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fiogf49gjkf0d All foreign nationals except Indians need a visa to enter Nepal. Tourist visas are issued on arrival with a minimum of fuss at the Kathmandu airport and at official overland entry points. Have a passport-size photo at the ready, and if possible bring exact change for the visa fee - in US dollars if you're entering by air.
Fees may change without warning, but visas currently
cost
US$15 (or equivalent in other currencies) for fifteen days, $25 for thirty days ($40 for a double-entry visa), and $60 for a sixty-day multiple-entry visa. If you plan on border-hopping between Nepal and India (or Tibet), the double- or multiple-entry option may save some time and money, but it's not essential as you can get a re-entry stamp at any official border crossing (same prices as visas).
Getting a visa from an overseas
Nepalese embassy or consulate
will cut down on paperwork on arrival, but it's really only worth doing if you happen to be in the neighbourhood or if you're one of those people who has to have everything sorted out before you go. The fees are supposed to be the same as those given above, but are actually often higher.
Tourist visas can be
extended
, up to thirty days at a time, for a maximum of 120 days in a calendar year (150 days given extenuating circumstances). Extensions are granted only at the Kathmandu or Pokhara
Central Immigration
offices - a somewhat tedious procedure, especially in high season, when queues can run to two hours or more, which is why it's best to get the longest visa you think you'll need right from the start. The cost is US$1 per day, payable in Nepalese currency only. Submit your passport and one passport-size photo with your application; instant photos are available from studios near Central Immigration offices.
The fine for overstaying is double the amount that you would have paid had you properly extended your visa. However, don't overstay more than a couple of days, and for heaven's sake
don't
tamper with your visa. Tourists have been jailed for these seemingly minor infractions.
Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections):
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