Nepal Visa Categories: Types, Fees, Duration and Documents

Every visa to enter, stay in or transit through Nepal is granted under the Immigration Act, 2049 Bikram Sambat (BS), enacted in 1992 Anno Domini (AD), and the Immigration Rules, 2051 BS (1994 AD), together with the periodic Immigration Procedures issued by the government. The Department of Immigration (Nepali: Adhyagaman Vibhag), which sits under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is the principal authority; its Director General and designated Immigration Officers issue, extend, convert and cancel visas.

The law divides visas into distinct categories defined by purpose rather than by nationality alone. The broad families are the tourist visa (for sightseeing and leisure), the non-tourist visa family (a wide group covering work, study, marriage/relation, and development activity), the business visa (for investors and their representatives), the residential visa (for long-term residence and large investors), the non-resident Nepali or NRN visa, and the diplomatic and official visas for accredited personnel. Gratis (fee-free) and transit visas are additional short-stay categories.

Because fees and thresholds are revised through periodic government decisions and the annual budget, the figures below should be treated as indicative bands rather than guaranteed prices. The authoritative, current schedule is always the one published by the Department of Immigration and displayed at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and the department's Kalikasthan office in Kathmandu. Fees are quoted in US dollars or convertible foreign currency; SAARC and certain other nationals may pay in different terms.

The tourist visa is the most common category and is available on arrival at TIA, at designated land borders, and online through the department's e-visa and Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) systems. It permits sightseeing, leisure and visiting friends and family, but expressly does not permit paid employment, business operations or study. Immigration Officers issue it for 15, 30 or 90 days.

Indicative on-arrival tourist visa fees are USD 30 for 15 days (multiple entry), USD 50 for 30 days and USD 125 for 90 days. A visitor may stay in Nepal for a maximum of 150 days in a single calendar year (1 January to 31 December) on a tourist visa; extensions beyond the initial period are obtained from the Department of Immigration for a fee, subject to that annual cap.

Several groups receive tourist entry free of the visa fee: children under 10 years of any nationality, citizens of most SAARC member states (for 30 days once per calendar year, with Afghanistan treated separately), and Chinese nationals for tourism. These fall under the gratis provisions described below.

A gratis visa is a visa issued free of charge to specified groups. Beyond children under 10, SAARC nationals and Chinese tourists, gratis treatment extends to holders of certain diplomatic and official passports covered by bilateral agreements, and to non-resident Nepali (NRN) cardholders, who receive fee-free entry while their card remains valid. Gratis status waives the visa fee only; other rules on stay length and conduct still apply.

The transit visa is a very short-stay permit for travellers passing through Nepal, typically issued at TIA to passengers with confirmed onward air tickets. It is valid for a single day (up to 24 hours) and carries a small fee, indicatively around USD 5. It cannot be used for tourism, work or any other activity beyond continuing the journey.

These short categories exist to smooth legitimate travel while keeping longer or income-generating stays inside the paid, purpose-specific visa families. Anyone intending to stay longer than the transit window, or to do anything other than pass through, must obtain the appropriate tourist or non-tourist visa.

The non-tourist visa is not a single visa but an umbrella for stays whose purpose is something other than tourism. It covers foreigners in formal employment (work visa), foreign students and researchers (study visa), foreign spouses and relations of Nepali citizens (marriage/relation visa), representatives of international organisations and media, and personnel engaged in government-approved social and economic development projects. Non-tourist visas are generally valid for one year at a time and renewed annually so long as the underlying purpose continues.

The Nepal work visa is issued to foreigners employed by a Nepal-registered entity and normally requires a work permit from the Department of Labour together with a recommendation from the relevant line ministry; its validity is tied to the employment contract. The Nepal study visa is granted, after approval from the Government of Nepal, to foreign students, teachers and researchers at recognised institutions, and is typically valid for one year and renewable for the course duration.

The Nepal marriage visa (a relation visa) is issued to the foreign spouse of a Nepali citizen. In practice it is granted for up to six months on first application and then extended for up to one year at a time; the Nepali spouse is generally required to be present at renewal, and a marriage registration certificate from the District Administration Office or District Court is required. Indicative non-tourist fees vary by sub-category and are commonly in the region of USD 10 to USD 75 per month depending on the applicant's status; applicants should confirm the exact rate with the department.

The Nepal business visa is issued to foreign investors, the authorised representatives of foreign-invested enterprises, and certain traders. The authority to issue and renew it lies with the Director General of the Department of Immigration, and it is closely linked to approvals from the Department of Industry and the foreign investment regime. It can be issued for up to five years and is extendable while the investment or representation continues.

Business visa fees are commonly structured in tiers linked to the size of the investment. Indicatively, investors with foreign investment below NPR 10 million (about one crore) pay in the region of USD 35 per month, USD 400 per year or USD 1,000 for five years; investors above NPR 10 million pay a lower rate such as USD 20 per month, USD 200 per year or USD 500 for five years; and very large investors above roughly NPR 100 million may be exempt from the fee. These bands are indicative and set by government procedure, so applicants should verify the current schedule.

The distinction between a tourist and a business visa is important: business operations, investment activity and representing an enterprise cannot lawfully be conducted on a tourist visa. Foreigners intending any commercial engagement in Nepal should apply for the business visa in the correct investment tier from the outset.

The Nepal residential visa is for foreigners who wish to reside in the country long term. A well-established route is for foreign nationals who invest at least USD 100,000 (or the convertible-currency equivalent) in an industrial enterprise in Nepal; large investors of USD 1 million or more may also receive a residential visa for themselves, an authorised representative and family members. A second route exists for applicants who can document a stable independent income (a figure of around USD 20,000 per year has been used as a threshold), typically aimed at retirees.

The non-resident Nepali (NRN) visa serves people of Nepali origin who hold foreign citizenship and an NRN card issued under the Non-Resident Nepali Act, 2064 BS. NRN cardholders have historically received fee-free (gratis) entry while their card is valid, and reforms to the NRN framework around 2024-2025 introduced a multi-entry residential-type visa (reported as valid for up to two years per issuance) for those recognised under the revised law. Exact terms depend on the current NRN rules, so cardholders should confirm the latest provision.

Both categories are designed for durable presence rather than short visits, and both sit outside the tourist cap. They typically require documentary proof of the underlying qualification, whether that is an investment certificate, a source-of-income statement, or a valid NRN card.

Diplomatic and official visas are issued to accredited diplomats, officials and their dependents travelling on diplomatic or official/service passports, on the recommendation of the sending country's diplomatic mission and Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Many countries' diplomatic and official passport holders are additionally exempt from visa requirements under bilateral agreements, entering visa-free for a set period. These categories are administered through diplomatic channels rather than the ordinary on-arrival counters.

Across all categories, some documents are near-universal: a passport valid for at least six months with blank pages, a completed application form, recent passport-size photographs, and the applicable fee. Purpose-specific categories then add their own evidence: a work permit and employer recommendation for a work visa; an institution's enrolment or appointment letter for a study visa; a marriage registration certificate for a marriage/relation visa; investment and Department of Industry approvals for business and residential visas; and a valid NRN card for the NRN visa.

Because Nepal's immigration fees, thresholds and required documents are updated periodically through government decisions and the annual budget, always confirm the current requirement with the Department of Immigration before applying or paying. Overstaying or working on the wrong visa category attracts fines and other penalties under the Immigration Act.