Nepal issues visas on arrival to most nationalities at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and at all open land borders with India and China. The process requires a passport valid for at least six months, a completed application form available at the port of entry, one passport photograph, and payment in US dollars or equivalent major currency. The Department of Immigration maintains current fee structures and eligible nationalities at immigration.gov.np — this is the only reliable source for current requirements as policies adjust periodically. Nigerian nationals cannot obtain visas on arrival and must apply through Nepali missions abroad. Afghan, Iraqi, and Syrian nationals face additional documentation requirements.
Indian nationals enter Nepal without visa requirements under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship between India and Nepal. This creates functionally open movement across the border, though Indian travelers should carry government-issued photo identification. Chinese nationals holding ordinary passports now receive free visas on arrival for stays up to fifteen days, a policy implemented in 2024 that significantly changed previous arrangements requiring advance applications.
The Sunauli-Bhairahawa crossing connects Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur region with Nepal's Lumbini zone and serves travelers heading to Pokhara or Kathmandu via the Siddhartha and Prithvi highways. Raxaul-Birgunj on the Bihar border carries the heaviest traffic and connects most directly to Kathmandu along the Tribhuvan Highway, approximately 150 kilometers north. Kakarbhitta in Nepal's eastern corner opposite West Bengal's Panitanki serves the Darjeeling corridor and routes into Sikkim. Mahendranagar in the far west connects to Uttarakhand and receives considerably less traffic than the central crossings. All four crossings maintain visa-on-arrival facilities with immigration offices operating extended hours, though overnight crossings sometimes require waiting for morning staff.
The Rasuwagadhi-Gyirong border with Tibet operates intermittently for third-country nationals depending on Chinese permit regulations for Tibet Autonomous Region. When open, this crossing allows overland travel between Kathmandu and Lhasa, but Chinese authorities require advance tour arrangements and Tibet Travel Permits that independent travelers cannot obtain. The crossing closed entirely during 2020-2022 and reopened with restricted access. Current status changes without consistent notice — travelers planning Tibet entry should verify conditions at least one month before intended crossing and expect possible last-minute closures. The Friendship Highway connecting Kathmandu to the border remains Nepal's primary northern route regardless of border status.
Standard tourist visas allow fifteen, thirty, or ninety-day stays. Extensions process through the Department of Immigration office in Kathmandu's Kalikasthan neighborhood, where mid-morning arrivals generally face shorter queues than afternoon. The extension process requires passport photographs and takes one business day for standard tourist extensions.