Entry
Procedures & Visa Rules
| a.
Tourist Visa |
| Visa Facility
|
Duration |
Fee |
Multiple entry
|
15 days |
US$ 25 or
equivalent convertible currency |
Multiple entry
|
30 days |
US$ 40 or
equivalent convertible currency |
Multiple entry
|
90 days |
US$ 100 or
equivalent convertible currency |
b. Gratis (Free) Visa
- Gratis visa for 30 days is available only for nationals
of SAARC countries. However, for extension of visa for SAARC
nationals, the rule is same as that of other nationals.
- Indian nationals do not require visa to enter into Nepal.
For Visa Extension:
Tourists can stay for a maximum of 150 days in a visa year (Jan
1 to Dec 31) extending the visa at the rate of 2 US $ per day.
However, a minimum amount of 30 US$ has to be paid for a period
of 15 days or less.
(For further information, please, contact Department of Immigration,
Maitighar, Impact Building, Kathmandu, Tel: 00977-1-4221996/
4223590/ 4222453, Web: www.immi.gov.np )
Custom Formalities
Any visitor bringing in more than 5000 US$ or equivalent amount
in any other currency/currencies must declare the currency/currencies
at the Customs Office in the Airport.
Customs:
All baggage must be declared and cleared through the customs
on arrival at the entry point. Personal effects are permitted
free entry. Passengers arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport
(TIA) without any dutiable goods can proceed through the Green
Channel for quick clearance without a baggage check. If you
are carrying dutiable articles, you have to pass through the
Red Channel for detailed customs clearance.
Import:
Apart from used personal belongings, visitors are allowed to
bring to Nepal free of duty: cigarettes (200 sticks) or cigars
(50 sticks), distilled liquor (one 1.15 liter bottle), and film
(15 rolls). You can also bring in the following articles free
of duty on condition that you take them out with you when you
leave: binoculars, movie or video camera, still camera, laptop
computer, and portable music system.
Export:
The export of antiques requires special certification from the
Department of Archeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shah
Path, Kathmandu. It is illegal to export objects over 100 years
old, such as sacred images, paintings, manuscripts that are
valued for culture and religious reasons. Visitors are advised
not to purchase such items as they are Nepal's cultural heritage
and belong here.
For more information on customs matters, contact the Chief Customs
Administrator, TIA Customs Office (Phone: 4470110, 4472266).
Foreign Currency and Credit Cards
Payment in hotels, travel agencies, and airlines are made in
foreign exchange. Credit cards like American Express, Master
and Visa are widely accepted at major hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Remember to keep your Foreign Exchange Encashment Receipt while
making foreign exchange payments or transferring foreign currency
into Nepalese rupees. The receipts may be needed to change left-over
Nepalese Rupees into hard currency before leaving the country.
However, only 10 percent of the total amount may be converted
by the bank. ATM is widely in use in Kathmandu.
Major Banks, hotels and exchange counters at Tribhuvan International
Airport provide services for exchanging foreign currency.
Exchange rates are published in English dailies such as The
Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times. Nepalese
Rupees are found in denominations of Rupees 1000, 500, 100,
50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are found in denominations of
Rupees 5, 2 and 1. One rupee equals 100 paisa.
Time and Business Hours
Nepal is five hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT.
Business hours within the Valley: Government offices are open
from 10 am to 5 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday and close
at 3pm on Friday in the Kathmandu Valley. During the winter,
they close at 4 pm. Most Business offices are open from 10 am
to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Embassies and international
organizations are open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Most shops open after 10 am and close at about 8 pm and are
usually closed on Saturdays.
Business hours outside the Valley: Government offices outside
Kathmandu valley open from 10 am to 5 p.m. from Sunday through
Thursday. On Fridays they remain open until 3 pm. Banks are
open from Sunday through Thursday from 10 am to 3 pm. On Fridays,
banks remain open until 12 pm only. Business offices are open
from 10 am to 5 pm Sunday through Friday. Recently many private
banks have re-organized to have different branches open at various
different times making banking hours longer. If one branch is
closed another will be open.
Holidays: Nepal observes numerous holidays, at the least a couple
in a month. So please check the holiday calendar. The longest
holiday in Nepal is during the Dashain festival in late September
or October. Government offices observe all the national holidays
and banks observe most of them. Businesses observe major holidays
only.
Communication Facilities
Postal Services: The Central Post Office located near Dharahara
Tower, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday.
The counters are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and provide stamps,
postcards and aerograms. Post Restante is available Sunday through
Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Express Mail Service (EMS) is
available at GPO and at Thamel, Basantapur and airport postal
counters.
Telephone Services: Telephone and fax services are available
at the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation at Tripureshwar.
Hotels and private communications centers provide long distance
telephone and fax facilities. For calling from outside, country
code for Nepal is 977 and the area code for Kathmandu is 1.
Internet Services: There are countless Internet cafes and communication
centers have opened up in the Valley and around the country.
Visitors only have to find a place they are most comfortable
in to use the facilities to keep in touch with home. Internet
services are also offered by hotels.
Media: Nepali media has made a gigantic leap ahead in just a
few years time and what used to be a controlled and tight knit
community, is no more. The government audio and television news
networks are Radio Nepal and Nepal Television respectively.
However, numerous FM radio stations and regional television
stations are dominating the market. Major Nepali daily newspapers
are Gorkhapatra and Kantipur, while the English dailies are
The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times.
A number of other newspapers and magazines are also available.
Electricity: Major towns have electricity and the voltage available
is 220-volts and 50 cycles. Load shedding is a seasonal phenomenon
during the dry season and eases off once it begins to rain.
However, most major hotels have uninterrupted power supply through
their own generators.
| “Raven Tours
and Treks” is a member of the following organizations:
|
 |
|
Time in Nepal:
