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Nepal for American passport holders: Visa on arrival

Your circumstances

Passport:
🇺🇸 American
Lives in:
Not specified (general rule)
Going to:
🇳🇵 Nepal
Purpose:
Holiday

Route summary

Visa on arrival

Tourist visa on arrival (from US$30)

American passport holders can get a tourist visa on arrival in Nepal: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days or US$125 for 90 days.

Conditions

  • Fill in the arrival card and the online tourist visa form (before arrival on the Department of Immigration website, or at kiosks at Tribhuvan airport) and print the barcode receipt (valid 15 days).
  • Pay the visa fee at the bank counter at the airport – carrying some cash is advised.
  • Children under 10 get a free visa.
  • Extensions: US$3 per day (minimum 15 days), up to 150 days per visa year (Jan–Dec).
  • A visa from a Nepali mission must be used within six months of issue.

About this route

Route type
Visa on arrival: the visa is issued when you arrive.
Documents
Document list not published by the official source.
Fee
US$30 (as published).
Processing
Processing time not published by the official source.

Next step

Fill in the arrival card and online tourist visa form

Official application pageimmigration.gov.np ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Last checked 9 Oct 2026 against immigration.gov.np · Checked on the live official page

Documents

Document list not published by the official source.

Fees

Official government fee
US$30
Visa-centre / service fee (not a government fee)
None stated by the official source
Notes from the source
US$30 (15 days), US$50 (30 days), US$125 (90 days); children under 10 free. US citizens can also get a 5-year reciprocity tourist visa (180 days per year) from the Department of Immigration for US$160.

These notes may mention other charges that we have not yet separated into government and service fees. Visa-centre, service or other third-party charges are never official government fees.

Processing and validity

Processing time
Not published by the official source
Validity
Not published by the official source
Maximum stay
15, 30 or 90 days (extendable up to 150 days per visa year)

How to apply: Tourist visa on arrival (from US$30)

3 steps from the official source
  1. Step 1: Fill in the arrival card and online tourist visa form
  2. Step 2: Pay the visa fee at the bank counter
  3. Step 3: Present form, receipt and passport at the immigration desk

Where: On arrival (Tribhuvan airport and land borders) or Nepali mission

Official application page: immigration.gov.np ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Quick answers

Do American passport holders need a visa for Nepal?

Tourist visa on arrival (from US$30). American passport holders can get a tourist visa on arrival in Nepal: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days or US$125 for 90 days. Source: https://www.immigration.gov.np/visa-information

Business, work or just passing through?

The rules above are for a holiday: tourism and visiting family and friends. Business visits, paid work and transit are covered separately below.

Business visits to Nepal

Not verified yet (not yet covered). We haven't verified the business rules for American passport holders, and we don't publish rules we haven't checked against an official source. A rule that is awaiting verification or not yet covered is not a negative visa decision: it only means we haven't confirmed it on an official source yet. Until then, see immigration.gov.np.

Working in Nepal

Option 1
Embassy visaWork

Working visa (non-tourist)

To work in Nepal you need a Working (non-tourist) visa from the Department of Immigration, issued on the recommendation of a government line agency with a labour permit and a Home Ministry work agreement.

Conditions

  • You may stay on a tourist visa while the working visa is processed; it is cancelled once the working visa is approved.
Government fee
Fee not officially published
Processing
Not verified yet
Validity
Not verified yet
Max stay
Not verified yet

About the cost: The Visa Information page states a base fee of US$60 per month; the fees table states US$30/month (government-affiliated), US$50/month (donor-funded) or US$75/month (other organisations). Re-entry: +US$20 single / +US$60 multiple.

Steps, documents & where to apply

How to apply

Steps not verified yet — follow the official source below.

Where: Department of Immigration, Kathmandu

Documents checklist

  • Recommendation letter from the government line agency
  • Work permit from the Department of Labour
  • Work agreement from the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • Appointment/contract letter
  • Tax clearance of the hiring organisation
  • Passport and visa copy
  • Online application form

✓ Checked on the live official page

Official wording

“Department of Immigration, Nepal – Non-Tourist Visa: "Only foreign nationals holding a Working Visa are allowed to accept employment and work in Nepal. It is issued by the Department of Immigration (Non Tourist Visa section) upon recommendation from the relevant government line agency. Foreign nationals undergoing paperwork for Work Visa may stay in Nepal under a Tourist Visa."”

⚠ Not from an official source: items marked below come from secondary sources (law firms, employer-of-record guides, IOM, Wikipedia), not the destination government. They are not verified and may be out of date; confirm with the embassy or immigration authority.

Main work visa routes for Nepal

These are the main routes and what they require. Whether you qualify depends on your circumstances; the official page decides.

Work visa

⚠ Not from an official source

For: Foreign employees in Nepal

  • A visa to work legally, applied for once you have a job offer

Source: G-P Globalpedia – Nepal visas & permits (employer-of-record guide) (Not official) (globalization-partners.com) · Not from an official source.

What the source says

"All noncitizens need a visa to work in Nepal legally." … "Individuals can enter the country with a tourist visa and apply for a work visa in specific locations once they receive a job offer."

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Requirements, fees and thresholds change; confirm on the official page before applying.

Transit through Nepal

Option 1
Visa on arrivalTransit

Transit visa (24 hours, US$5)

Passing through Nepal? A transit visa for a maximum 24-hour stay is issued by the immigration office for US$5 with proof of onward travel.

Government fee
US$5
US$5.
Processing
Not verified yet
Validity
Not verified yet
Max stay
Maximum 24 hours
Steps, documents & where to apply

How to apply

Steps not verified yet — follow the official source below.

Where: Immigration office at the port of entry

Documents checklist

  • Proof of transit (air ticket)
  • Valid passport

✓ Checked on the live official page

Official wording

“Department of Immigration, Nepal – Visa fees and documents: "Transit – Transiting through Nepal - maximum 24-hour stay – Immigration Office – $5 – Proof of transit (air ticket), Valid passport – Transit travellers."”

Alert me if this route changes

Get an email when we update the guidance for American passport holders going to Nepal, after we've checked the change against the official source. Nothing else.

Tell me about changes to

We send a confirmation email first. Unconfirmed sign-ups are deleted after 7 days.

Before you go to Nepal

Customs cash limits and the scams official travel advice warns about in Nepal.

Cash you can bring in and take out

Not yet confirmed — check the official customs page. We couldn't confirm Nepal's cash limits on an official page yet, so we don't show a number. Check the current rules on customs.gov.np →

Official source: customs.gov.np · Last checked 9 Oct 2026 · Details

Common tourist traps

  1. Cheap trekking deals and helicopter rescue scams

    How it works: Some guides take inexperienced trekkers too high too fast, then call expensive helicopter evacuations and take a cut.

    How to avoid it: Be wary of trekking deals that look very cheap; acclimatise properly.

  2. Pickpockets in Thamel and at airports

    How it works: Pickpockets and bag-snatchers work airports, buses and areas popular with tourists such as Thamel, Sanepa and Kupondol.

    How to avoid it: Keep valuables in a hotel safe and don't carry large sums of cash.

  3. Drink spiking

    How it works: Drinks can be spiked with drugs such as GHB; victims have been robbed or assaulted.

    How to avoid it: Buy your own drinks, keep them in sight and don't accept drinks from strangers.

All 4 traps for Nepal →

Emergency numbers in Nepal

Paraphrased from official travel advice: gov.uk · FCDO page updated 1 Oct 2026 · Last checked 2 Nov 2026.

Explore Nepal

Planning more than the paperwork? Our Nepal guide picks out places to visit, with a source for every tip.

Places to visit:
Kathmandu Valley · Lumbini · Chitwan National Park
Read the full Nepal guide

American passport: of the 155 destinations with a rule verified from an official source, 107 visa-free, 17 visa on arrival, 24 eVisa or travel authorisation, 7 embassy visa.

Nepal: rules verified from an official source for 186 of 198 passports. Nepal guide and every passport →

Where else can American passport holders travel? See every destination we cover →

Optional travel offers

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Plan your trip to Nepal

Verify with the embassy before you book. Visa rules change without notice. We link every rule to its official source and last checked it on 9 Oct 2026, but the embassy, official e-visa portal and your airline have the final say. MyVisaPort is not a visa agent and is not affiliated with any government.