All info about Tibet Group Visa – Entry from Nepal to Tibet
If you are planning to enter Tibet from Nepal (Kathmandu), the first issue you should consider about is the Tibet Group Visa. Hereunder, we collected the most frequently asked questions about obtaining a Tibet Group Visa in Kathmandu to help you figure it out what, how, who, when and where to apply for.
Tibet Group Visa
1. Who needs a Tibet Group Visa?
Entering Tibet via Nepal by land or air.
If you plan to enter Tibet from Nepla, a group visa is a “must” whether you already have a Chinese visa or not.
No matter how many people in your group, even only yourself, you still need a Group Visa.
2. Where can I get a Tibet Group Visa?
You can get your Tibet Group Visa only from the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu.
3. What is a Tibet Group Visa?
A Tibet Group Visa is a A4 paper with your full name, sex, date of birth, profession, nationality and passport No. of each member of your group listed. The dates of entry and exsit are precisely recorded. Usually, the visa is valid only for the length of the trip you have booked but it’s possible to extend the visa for few additional days, but only is valid for staying in Lhasa.
The Tibet Group Visa is valid for both Mainland China and Tibet, so you don’t need to apply for an individual Chinese visa in your country if you decided to enter Tibet from Nepal, because when you apply for the Group Visa for entering Tibet, your individual Chinese visa automatically expires.
There will be two original copies of the Tibet Group Visa, one for immigration at entry and another for exit, so please keep them well.
4. How many days we need to stay in Kathmandu to get our group visa processed?
It takes 5 working days for a normal one, 3 working days for the urgent, and 1.5 working day for the very urgent. The working day refers to Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week except holidays.
You should arrive one day before (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) to fill the Chinese group visa application letter, this letter has been submitted before 2 PM, so better meet the visa agent in Kathmandu at about 9 or 10 AM so that you have enough time. And the visa can be issued in the afternoon the second day about 4 or 5 PM. To get the visa same-day (submit in the morning and get it in the afternoon) on Monday, Wednesday or Friday is not advised though it’s possible, because it’s really toooo hectic that way. If you can reach on Sunday and fill all the application letter same day, it’s POSSIBLE to get the visa the second day on Monday.
No one is required to show up personally at Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, your agent can do it all for you, the only thing you have to do is to fill the group visa application letter and sign it in person, and also make sure to bring a passport size photo (white background)
5. Do I need a travel agency in Kathmandu to process the group visa? Or can we do it by ourself?
Yes, you need a travel agency in Kathmandu to process the Group Visa. The Chinese embassy in Kathamndu don’t accept the individual application, so you can’t get the Group Visa by yourself.
Tour-tibet.com can easily help you obtain the Tibet Group Visa through our partner agent in Kathmandu, please contact our professional travel consultant via contact@tour-tibet.com for the details.
6. What kind of documents we need to prepare with?
The documents you need to prepare with are:
# need an invitation letter from your travel agency in Tibet;
# need your passport;
# need you to fill out the visa application form;
An Invitation Letter Sample
7. What’s the group visa charge in Kathmandu for normal, urgent and extreme urget?
| Category | Number of Working days to obtain visa | Cost for American passport holders | Other nationalities |
| Normal | 5 days | USD 140 | USD 50 |
| Urgent | 3 days | USD 144 | USD 65 |
| Very Urgent | 1.5 day | USD 175 | USD 85 |
| Note: The Tibet Group Visa is only applicable on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (three days in week). Also, the local Nepalese agencies charge USD20-50 per person service charge according to the number of people in the group. | |||
6. Is there any chance of rejecting the visa?
According to our experiences, there is no chance of rejecting the visa if your Tibet invitation letter is correct and you are not a journalist or military officer.
Hope these information can help you plan your Nepal-Tibet trip better, if you need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us via contact@tour-tibet.com and we will get back to you with professional suggestions in 0.5~11.5 hours.
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