How do you get a Nepal visit visa from Pakistan? (2026)

Do Pakistanis need a visa to visit Nepal?

You need a visa, but you do not need to arrange it before you travel. Nepal operates a visa on arrival for most nationalities, and Pakistan is not among the countries excluded from it.

What the embassy and the department say

The Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad states that Pakistani passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival in Nepal, and refers readers to Nepal Immigration for the details. The Department of Immigration says all passport holders other than the restricted nationalities may obtain a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport and other designated entry points.

The restricted list, and who is actually on it

As of 28 October 2026, the department publishes the nationalities who cannot obtain a visa on arrival and must apply in advance through a Nepalese embassy or the online mission portal. That list is Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and Syria. Pakistan is not on it.

I mention the list by name because this is the point agents most often get wrong, in both directions. Some tell Pakistani travellers that Nepal requires an embassy visa, which it does not. Others tell Afghan travellers that arrival is simple, when the department notes Afghan nationals are eligible on arrival only with a departmental recommendation.

Indian nationals are a different case

You will hear that Nepal is visa free, usually from someone who has read the Indian rule. The department states that Indian citizens do not require a visa to enter Nepal. That is a bilateral arrangement between Nepal and India. It does not extend to a Pakistani passport, which needs a visa, even when that visa is free.

If you are weighing up short regional trips, read the entry rules together. The Sri Lanka visit visa guide and the Maldives visit visa guide cover the other two cheap South Asian routes for a Pakistani passport.

How does the free 30-day SAARC visa work?

Nepal exempts SAARC citizens from the visa fee for a stay of up to 30 days, once in each calendar year. Pakistan is a SAARC member, so a Pakistani traveller qualifies.

The published wording

As of 28 October 2026, the Department of Immigration lists SAARC citizens among the applicants exempt from paying visa fees, with a free visa for up to 30 days, once per calendar year from January to December. The Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad states the same thing in its own words: Pakistani passport holders are eligible for a free 30-day tourist visa once per calendar year, and any additional visits in the same year incur visa fees.

What the concession does and does not remove

• It removes the fee. Up to 30 days, once in the calendar year, there is nothing to pay for the visa itself.
• It does not remove the application. The department says gratis visa applicants must still complete the online application process, with no fee charged upon submission.
• It does not cover 90 days. The department notes that normal fees apply for 90-day visas.
• It does not repeat. Once per calendar year means the second trip between January and December is charged.

Other gratis categories, for completeness

The same list exempts children under 10, holders of a Non-Resident Nepalese citizenship or card issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chinese nationals, who are shown as eligible for a gratis tourist visa for up to around 150 days per visa year. Diplomatic and official passport holders recommended by their mission are also free. The Pakistani route is the SAARC one.

What does a Nepal visa cost when a fee applies?

The department publishes the figures in US dollars, and they are modest. The cost appears when you have used your free trip, when you want 90 days, or when you need to re-enter.

The fee table

As of 28 October 2026, the Department of Immigration’s visa fees page lists the tourist visa as on arrival or from missions abroad, with extension up to 150 days total per visa year, and gives these amounts.

Fees are not refundable

The department states that an application cannot be withdrawn and visa fees cannot be refunded. If you type the wrong passport number, or cancel your trip after paying, the money is gone. Check the details before you submit, not after.

The embassy route, priced in rupees

The Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad publishes its own advance visa fees in Pakistani rupees: PKR 8,700 for 15 days multiple entry, PKR 14,500 for 30 days and PKR 36,250 for 90 days, with diplomatic and official visas gratis. If you are entitled to the free SAARC concession and you are paying one of those figures, something has gone wrong in the conversation. Ask the embassy directly.

What an agent’s quote should show

• whether this is your free trip of the calendar year, and why;
• the government fee, separately, with the number of days it buys;
• their own service charge, named as that;
• whether re-entry is included and whether you actually need it;
• what happens to your money if the visa is refused.

eVisa, visa on arrival, or the embassy?

Three routes lead into Nepal, and the department runs or recognises all three. Which one suits you depends on how much time you have and how much you dislike queues.

The eVisa in practice

The department describes the online route as an Electronic Travel Authorisation, applied for directly on its portal, with payment in USD online. You upload a scanned passport copy valid for at least six months and a recent passport photograph with a white background, and the approved eVisa is emailed to you. Print it and carry it to the immigration checkpoint.

Two practical notes from the department’s own pages. Keep your submission identifier, because you need it to track the application. And check the spam folder, because approval emails land there.

The visa on arrival counter

Visa on arrival counters operate at the airport and at designated land entry points. The airport’s payment guidance notes that ETA holders are pre-approved but that verification may take longer than a visa on arrival, which can be paid and processed before arrival for faster entry. In other words, neither route is always quicker, and the queue on the day decides.

When the embassy route is the right one

Go through Islamabad if you want the visa settled before you leave Pakistan, if you are travelling for a conference and want the purpose on record, or if a sponsor in Nepal is covering your costs and you want the sponsorship documented in advance. Note the department’s rule that a visa issued by a Nepalese mission abroad must be used within six months of the issue date.

What documents do you need?

For arrival or the eVisa the list is short. The embassy route asks for considerably more, and the extra documents are the ones that answer the money question.

For the eVisa or arrival

• Passport. The department says it must be valid for at least six months prior to the date of travel.
• Photograph. A recent passport-size photograph with a white background.
• Travel details. Personal details, passport information, travel dates and the purpose of the visit.

What the Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad lists

• the online application confirmation slip, emailed to the embassy;
• a copy of the passport bio-page;
• a copy of your CNIC;
• copies of any previous Nepal visa and entry and exit stamps;
• either a sponsorship letter with the sponsor’s full details and a statement that they cover all costs, or, without one, six months of bank statements, a hotel booking for the full stay and a return air ticket;
• for business travellers, a letter or no-objection letter from the company;
• for seminars and conferences, a copy of the invitation letter;
• where you cannot attend in person, an authority letter plus the authorised person’s identity document and contact number.

The embassy says email responses generally arrive within four working days for tourist visas and two for diplomatic and official visas, after which applicants attend the embassy on weekdays between 9:30 and 12:30 with the originals. Its contact numbers are 051-2610317 and 051-2610318.

Carry the money evidence even on the free route

The gratis concession removes a fee, not the ordinary expectation that a visitor can pay for their trip. A recent bank statement in your own name, a leave letter from an employer or business registration papers, and a hotel booking for the nights you will be there make a short conversation shorter at both airports.

What happens when you arrive in Kathmandu?

You either present a printed eVisa or you use the visa on arrival counter, then clear the immigration desk. The stamp you receive sets your permitted stay.

The order of things

• Follow the visa on arrival counters if you do not already hold an eVisa.
• Have your passport and a passport-size photograph ready.
• Pay in the currency and channel the counter accepts, and keep the receipt.
• Present the eVisa printout at the immigration checkpoint if you applied online.
• Read the permitted stay written into your passport before you leave the hall.

Questions to be ready for

• Why are you visiting, and for how many days?
• Where are you staying?
• When is your return flight?
• Have you been to Nepal before this year?
• What work do you do in Pakistan?

That fourth question is the Nepal-specific one. The free concession is once per calendar year, so a previous visit in the same year changes what you are entitled to. Answer it accurately, and carry copies of earlier Nepal stamps if you have them.

Entry remains a decision at the border

An approved eVisa is permission to travel and to be considered. Admission is still granted by an officer at the entry point, as it is almost everywhere. I cannot tell you what a particular officer will decide, and no agent in Pakistan can either.

Extensions and the 150-day annual cap

Nepal is unusually relaxed about long stays, within a published ceiling. A tourist may be in Nepal for up to 150 days in a visa year, and the extension rate is low.

The published limits

As of 28 October 2026, the Department of Immigration says a visa year is the calendar year from 1 January to 31 December, and the maximum tourist stay is 150 days per year. Tourist visas can be extended inside Nepal up to that combined maximum. The extension rate on the department’s fee table is USD 3 per day with a minimum of 15 days, from departmental offices.

The USD 45 question

You will see the extension described two ways. The fee table gives USD 3 per day with a minimum of 15 days. The Pokhara immigration office describes a minimum 15-day extension at USD 45, then USD 3 per day for additional days. Those are the same arithmetic, since 15 days at USD 3 is USD 45. Where the two official pages word it differently, confirm at the office you actually use.

Extend in person, and extend early

The department’s guidance is that extensions are done in person before expiry, and that failing to extend on time is subject to fines and penalties. Note also the payment channel. The Pokhara office has said payment must be made in Nepali rupees, while the department’s online pages describe payment in USD by card. Check which applies where you are, before you join the queue.

What does overstaying cost?

There is a published daily fine, and it went up. The amount is small per day and unpleasant over a month, and an overstay record follows you into later applications.

The published fine

As of 28 October 2026, the department’s fee table lists a late fine of USD 5 per day, alongside the USD 3 per day extension rate. A departmental notice records that the late fee was increased from USD 3 per day to USD 5 per day. A traveller who runs 20 days past their stay is looking at the extension cost plus USD 100 in fines, settled before departure.

A conflicting figure, named honestly

One Nepali-language service page mentions a fine of up to NPR 50,000 plus a monthly late fee, which does not match the per-day figure on the fee table. Where two official pages disagree, I would take the fee table, because it carries the current USD amounts, and ask at the immigration office. Either way the lesson is the same: do not let the stay lapse.

Why it matters beyond the money

Visa application forms, for Nepal and for every country this site covers, ask whether you have ever breached immigration rules anywhere. An overstay you settled quietly at Kathmandu airport is still an overstay you have to declare later. For a student or a family applicant, that is a far bigger cost than USD 5 a day.

Trekking, permits and family visits

A tourist visa admits you to Nepal. It does not by itself admit you to every part of Nepal, and the mountain areas have their own separate permissions.

Trekking areas are a separate permission

Nepal manages access to conservation areas, national parks and restricted trekking regions through permits issued by the relevant authorities rather than through the visa. If your trip includes trekking, ask your operator in writing which permits your route needs, who issues them and what they cost, and do not assume the visa covers it. The visa and the trekking permission are separate pieces of paper.

Family visits and sponsorship

If relatives in Nepal are hosting you, the embassy route lets you document that properly. Its list accepts a sponsorship letter with the sponsor’s full details and a statement that the sponsor covers all costs, in place of six months of bank statements, a hotel booking and a return ticket. Carry the host’s address and phone number either way.

Study and longer stays

A tourist visa is not a study visa. The department’s fee schedule has a separate non-tourist category for study, with its own documents, including a ministry recommendation, an original admission receipt, a bank statement and a progress report on renewal. That category is shown as free for Sri Lankan and Pakistani students on the department’s table, which is worth knowing if a Nepali institution is part of your plan. Treat it as a starting point and confirm the current requirements with the department.

What happens at the Pakistani airport before you fly?

FIA immigration officers check that your passport and visa are genuine and valid, and they may ask about the trip. Visitors should carry a return ticket, accommodation details and proof of funds.

What FIA says it checks

FIA’s published FAQ lists these for visit visa travellers: a valid passport, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking with advance payment, and sufficient funds. Its Travellers’ Guide says officers ask questions to confirm identity and the authenticity of the passport and visa, and that a second officer re-checks the documents before the departure lounge.

There is a wrinkle worth planning for on this route. If you intend to use the visa on arrival rather than an eVisa, you will have no Nepali visa in your passport when FIA looks at it. Carry your return ticket, your hotel booking and your bank statement, and be able to explain the arrival arrangement plainly.

If you are offloaded

FIA’s guide says the shift in-charge will personally tell an offloaded passenger the reasons, and that where a passport and visa are genuine and valid with no apparent misdeclaration of facts, immigration staff are not authorised to offload a passenger. FIA’s helplines are 1991 and 051-111-345-786.

Nepal is not a work route from here

Under the Emigration Ordinance 1979, every Pakistani going abroad on a work visa must be protected by the Protector of Emigrants, and FIA lists a protector stamp among the documents for work visa travellers. A tourist visa is not a work permission in Nepal or anywhere else. Study, visit and family travel are what this guide covers.

How do you apply, step by step?

Start with the calendar question, because it decides whether you are paying anything at all.

1. 1

   Work out whether this is your free trip of the year

   The Department of Immigration gives SAARC citizens a free visa for up to 30 days, once per calendar year from January to December. If you have already used it this year, the published fees apply to the second trip. Decide this first, because it changes the cost and the paperwork.

2. 2

   Check the passport against the six-month rule

   The department says your passport must be valid for at least six months prior to the date of travel. Check the expiry, and check it for every traveller in the group. Carry a recent passport-size photograph with a white background for each person.

3. 3

   Choose the route: eVisa online, visa on arrival, or the embassy

   The department runs an eVisa or Electronic Travel Authorisation online, which it describes as the fastest processing. Visa on arrival counters operate at Tribhuvan International Airport and other designated entry points. The Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad also issues visas in advance, with fees quoted in rupees.

4. 4

   Apply with details that match the passport exactly

   If applying online, upload a scanned passport copy valid for at least six months and a recent photograph with a white background. Enter your name, passport number, travel dates and purpose of visit exactly as printed. An application cannot be withdrawn and visa fees cannot be refunded, so check before you submit.

5. 5

   Build the supporting file the embassy route asks for

   For the advance route the Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad lists a passport bio-page copy, a CNIC copy, copies of any previous Nepal visa and stamps, and either a sponsorship letter or six months of bank statements with a hotel booking for the full stay and a return air ticket.

6. 6

   Travel, read your stamp, and track the 150-day cap

   Print the eVisa and carry it to the immigration checkpoint. Read the permitted stay you are given. Tourist stays are capped at 150 days per visa year, extensions cost USD 3 a day for a minimum of 15 days, and a late or overstay fee of USD 5 a day applies if you let it lapse.

What goes wrong most often?

Paying for a visa the department gives free

This is the common one. SAARC citizens are listed as exempt from the visa fee for up to 30 days, once per calendar year. A quote with a government fee on it, for a first 30-day trip, is a quote worth questioning.

Assuming the concession repeats

Once per calendar year, January to December. People who go to Kathmandu in March and again in September often plan the second trip on the first trip’s cost. The second one is USD 50 for 30 days, or USD 30 for 15.

Skipping the application because the visa is free

The department says gratis applicants must still complete the online application process. Free means no fee at submission, not no submission.

A passport with less than six months left

The department says the passport must be valid for at least six months prior to the date of travel. Travellers check the expiry against the return date rather than against the six-month rule, and find out at the counter.

Letting the stay lapse rather than extending

An extension is USD 3 a day with a 15-day minimum. A late fine is USD 5 a day on top. The cheaper option requires nothing but noticing the date, and the overstay then sits on your record for every future form.

A realistic example

This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client. Zainab is 27 and works for a software company in Islamabad. She has eight days off in March and wants Kathmandu and Pokhara.

• Five weeks before. She checks the calendar first. She has not been to Nepal this year, so her SAARC free 30-day concession is available, which means no visa fee for a trip of eight days.
• Four weeks before. She checks her passport against the six-month rule. It has two years left. She has a passport photograph taken with a white background.
• Three weeks before. She applies for the eVisa on the department’s own portal, uploads the passport scan and photograph, enters her details as printed, and submits. Nothing is charged. She saves the submission identifier.
• The approval arrives. It lands in her spam folder, as the department warns it can. She prints it and checks the name and passport number against the passport.
• The file. She packs the printed eVisa, a return ticket, hotel bookings for all eight nights, a bank statement and a leave letter from her employer.
• At Kathmandu. She presents the printed eVisa at the immigration checkpoint, is asked where she is staying and whether she has visited Nepal this year, answers both plainly, and reads the stay written into her passport before she leaves.
• Going home. She flies on day eight. Nothing to extend and nothing to pay. Her free concession for next year resets in January.

Her entire Nepal visa cost was zero, and the only skill involved was reading the department’s own page before anybody else’s.

The version that goes wrong

Now imagine a colleague who books the same trip through a shop that charges PKR 22,000 for a Nepal visa service, without telling him the government fee for his first 30-day trip this year is nothing. He pays. He then extends his trip on a whim, stays 41 days, and does not visit an immigration office. At the airport he owes the extension cost plus USD 5 a day in late fines, and the overstay is on record for the next visa form he fills in, for any country.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions