How To: Apply for Tourist Visa to Nepal for Philippine Passport Holders

Philippine passport holders are required to get a visa to enter Nepal. But since it’s visa on arrival only, the chances of getting denied are low. As long as you meet all the simple requirements and very easy steps, you can see the Himalayas or Mount Everest in no time.

Note: This article ONLY discusses the requirements and steps to get a tourist visa applied through visa on arrival. For other visa types and other modes of applying, you can visit Nepal’s Department of Immigration.

How long can I stay in Nepal

For tourist visas, you can stay up to 150 days in an entire visa year (January-December). Visa extension is possible (which I'll discuss in detail below).

What are the requirements

- Passport valid for at least 6 months at the time of return to the Philippines
- Filled up arrival card
- Filled up visa application form
- Supporting documents: Round trip ticket, reserved/purchased proof of accommodation in Nepal, proof of financial means (e.g. ATM cards, credit cards, cash, etc.)

How to apply for the tourist visa

Step 1: Fill up the arrival card

The arrival card is usually given by the cabin crew in-flight. Tip: To save time, fill up the arrival card while still inside the plane. As Nepal’s airport is small, queue is always expected and passing through immigration takes time.

In case the cabin crew can’t give you an arrival card though, there are copies at the arrival area of the airport. They're found near the kiosks.

Step 2: Fill up the visa application form

There are 2 ways to fill up the visa application form.

First, you can fill up the form online. This can be done as early as 15 days before your arrival date in Nepal. While filling up, you need to specify your accommodation in Nepal and upload a digital copy of passport-size photo. Once completed, of course don't forget to print it and present at the immigration counter.

Second, once at the arrival area, you'll see kiosks where you can digitally fill up the form. You may have several fields to fill up (it may take 5-10 minutes), but most of them are self-explanatory. In case of questions or you encounter a problem, there are representatives who can help you there.

Based on personal experience, the only problem I encountered is that the first kiosk I went to got frozen halfway filling up the form. So I had to repeat the steps, but I was gladly assisted by a representative to make sure it won't happen again.

After filling up the form, the last page will request to take your photo. Once done, it will print the form that you’ll present to the immigration officer later on.

Step 3: Pay at the cashier

Right next to the kiosks, fall in line to pay the visa. There are 3 types based on the duration of stay in Nepal with their corresponding rates:

15-day visa: USD 25
30-day visa: USD 40
90-day visa: USD 100

Aside from USD, other major currency such as HKD, JPY, and SGD are accepted and are converted based on the day’s exchange rate. There’s also one money changer found beside the cashier but I’m not sure if it’s open 24/7. To be on the safe side, bring cash and pay in USD.

The cashier will give you a receipt. Keep it as you’ll need it for the last step.

Note: The following are eligible for gratis visa who are exempted from the visa requirement:

- Children below 10 years old
- SAARCcitizens (except Afghans) visiting Nepal for the first time in a given visa year are provided a free 30-day visa. Afghan citizens are eligible for gratis visa on arrival only upon the recommendation of Department of Immigration. If you’re an Afghan citizen, you can request concerned institution inviting you to Nepal for necessary paperwork.
- Non-residential Nepalese (NRN) card holders (issued by MoFA / Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad)
- Chinese nationals
- Officials from China, Brazil, Russia and Thailand that don’t need entry visa based on reciprocal visa waiver agreement

Step 4: Go to the immigration counter

Present your passport, visa application form, and receipt to the immigration officer. The officer might verify your purpose of visit, duration of stay, and accommodation in Nepal, so just make sure you can answer them accurately.

Immigration counters are very few and depending on the volume of arriving people, it may take 30 minutes to 1 hour to get through immigration.

(And oh, there's toilet beside the immigration counter. I just thought of mentioning in case someone would find it helpful :p)

How to extend the visa

If you need to extend your visa, go to the Immigration Office in Kathmandu or in Pokhara. Since the maximum stay is 150 days and let’s say you bought a 90-day visa at the airport, you can apply for 60 days more.

For the visa extension fee, the base amount is USD 30 for 15 days, then add USD 2 per day for the succeeding days. For example, if you wish to stay 20 days more, then it costs USD 30 (15 days) + USD 10 (5 days x USD 2) = USD 40.

Do not even think of overstaying. There’s a fine of USD 3 per day, plus USD 2 per day for the visa extension. For example, if you overstayed 3 days, then it costs (3 x USD 3) + (3 x USD 2) = USD 15.

Shelly Viajera Travel