Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Travel Permit is also known as Tibet Entry Permit. This permit is mandatory for all international travelers to travel to Tibet. This permit is the key door revealing the treasure of once in the lifetime journey to Tibet.

In Tibet Travel Regulation, it is clearly stated the all international visitors are required to get this permit to travel to Tibet. Without this permit, you will never be allowed to enter Tibet.

International Travelers visiting Tibet

If you are not a Chinese citizen and traveling to Tibet. You need to get the Tibet Travel permit regardless of your nationality. For Chinese citizens from the mainland, Hongkong, and Macau you don't need to get such a Permit to visit Tibet. Citizens of Taiwan without a Chinese ID card are also required to get this permit.

Hindu Pilgrim for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Annually there are lots of Hindus around the world making the sacred yatra or pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar. This sacred journey is called Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Permit for Indian Citizen

If you are an Indian passport holder there are only two organizations that can make the Tibet Travel permit for you. One is Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Autonomous Region, which is governmental, and another is the China Indian Pilgrim Reception Center, a private organization. These two agencies can help you make all the necessary permits and other arrangements for yatra like hotels, tour guides, and buses.

Permit for NRIs

If you are a not Indian passport holder Hindu with another passport, or Non-Residential Indian. You don't need to arrange the permit through those two agencies. Any local Travel agency like us can help you make permits. Along with permits, we will also make other arrangements for your trip like tour guides, Private vehicles with a professional Driver, and hotel and flight bookings.

For NRI we strongly recommend you arrange Kailash yatra with a travel agency like us for better professional services.

There are a few additional permits to Tibet on top of the main Tibet travel permit. Each one of those additional permits covers specific regions and specific purposes as the name suggests. Let's discuss each one of those in following

Tibet Autonomous Region is subdivided into seven prefectures. If your travel plan extends- beyond Lhasa Prefecture, you will have to get the Alien's Travel Permit. It is issued in those prefecture-level cities at the local security bureau office. At the first prefect-level city you have to apply for it and in the next prefecture-level city, they only stamp on the original copy.

For example, if you are traveling to Mount Kailash from Lhasa. Upon arrival at Shigatse which is the prefecture-level city in Shigatse prefecture, your guide will take all the passports and make this permit. Upon arrival at the Darchen, your guide will have to get a stamp on it.

As the name suggests this permit is associated with the border. This permit has to be made before you arrive in Tibet. If your tour plan has any visit near the border area, your Tibet travel agency has to make this permit. This permit is issued by the China National Immigration Agency.

You will need this permit if you are entering Tibet from Kyirong port, on an International flight from Kathmandu, and If you are visiting Mount Everest Basecamp and Mount Kailash region.

If you are visiting Mount Kailash region and Ngari prefecture where mount kailash is located, You will need to get this permit. This permit is issued by Tibet's branch of the people's liberation Army in Lhasa. It takes about a week to two weeks to make this permit. If you are traveling to Mount Kailash region you need to ask your travel agency to apply for all the permits a month in advance to be safe.eo

The Initial step in applying for the Tibet travel permit is booking a tour with a local Tibetan travel agency. Once when you book the tour with us by signing a tour contract and sending the said amount of deposit. We can initiate the process of the Tibet permit. We will at least need about a month to apply for and deliver the permit as per your tour plan.

After booking the tour, you will have to send us the necessary travel documentsed as below:

• Copy Passport: You will have to send us a picture of your passport. It is highly recommended that the passport to valid next six months and have at least one blank page on it. If you have a Valid Visa on an old expired passport and an additional new valid passport, please submit both passports. If you are a dual citizen please submit the passport on which you have or going to apply for the Chinese visa. It's best not to show a second passport in Tibet.

• Chinese Visa:

1. There are loads of nations with free visa policy in China for 15 days. If you belong to such a country, you don't need to submit a visa.
2. Other wise, if you are entering into Tibet from other regions of China. You need to submit us a valid Chinese visa.
3. If you are planning to come from Nepal, You will need to get a group visa from the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. Permit can be applied without a Visa.

Please note: If your visa is not L ( tourist Visa). You will need to submit us the supporting letter related to your visa category. If you visa is for study, you need to send us a letter from your school or school ID card. If your visa is for business, you need to submit a rletter for your company in China.

• Itinerary: We will also have to submit your tour plan as per the tour contract. Including the date, place of visit

We ( Tibet travel Agency) will submit the permit application with your provided document online on your behalf. It usually takes from 7 days to 20+ days to get the permit based on your tour plan. To avoid hurdles, we will also have to keep account of international and national holidays during the days of processing the permit.

• If you are visiting only Lhasa and Shigatse town the permit will take about 10 days max
• If you are visiting Everest Basecamp it will take about 13 days Max
• If your visit consist of Mount Kailash, it will take about 25+ days for the permit

We also must consider adding 5 days for sending the permit to your hotel in Chinese Cities, if you are planning to fly to Lhasa. The most preferable city for permit delivery is Chengdu. It's highly recommended for transiting in Chengdu. For more number of flights to Lhasa and easy access for permit delivery.

If you need the original permit in hand while traveling to Tibet depends on your travel plan and mode of transportation.

• Nepal to Tibet overland and flight: If you are traveling overland or flight from Nepal to Tibet. There is no need for us to send you the permits. On your arrival at the border, you will meet your tour guide and she will have your permit with her.
• Tibet Train Journey to Lhasa: We will send you an image of your Tibet travel permit via email or WeChat before you depart for Tibet. You will have to make a printout of it and show it at your departing city. But if you are taking the train to Tibet from the city of Chongqing. You need the original permit at Chongqing train station, hence you will have to provide us with your address in China to send the permit.
• Domestic Flight to Tibet: If you are taking a flight to tibet from any Chinese city. At the departing airport for the Lhasa flight, you will need to have the original permit in hand to board the flight. Hence we will have to send the permit to your hotel or set up a meeting at that airport with our agent to hand deliver the permit at the airport. We highly recommend you choose Chengdu.

Traveling overland from Nepal to Tibet is one of the most traveled route in Tibet. If you are traveling on this route. We will make a permit only with your passport. If you are not from a country with a free visa in China, You will have to get a Chinese group visa from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. We will refer you to our agent in Kathmandu for the Chinese Group Visa.

Your group visa consists of two pages of similar content. One is for the entrance into China at China Customs and another is for the exit from Nepal. Both are to be handed to the Chinese customs officer. Please don't leave in Kathmandu hotel and don't give it to Nepalese officers

On the actual day of travel, you will meet your tour guide at the Chinese customs- of the Sino-Nepal border near Kyirong town. The guide will have all the documents and she will help you proceed with the check in. The document and permit will remain with the tour guide for Pyour entire stay in Tibet.

Following are the permits we will prepare for you

• Border Permit
• Tibet Travel Permit
• Military permit for Kailash tours ( if included)
• Aliens Permit will be done as you check in the hotel in Kyirong

There are regularly three flights a week between Kathmandu and Lhasa. Similar above situation, if you are taking a flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa. We will make the Tibet travel permit by submitting only the passport. If your country is not visa-free in China, you will have to get a Chinese group visa from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. We will assign a visa agent in Kathmandu to help you get it.

Your group visa consists of two pages of similar content. One is for the entrance into China at China Customs and another is for the exit from Nepal. Both are to be handed to a Chinese Customs officer. Please don't leave it in the Kathmandu hotel and don't give it to Nepalese offices.

When your flight landed at Lhasa Gonggar International Airport. At the first checkpoint, they will check for your passport Chinese group visa, and Baggage. There is a second checkpoint where they will check for the Tibet travel permit, Here in the second checkpoint you will meet your tour guide. She will have your permit in her hand.

Documents to prepare from our side

• Border Permit
• Tibet Travel Permit
• And additional military if you are traveling to Kailash

If you flying to Lhasa from other cities in China to Lhasa. Before you board the flight for Lhasa, they will check for your original Tibet travel permit. If you dont have it, you will not be allow to board the flight. Hence we must bring it to you before your flight.

Here we will discuss this solution in two scenarios.

1) Sending permit to your address in China

Here you will have to book a hotel for a night in China and we will send the permit to your hotel. As you check in you will have to check with the reception about the parcel in your name.

2) Hiring a delivery person to deliver the permit to you at the airport

If you are take only a few hours of transit at the airport. we can hire a local deliver person to come deliver the permit to you at the airport during your transit time. As of right now, it is only possible to do this in Chengdu city in southeast China. This service will come with an extra cost of 115 USD.

You will only need a copy of the permit if you are takin a Train to Tibet. hence we will send you an image of your permit and you will have make a printout of the permit. It is recommended to make several printouts if incase they will not give back the printout at the departing station. At the Lhasa train station, it is better to have a copy of it in hand.

ga the There is a different permit policy if taking the train from Chongqing to Lhasa. Here the Chongqing train station requires the original copy of the permit. Hence we will have to send it to your hotel in the city.

There are many misconceptions about the Tibet travel permit. These misconceptions lead to discourage many travelers from visiting Tibet. Here we will debunk those misconceptions.

Reality: Getting a Tibet Travel Permit is very easy. All it takes is to contact us and book a tour with us. After this, we will guide you to make sure to get your Tibet travel permit.

Reality: You can visit Tibet in a private tour arrangement. The group tours are only designed to help reduce the cost of traveling to Tibet by sharing the cost of Tour guides and private vehicles. We want to make Tibet accessible to all the travelers.

You can choose either the group tour or the private as it suits your budget.s

Reality: First of all no travel agency is allowed to charge any extra money for the Tibet travel permit. It is free of cost. No travel agency in Tibet has a pay any money to the government agency issuing the permits.

Reality: This misconception makes Tibet a very undesirable destination for tourists. There are few Tibet travel regulations in place but these regulations are for the safety of travelers and, the preservation of the unique culture and environment of Tibet to make sure tourism in Tibet is sustainable and responsible tourism.

With Travel agencies like us that practice responsible tourism in Tibet. The region remains a remarkable destination for international tourists.