa, the airport transfer, insurance, and altitude preparation in that order, rather than leaving any one for the trailhead, is what our own Everest Base Camp Trek clients are walked through during their Kathmandu briefing.