This page was last updated on January 2023
Is Nepal open for visitors?
Yes. Nepal has now fully opened to international visitors. Arrivals can now travel to Nepal without the need for quarantine measures, regardless of their vaccination status.
Is Nepal open to international tourism?
Yes. Nepal has now fully opened to international visitors.
Fully vaccinated travellers to Nepal have NO pre-departure and on-arrival Covid testing requirements. The decision was mainly taken to ease passengers’ travelling experience entering Nepal and contribute to the speedy recovery of Nepal’s airports and airline industry.
Please consult the Department of Immigration – Nepal for further information.
Is Nepal open for business travellers?
Yes. March 2022 Nepal has now fully opened its borders for international visitors, including business travellers.
Nepal provides business visas for investors and entrepreneurs investing and undertaking business in Nepal. DOI issues Business visas upon receipt of the required documents from the applicant.
What are Nepal’s vaccine requirements?
All arrivals can now enter Nepal, regardless of their vaccination status. COVID-19 vaccination passports or certificates are not mandatory to enter Nepal. If you’re fully vaccinated, you won’t need to show a pre-departure test. Instead, you can present your vaccination certificate showing a full dose of vaccination against COVID-19, completed at least 14 days prior to entering Nepal.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers will be required to undertake a pre-departure test to enter the country.
Nepal-approved vaccines are as follows:
- Pfizer/BioNTech
- Moderna
- Sputnik V
- Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
- Oxford/AstraZeneca/Covishield
- Covaxin
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
Source: Nepal – COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker (trackvaccines.org)
What are Nepal’s testing and quarantine requirements?
Testing requirements
The Government of Nepal has recently removed the requirement for travellers to complete an Online International Travel Arrival Form. You will, however need to present certain documentation on arrival:
- A passport with at least six months of validity
- A COVID-19 vaccination certificate or PCR negative test result taken no more than 72 hours before the flight of first departure. These requirements do not apply to children under the age of five.
- If you are vaccinated, you can apply for a visa on arrival at Online Services or complete documentation at the arrivals hall of Kathmandu Airport
Quarantine requirements
There are no quarantine requirements for inbound travellers to Nepal. However, travellers could undergo a health check if they show any of the COVID-19 related symptoms while entering Nepal.
If any of such symptoms are found, they will be required to take a mandatory antigen test (at their own expense) at the entry point. If tested positive, they must proceed to an isolation centre designated by the Ministry of Health and Population or a hospital.
Additional entry requirements
You may also be asked to show proof of:
- A travel insurance document which covers health, immediate crisis, or rescue for the duration of your travel in Nepal
- Your initial hotel booking
Please visit immigration.gov.np for more information.
Transiting in Nepal
Travellers transiting in Nepal will need the following:
- if unvaccinated, they must present a certificate showing a negative RT-PCR test, taken within 72 hours of their departure flight.
- a visa or prior approval document.
- a travel insurance document which covers health, immediate crisis, or rescue for the duration of your travel.
- a barcode generated from the online application of the Online International Travel Arrival Form. See ARMS-DIMS
Interstate Travel in Nepal
All fully vaccinated individuals can travel within Nepal without requiring any permit. Road transportation is limited and in poor condition due to frequent landslides, often cutting off access. Although, there is an east-west highway that passes through the southern areas of Nepal.
Nepal also has an international airport in Kathmandu, 3 regional airports, 9 all-weather airports, and 21 seasonal domestic airports. Domestic air services are accessible for travelling to major cities and business centres. Nepal has neither a seaport nor a railway system.
Exit requirements for Nepal
Nepal residents are advised to complete their COVID-19 vaccination before undertaking international travel to protect themselves against COVID-19 disease effectively. Travellers departing Nepal by air are subject to the health protocols of their destination country only. Airlines will consult and apply such protocols before boarding passengers.
Travellers are required to refer to destination country travel rules to understand the specific requirements of the destination country.
