General Information
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).
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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.
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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.