How to Cross the Nepal-India Border by Land: A Per-Crossing Guide

The Nepal-India frontier is one of the world's few genuinely open international borders. Its legal foundation is the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed on 31 July 1950 (BS 2007). Articles 6 and 7 commit both governments to grant, on a reciprocal basis, the nationals of one country the same privileges of residence, property ownership, trade and, crucially, freedom of movement in the territory of the other. In practice this means Indian and Nepali citizens may cross by land without a passport, without a visa and without paying any entry fee.

What Indian and Nepali travellers do need is proof of nationality. For an Indian citizen crossing into Nepal, a valid Indian passport or the original photo Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India is the standard document; the Embassy of India in Kathmandu confirms these two are the accepted travel documents. An Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence or a downloaded/printed voter card are not accepted for cross-border travel. Nepali citizens crossing into India are similarly expected to carry a citizenship certificate, passport or other government photo ID.

Third-country nationals (anyone who is neither Indian nor Nepali) are treated completely differently. They must hold a valid passport and obtain a Nepal tourist visa. This can be issued on arrival at the major land crossings, but the fee is payable only in cash, foreign nationals cannot use the open-border shortcut, and the same immigration formalities apply as at the airport. The sections below break the process down crossing by crossing.

If you are not an Indian or Nepali citizen, you must be stamped in and out at the immigration office on the Nepal side, exactly as you would at Tribhuvan International Airport. Visa on arrival at land borders is available to most nationalities; a short list of countries is ineligible and must obtain a visa in advance from a Nepali embassy or consulate, so confirm your eligibility with the Department of Immigration before you travel.

The Department of Immigration's tourist-visa fees are set in US dollars and, as of 2026, are US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days, and US$125 for 90 days (single or multiple entry). Bring the fee in cash. Land-border immigration posts typically accept US dollars and will not reliably accept cards or Indian rupees, so change money before you reach the counter. You will also need a passport-size photo and a completed arrival card, though photos can often be taken at the desk.

A tourist visa can be extended inside Nepal at the Department of Immigration offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara, but the total tourist stay is capped at 150 days within a single calendar year (1 January to 31 December). Overstaying attracts a fine (commonly quoted at US$5 per day plus the applicable visa fee), so keep track of your permitted dates. If you plan to trek in restricted areas you may need additional permits that cannot be obtained at the border.

Sunauli is the busiest tourist crossing and the standard route between Gorakhpur/Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Lumbini, Pokhara and Kathmandu. The border runs through a single street: the Indian side is Sonauli and the Nepali side is Belahiya, a few kilometres south of Bhairahawa town in Rupandehi district. Buses from Gorakhpur drop you at the Indian checkpost; you then walk across the border on foot through the gate.

Sequence matters. Indian nationals do not need to stop at any visa counter, but should be ready to show ID if asked. Foreign nationals must first get an Indian exit stamp at the Indian immigration office, then walk to the Nepal immigration office on the Belahiya side to buy the visa on arrival and receive an entry stamp. The Nepal immigration post here operates long hours (effectively round-the-clock for pedestrian entry), but visa processing is smoother in daylight. Skipping the Nepal counter is a common and serious mistake for foreigners, because you will have no legal entry record.

For onward travel, shared jeeps and rickshaws run the short hop to Bhairahawa bus park, from where night buses leave for Kathmandu (roughly 8-9 hours) and Pokhara (roughly 7-8 hours), and local buses reach Lumbini in under an hour. Bhairahawa also has Gautam Buddha International Airport for domestic connections. Change some Indian rupees into Nepali rupees at the border for immediate expenses.

Birgunj in Parsa district is Nepal's principal trade gateway and the crossing most used for the central route to Kathmandu via the Tribhuvan Highway or the newer Kathmandu-Terai fast-track corridor. On the Indian side is Raxaul in Bihar, reachable by train (Raxaul Junction) from Kolkata, Patna and beyond. The two towns are linked across the Sirsiya river by the Nepal-India Maitri (Friendship) bridge, which cyclists, rickshaws and vehicles use.

Because Birgunj is a heavy commercial post, it can be congested with trucks, but the pedestrian and immigration formalities are straightforward. Indian citizens pass through on ID. Third-country nationals complete the Indian exit at Raxaul immigration, cross the bridge, and obtain the Nepal visa on arrival at Birgunj immigration. As at all land posts, carry the visa fee in cash.

From Birgunj, buses and shared vehicles run to Kathmandu (typically 6-8 hours depending on the route and road conditions) and to Pokhara and Chitwan. The proximity to Chitwan National Park makes Birgunj a practical entry point for travellers heading to Sauraha for wildlife safaris before continuing to the capital.

Kakarbhitta (also spelled Kakarvitta) in Jhapa district is the easternmost major crossing and the gateway from India's West Bengal and the Northeast, as well as a common overland route to and from Darjeeling, Siliguri and even Bhutan. The Indian side is Panitanki, near Naxalbari; the nearest Indian transport hub is Siliguri, with Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station about 35 kilometres away. The Mechi river bridge separates the two countries.

The formalities mirror the other posts: Indian citizens cross on ID, while foreign nationals take an Indian exit stamp at Panitanki, cross the Mechi bridge and buy the Nepal visa on arrival at Kakarbhitta immigration. Travellers heading east into India from Nepal should note that the Indian immigration hours at Panitanki can be shorter than Nepal's, so aim to cross in the daytime to avoid being stranded between the two checkposts.

For onward travel within Nepal, Kakarbhitta bus park has direct services to Kathmandu (a long journey of roughly 14-16 hours), as well as buses to Biratnagar, Dharan, Ilam and other eastern hill towns. Bhadrapur airport near Chandragadhi offers domestic flights that dramatically shorten the trip to Kathmandu. Change money at the border, as ATMs on the Nepal side may be limited.

Beyond the big three, several other land crossings issue visa on arrival and serve specific regions. Jamunaha near Nepalgunj (Banke district), opposite Rupaidiha in Uttar Pradesh, is the main gateway to Nepal's mid-west and to Bardia National Park. Mohana/Gaddachowki near Bhimdatta (Mahendranagar) in Kanchanpur, opposite Banbasa in Uttarakhand, is the far-western entry used by travellers coming from Delhi and the Kumaon hills. In the east, Bhantabari/Jogbani opposite Jogbani (Bihar) connects to Biratnagar in Morang district.

When choosing a crossing, match it to your Indian departure city and Nepali destination: Sunauli for Lumbini/Pokhara from the Gangetic plains, Birgunj for the central route and rail arrivals from Bihar, Kakarbhitta for the east and Darjeeling, Nepalgunj for the mid-west and Bardia, and Gaddachowki for the far-west and Delhi/Uttarakhand approaches. Consider immigration hours, the length of the onward bus leg, and whether an airport nearby (Bhairahawa, Bhadrapur, Nepalgunj) can shorten your trip.

Whichever post you use, the golden rules are the same: keep your identity documents and, for foreigners, your passport and cash visa fee ready; get the exit stamp on the country you are leaving and the entry stamp on the country you are entering; and never rely on a card or an unusual currency to pay fees at a land post.

Bringing an Indian-registered car or motorcycle into Nepal (or the reverse) requires a temporary vehicle permit issued by Nepal Customs, popularly called a Bhansar pass. You obtain it at the customs office on the Nepal side of the crossing, presenting the vehicle registration (RC), your driving licence, insurance and personal ID. The permit records the number of days the vehicle will stay and is charged per day, with rates varying by vehicle type and post.

Indicative charges run from roughly NPR 100 per day for a motorcycle to several hundred rupees per day for a car, jeep or SUV depending on engine size and the specific customs post; confirm the current tariff at the counter. Temporary private-vehicle entry is generally allowed for a limited period (commonly up to 30 days within a year under standard rules), and if you must overstay you have to visit the nearest customs office to extend the pass. A vehicle found inside Nepal without a valid Bhansar pass can be treated as smuggled and penalised heavily.

Nepal's Department of Customs has been moving toward an online vehicle-permit and Bhansar system that lets travellers pre-enter vehicle details and pay before reaching the border, cutting queues at busy posts such as Birgunj and Bhairahawa. Because these procedures and fees change, verify the latest rules on the Department of Customs website or with the customs office before you drive across, and always carry your personal-entry documents separately from the vehicle paperwork.