Every trekker heading into Nepal’s mountains needs paperwork before the paperwork needs them — and in 2026, that paperwork looks different than it did even two years ago. Trekking permits in Nepal now fall into three categories: conservation or national park entry permits (like ACAP for Annapurna or the Sagarmatha permit for Everest), the TIMS card (still active in some regions, discontinued in others), and Restricted Area Permits (RAPs) for sensitive border zones like Upper Mustang, Dolpo, Manaslu, and Tsum Valley. On top of that, since 2023 a licensed guide has been mandatory on essentially every regulated trekking route in the country, and since March 22, 2026, solo trekkers no longer need a second person to qualify for a restricted-area permit.
This guide walks through exactly what you need, region by region, with current fees in both NPR and USD, where to get each document, and what changes to expect at checkpoints. It also covers the practical questions agencies get asked every day — whether children need permits, whether the old paper TIMS card still works for Everest, how long restricted permits take to process, and what happens if a ranger catches you without one. Whether you’re planning a two-week Annapurna Circuit, a family trip to Poon Hill, or a once-in-a-lifetime journey into Upper Dolpo, understanding the permit system before you book flights will save you money, stress, and the risk of being turned back at a checkpoint.
Nepal’s trekking permits fund conservation, trail maintenance, and rescue coordination in fragile mountain ecosystems, while giving the government and local municipalities a way to track who is on which trail. Revenue from permits like ACAP and the Sagarmatha National Park fee goes directly toward wildlife protection, community development, and search-and-rescue infrastructure in remote areas with little or no other income.
Permits aren’t a bureaucratic hurdle invented to slow travelers down. Nepal’s protected areas — its national parks, conservation areas, and restricted border zones — sit inside some of the most ecologically sensitive terrain on Earth. The Annapurna Conservation Area alone spans over 7,600 square kilometers of forest, alpine desert, and glacier. Every rupee collected at a checkpoint supports rangers, trail repair after monsoon landslides, health posts in villages days from the nearest road, and rescue coordination when a trekker gets altitude sickness at 4,500 meters.
Restricted areas near the Tibetan border — Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Manaslu, Tsum Valley, Nar-Phu, Kanchenjunga, and Humla — carry an additional layer of regulation because of their proximity to sensitive frontier territory and their historically low visitor numbers. The permit system there deliberately limits how many people enter, which is precisely why these regions feel so different from Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit: quieter trails, intact Tibetan Buddhist culture, and villages that haven’t been reshaped by mass tourism.
| Permit Type | Applies To | Who Issues It | Can Solo Travelers Get It? |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Park Entry Permit | Everest/Sagarmatha, Langtang, Makalu-Barun, Shivapuri | Department of National Parks & Wildlife Conservation | Yes |
| Conservation Area Permit (ACAP/MCAP/KCAP) | Annapurna, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga | National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) | Yes |
| TIMS Card | Region-dependent (see table below) | Nepal Tourism Board / TAAN | Depends on region |
| Restricted Area Permit (RAP) | Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Manaslu, Tsum Valley, Nar-Phu, Kanchenjunga, Humla | Department of Immigration | Yes, since March 22, 2026 (guide still mandatory) |
| Local Municipality Fee | Khumbu (Everest), lower Manaslu corridor | Rural municipality offices | Yes |
Pro tip: Almost no independent trekker arranges all of these themselves anymore. A TAAN-registered agency can process national park permits, ACAP, and TIMS in a single visit to the Nepal Tourism Board office, and restricted area permits legally must go through a registered agency regardless of how independent you’d like to be.
The TIMS (Trekkers’ Information Management System) card is a registration document the Nepal Tourism Board uses to track trekkers for safety purposes. As of 2026, TIMS is no longer enforced in the Everest/Khumbu region or reliably enforced in Annapurna, but it remains required in Langtang, Manaslu’s non-restricted sections, far-western Nepal (including Rara Lake), and several less-trafficked routes.
This is the single most confusing part of Nepal’s permit system right now, mostly because so much content online hasn’t caught up. Here’s the practical breakdown:
The paper TIMS card itself has also been phased out in favor of an e-TIMS system using a QR-coded digital card, which checkpoint staff scan rather than stamp. If you’re applying, your agency generates the e-TIMS QR code online and either prints it for you or has you display it on your phone. It’s worth asking your agency to also give you a printed backup — remote checkpoints don’t always have reliable signal to verify a QR code on the spot.
| Trekker Category | Group TIMS (Blue) | Independent TIMS (Green) |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign nationals | NPR 1,000 (~USD 8) | NPR 2,000 (~USD 17) |
| SAARC nationals | NPR 300 (~USD 3) | NPR 600 (~USD 5) |
| Nepali citizens | NPR 100 | NPR 200 |
Note on the “Green Card”: The old system, where a solo foreign trekker could pick up an independent Green TIMS card directly, has been phased out in most regions. Trekkers now generally apply for TIMS through their registered agency, in step with the broader mandatory-guide rule.
Since April 2023, Nepal has required foreign trekkers to hire a licensed guide through a registered trekking agency on essentially every major regulated route, including Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit, Langtang, and Manaslu. This rule was introduced partly in response to solo trekker fatalities on remote trails, and checkpoints now actively verify guide credentials alongside permits.
This is not the same as the restricted-area guide requirement, which has existed for decades. The 2023 rule extended the guide mandate to non-restricted, previously “free independent trekking” (FIT) routes too. In practice, this means:
Guide-to-trekker ratio for group permits: Under the March 2026 restricted-area update, a single licensed guide may now accompany up to seven trekkers on one group permit. This mainly affects how agencies structure pricing for small group departures to Manaslu, Upper Mustang, and similar zones — it does not loosen the requirement that a guide be present at all.
Restricted area trekking permits (RAPs) apply to zones near Nepal’s northern border — Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Manaslu, Tsum Valley, Nar-Phu, Kanchenjunga, and Humla. RAPs can only be issued by the Department of Immigration through a government-registered trekking agency; they cannot be self-applied for or purchased independently, and a licensed guide is mandatory in every restricted zone regardless of group size.
No — not for any restricted area, and not for major non-restricted routes like Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit, or Langtang either, since the 2023 rule took effect. The only trails generally exempt are short hikes outside national parks and conservation areas, such as day walks around Kathmandu Valley or Pokhara’s immediate surroundings.
On March 22, 2026, Nepal’s Department of Immigration formally removed the long-standing two-person minimum for restricted area permit applications. Previously, a solo foreign trekker had to find a second traveler (sometimes paying for a “ghost” permit) just to qualify for regions like Upper Mustang, Manaslu, or Dolpo. That requirement is gone. A single foreign trekker can now apply as the sole client on a restricted area permit — but a licensed guide from a TAAN-registered agency is still legally required to accompany them. In other words, “solo” describes the permit application, not unaccompanied trekking.
A smaller but useful change came alongside it: applicants can now use their visa application submission ID rather than waiting for an issued visa number, which lets agencies start restricted-area paperwork earlier in the planning process.
| Region | Permit Fee | Season Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Mustang | USD 50 per person, per day | Flat daily rate since the March 2026 policy change; no minimum-day requirement |
| Upper Dolpo | USD 50 per person, per day (per recent policy update) | Some agencies still quote the older USD 500/10-day structure — confirm current rate with your agency before booking |
| Lower Dolpo | USD 10 per person, per week | Not a restricted area in the same tier as Upper Dolpo |
| Manaslu / Tsum Valley | USD 100 per week (Sep–Nov), USD 75 per week (Dec–Aug); additional daily fee after 7 days | Two separate RAPs needed if combining Manaslu Circuit with Tsum Valley |
| Nar-Phu Valley | Same structure as Manaslu | Often combined with Annapurna Circuit |
| Kanchenjunga | Comparable to Manaslu rates | Remote, far-eastern Nepal |
| Humla | USD 10 per person, per week | Nepal’s most isolated restricted district |
Worked example — 5-day Upper Mustang jeep tour: 5 days × USD 50 = USD 250 in RAP fees, plus the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (Upper Mustang sits inside ACAP territory) at roughly NPR 3,000 (~USD 22). Total restricted-area cost: approximately USD 272 per person, plus your guide, agency, and logistics fees.
Worked example — 10-day Manaslu Circuit, autumn season: RAP at USD 100 for the first week plus 3 additional days at USD 15/day (USD 45) = USD 145, plus MCAP (~USD 22), ACAP if continuing toward Annapurna (~USD 22), and a local rural municipality fee (~USD 8). Total: roughly USD 197.
For most conservation area and national park permits, bring:
For restricted area permits, your agency additionally submits:
The NTB’s Bhrikutimandap office in Kathmandu handles TIMS, ACAP, and several conservation permits, and is generally open through the week except on public holidays. Processing for standard permits is usually same-day if your documents are complete; restricted area permits through the Department of Immigration can take longer, so most agencies recommend starting the paperwork at least a week before departure. If you’re arranging permits independently rather than through an agency, arrive early in the day — queues build quickly during peak season (October–November and March–May).
Trekking the Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, or Mardi Himal requires the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), currently NPR 3,000 (roughly USD 22) for foreign nationals. This is the only permit consistently checked on Annapurna trails in 2026; TIMS is being phased out here even though some sources still list it as mandatory.
ACAP is issued by the National Trust for Nature Conservation and can be arranged at the NTB office in Kathmandu, the TAAN office in Pokhara, or through your trekking agency. It covers the largest protected area in Nepal — roughly 7,629 square kilometers — including the Annapurna Sanctuary, the Kali Gandaki gorge, and Upper Mustang’s approach corridor.
ower Dolpo requires a restricted area permit at approximately USD 10 per person per week — relatively affordable and reflecting the region’s remoteness. Upper Dolpo is a separate, more tightly controlled restricted zone with a substantially higher fee, historically USD 500 for the first 10 days; recent policy changes affecting Upper Mustang suggest Upper Dolpo may shift to a comparable per-day model, so confirm the current structure directly with your agency before booking.
Upper Dolpo is the setting of Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard and remains one of the least-visited trekking regions in Nepal, home to Shey Phoksundo Lake and centuries-old Bon monasteries. Because it borders Tibet, expect longer permit processing times and stricter guide requirements than almost anywhere else in the country.
The Langtang Valley Trek requires the Langtang National Park Entry Permit (NPR 3,000, ~USD 22–27 for foreign nationals) plus a TIMS card, since Langtang is one of the regions where TIMS remains actively enforced. Combined, budget roughly NPR 4,000–6,000 (USD 30–45) for both documents.
Both permits are available at the NTB office in Kathmandu or at the Dhunche checkpoint, the last major town before entering Langtang National Park. Children under 10 are exempt from the park entry fee. If your route continues into the Gosaikunda or Helambu areas, no additional permit is needed beyond these two, though routes crossing into Shivapuri National Park require a small separate entry fee (around USD 5).
As of the March 2026 policy update, the Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit costs USD 50 per person per day, replacing the old flat USD 500-for-10-days structure. You’ll also need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (~USD 22), since Upper Mustang sits within ACAP territory. A licensed guide from a registered agency remains mandatory, and solo applicants have been permitted since the same policy change removed the two-person minimum.
Upper Mustang — the former Kingdom of Lo — is a high-desert landscape behind the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri massif, centered on the walled city of Lo Manthang. Trekkers can also choose an overland jeep tour instead of trekking, which is faster and often cheaper overall due to fewer trekking days, though it trades the walking experience for road time on rough mountain tracks.
Tsum Valley requires its own restricted area permit, priced the same as the Manaslu RAP (USD 100/week peak season, USD 75/week off-season), in addition to the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit if you’re combining routes. A licensed guide and registered agency are mandatory, and solo applicants have been eligible since March 2026.
Tsum Valley only opened to trekkers in 2008 and remains one of the most culturally intact Tibetan Buddhist valleys in Nepal, with ancient monasteries and preserved traditions that predate mass tourism by centuries. It’s most commonly trekked as an extension of the Manaslu Circuit, branching off near Philim.
The Manaslu Restricted Area Permit costs USD 100 per person for the first week during peak season (September–November) or USD 75 per week in the off-season (December–August), with additional daily fees after day seven. You’ll also need the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (~USD 22–30) and, if continuing toward Annapurna via Dharapani, the ACAP fee as well.
Manaslu Circuit is often described as the natural successor to a busier Annapurna Circuit — genuine wilderness, Tibetan Buddhist villages, and the dramatic Larkya La pass at 5,160 meters, without Everest-level crowds. Checkpoints at Jagat and Philim verify both the RAP and guide credentials.
| Trek | Permits Required | Estimated Total Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Everest Base Camp | Sagarmatha National Park Permit + Khumbu Municipality Fee | ~37–44 |
| Annapurna Circuit / ABC | ACAP only (TIMS not actively enforced) | ~22 |
| Poon Hill | ACAP | ~22 |
| Langtang Valley | Langtang NP Permit + TIMS | ~30–45 |
| Manaslu Circuit (10 days, autumn) | RAP + MCAP + ACAP + local fee | ~190–200 |
| Upper Mustang (5-day jeep tour) | RAP (USD 50/day) + ACAP | ~272 |
| Tsum Valley (combined w/ Manaslu) | Manaslu RAP + Tsum RAP + MCAP | 250–350+ |
| Upper Dolpo | RAP (confirm current rate) + Shey Phoksundo NP fee | 500+ (verify with agency) |
| Lower Dolpo | RAP (~USD 10/week) | 20–40 |
| Kanchenjunga | RAP + KCAP | ~150–250 |
Figures are approximate and change with government policy; always confirm exact current fees with a registered agency before finalizing your trip budget.
Trekking without the correct permit in Nepal can result in an on-the-spot fine (commonly cited around USD 120), immediate removal from the trail, permit revocation in restricted areas, and in serious cases deportation with a ban on future entry. Trekking without valid documentation can also void your travel insurance, including helicopter evacuation coverage, which matters enormously at high altitude.
This isn’t a minor technicality. Checkpoints exist specifically to catch undocumented trekkers, and rangers have both the authority and the obligation to turn people back. In restricted areas especially, the consequences escalate quickly because these zones sit near sensitive border territory. The financial risk of skipping a permit is almost always higher than the cost of the permit itself — and the safety risk, if something goes wrong on the trail without insurance backing you, is far more serious than any fine.
Most standard permits (ACAP, national park entry, TIMS) are traditionally collected in person in Kathmandu or Pokhara, but a growing number of trekkers now arrange everything through a registered trekking agency before they even land in Nepal, submitting passport scans, visa details, and photos electronically so permits are ready or fast-tracked on arrival. Restricted area permits must go through a registered agency regardless — there is no independent online portal for solo applicants.
Here’s the realistic process for pre-arrival booking:
Can you pay for national park entry permits in USD cash at checkpoints? Some checkpoints accept USD at the prevailing exchange rate, but Nepalese Rupees are strongly preferred and sometimes required, particularly at rural entry points like Dhunche or Jagat. Carry small NPR denominations — rural checkpoints rarely have change for large notes and card payment is not standard practice.
Nepal doesn’t currently mandate a specific insurance certificate as a standalone “permit,” but in practice, travel insurance covering high-altitude helicopter evacuation (to at least 5,500 meters) has become a de facto requirement, especially for restricted-area treks. Reputable agencies now request proof of coverage before confirming your trek, and undocumented or under-permitted trekkers risk having evacuation costs denied by insurers entirely. If you’re budgeting for permits, budget for adequate insurance in the same breath — the two are functionally linked.
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