Chinese Group Visa for visiting Tibet

Chinese Group Visa for visiting Tibet. How to obtain one, what is it? Those are the most obvious confusion for the International visitors proposing to visit Tibet. Here is our intake for Chinese Group Visa for visiting Tibet.

The Chinese Group visa can be related to you in two scenarios.

1. If you are coming to Tibet from Nepal, Both by flight or overland journey from Nepal to Tibet.
2. Yours a big group. You want to Apply for the Chinese Visa from Home with a group Visa invitation from Tibet Tourism Bureau.

The Chinese Group Visa is a special visa issued by respected Chinese Embassy base on the above scenarios.

It is a set of two A4 sized Paper VISA. It contains all the personal details of the group members including; Name, Sex, Date of Birth, Occupation, Your passport number, and Nationality. And the Date of Entry and Exit. This Visa could be valid for Your journey in Tibet and your extended journey in other parts of China.

Out of two sets of it. One is for arrival and other is to use while exiting the country.

Following this, We will explain about the Chinese Group visa in two above mention scenarios

Suppose visitors are coming to Tibet from Nepal. It is no longer necessary to obtain a Chinese Group Visa from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. However, it is advisable to apply for the group visa in Kathmandu to avoid the hassle of applying for individual visas. If you hold an individual visa or your nationality has a visa-free policy in China, you don’t need to obtain a Chinese Group Visa. Your Chinese Visa from home will be revoked because no individual can hold two valid visas.

How can I apply for a Chinese Group Visa from Nepal?

Suppose you have made up your mind to get into Tibet from Nepal. Please do not obtain the standard tourist Chinese Visa on your passport from home. It is compulsory to get the Chinese group visa from the Embassy in Nepal.

As soon as you book your tour with a local travel agency in Lhasa, please inform them of your plans to enter Tibet. They need to know that you plan to create the document according to your plan. You also need to send them a scanned copy of your passports for permit issuance and a Chinese Group visa invitation from the Tibet Tourism Bureau.

Once your Tibet travel permit is done, the travel agency will send your Visa invitation to their associated agency in Nepal. This guarantees the approval of your Chinese Group Visa from the Embassy in Nepal.

The Chinese Embassy does not accept individual applicants. It must be applied through a local agency that is registered with them.

The Embassy will never issue a visa for a passport that does not have a Nepalese Visa and an arrival stamp for Nepal. You must be legally present in Nepal to apply for a Group visa. So, the option of sending the passport by courier for the Group Visa is not possible. However, for Indian citizens, you can send your passport to Nepal to obtain a Chinese Visa before arrival, as Indians don’t require a Visa to enter Nepal.

It usually takes three business days for the Chinese Group visa process, so you will have to arrive three to more days before your departure to Tibet.

Here are the steps to obtain your Chinese Group Visa for visiting Tibet.

1. Book the tour with the Tibetan travel agency in Lhasa
   The first step is to find a suitable travel agency, select a suitable tour itinerary, and book a tour with them. The travel agency in Lhasa will have to send a visa invitation from the Tibet Tourism Bureau to you in Nepal
2. Please send a copy of your passport and Hotel information.
   You will need to send them a clear scan copy of your Passport, and you will also need to provide them with clear information about your hotel in Nepal.
3. Visa invitation and Tibet travel permit
   Once your travel agency has all the required information, it will initiate the process for obtaining your Tibet travel permit and visa invitation.
4. Application of Chinese Group Visa
   Upon arrival in Nepal, you will be contacted by their local partner agency. He will assist you in obtaining the visa. You will need to allow three business days for the Visa to be processed.

Here is the day-to-day plan for Visa applications in Nepal

1st Day) You will meet our agent at the Hotel, and he will make all the preparations for the Visa application. ( This can be your arrival date)

2nd Day) He will apply the Visa at the Embassy

3rd Day ) —————-

4th Day) He will get your visa in the Evening in Nepal.

Day 5) Only on the fifth day will you be able to take a flight to Lhasa.

Here is a price list of the Visa according to the Chinese consulate website.

The Local Nepalese agency may charge USD 20-50 per person for their services. The consulate accepts group visa application is only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (except Chinese holidays).

Duration of Visa Process

It will take three business days for the Visa process, there are no one or two Days Emergency visa services. So please arrival in Nepal with enough window for the Visa process and to leave for Lhasa on the fifth day.

It is a rare scenario for travellers coming to Tibet on a group Visa from their home country. However rare it may be, it is happening and causing a lot of inconvenience and frustration for our visitors. Please note that all travelers should read this carefully.

Sometimes, mainly travel agencies abroad would like to have a Visa Invitation from the travel agency in Lhasa to avoid visa hassles. If you plan to ask your travel agency in Lhasa to arrange a group, they will most likely send you a visa invitation that includes all the details of the group members under one invitation. This will automatically generate a Group Visa on a piece of paper, not the individual Visa on your passport.

What does a Group Visa mean?

The Group Visa is for all group members, ensuring that all members are listed on the Visa Paper. Everyone will have to enter China and exit from China at the same time, and together from the same place. They are no option for extending the Visa and separating one or two individuals from the group visa once they arrive in China.

So, if you are in a group and everyone has a different plan for arriving and departing from China. Getting a group Visa is not an option.

A group visa, issued on our invitation, is addressed only to the embassy.

This year we have to cancel some tours for this reason. The Visa invitation will be addressed to all the embassies of a particular country. If you intend to obtain a visa with an invitation from a consulate, they will refuse to issue the visa, for it’s not addressed to the consulate.

At the Tibet tourism bureau system, we have no option to choose between the embassy and the consulate. the invitation will be automatically addressed to the embassy.

What are the best solutions?

Unless you are coming to Tibet from Nepal, don’t ask the travel agency in Tibet for the Visa invitation. And do not tell the Chinese Embassy about the plan to visit Tibet.

If you are coming to Tibet from Nepal, getting the Visa is very easy.

If you are coming to Tibet from Other parts of China. It is not a very good idea to get a Chinese Group Visa from Home. Rather, it is best to get individual Chinese Visa on the passport. There is an option to get the individual visa in the passport. Therefore gives group members more flexibility in China.

If you are coming to Tibet from Nepal. And if you some of your group members have a different plan after the Tibet tour. Hence it is best to get a different Visa invitation for the subgroups for more flexibility.

If you have more question about obtaining Chinese Group visa for visiting Tibet, please do contact us. You don’t need to book the tour with us for getting free consultancy from us.

Tenzin Travel is the best Tibetan Travel agency in Tibet. Our agency is one of Tibet’s most experienced tour operators, with over 20 years in the industry. Founded by a local Tibetan family with decades of expertise as guides, managers, and route planners. We craft personalized itineraries for every traveler. Our agency is the highest-rated and most recommended Tibet travel agency on TripAdvisor, Google, and Lonely Planet.

We can make holistic arrangements for your trip to Tibet. Including a Tibet Travel Permit, a Tibetan tour guide, flight tickets, train tickets, vehicle arrangements, and hotel bookings in Tibet.

Our Lhasa office is just steps from Barkhor Square. All our Tibetan team ensures deep cultural, linguistic, and religious insights, setting us apart from other agencies.

Beyond tourism, we support Tibetan communities by donating a portion of each tour to local projects. Your travel to Tibet is about more than profit—it’s about the opportunity for us to give back.