Visas & Permits

What are the necessary documents for making a trip to Tibet

In general, A trip to Tibet is to be required of having Tibet Travel Permits and a Chinese Visa, of which are two different type of documents. The below is the explantions to those documents, and with what document that visitors need to provide for obtaining those document, especially for getting Tibet Travel Permits?

“Tibet Travel Permits” are actually several different Tibet local government approved documents for travel through Tibet. Among of those, the Tibet Travel Permit (without “s”) is the one that is permitted by Tibet Tourism Board (TTB). This document along with other permits such as Alien Pass….etc, can only be applied by the Tibet based Tour operators, which will submit all required documents to related government agencies for entire processes. Any application from individual foreign visitor or foreign tour operator won’t be accepted by local goverment.

“Chinese Visa” is permitted by Chinese Embassy, which is under administration of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

How to enter Tibet?

By means of transportation, there are now three ways to travel onto Tibetan Plateau, which are…

• Overland by vehicle,
• by Train,
• by Plane

By means of departure destinations, there are two departure destinations, which are…

• Nepal
• Via other cities of China. Among of those cities, Chengdu is a city that is with the most convenience of getting into both Tibet and the eastern Tibet of Kham and Amdo

A tour of Bhutan can be arranged to being started from Nepal

–when entering Tibet from Nepal, what documents you need to provide for a trip to Tibet!

• A Passport valid for 6 months minimum
• A clear colored scan of your passport
• Your occupation

Important: All travellers and tourists Do Not need to have a chinese visa before your departure either way of entering Tibet by flight or by land, because both chinese visa and tibet travel permits will be applied by your selected tour operator, and will be obtained with your orignal passport once you arrive in Katmandu;

–when entering Tibet from China mainland, what documents you need to provide for travel onto Tibet!

• A Passport valid for 6 months minimum
• A clear colored scan of your chinese visa (you need to apply chinese visa before your departure, and travel to china with this travel visa)
• A clear colored scan of your passport
• Your occupation

Important: You need to get your chinese travel visa before your departure, and travel with it to China.