Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Information

Activities in Tibet

Tibet Travel Permit

Question: Can you arrange a Tibet permit for us before the tour begins?

Answer: Yes. For those who book tours with www.himalayasguide.com, we will arrange for the Tibet Travel Permit. The travel permit is checked and issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) for free and is usually issued two weeks prior to your entry to Tibet.

Question: Do I need to bring photos when applying for a Tibet Travel Permit? If yes, in what size?

Answer: Your photos are not necessary when applying for a travel permit. However, you must provide us some of your pertinent information and documents prior to your applications for a permit. You must give us your name (as appears on your passport), nationality, age, sex, occupation passport number as well as the photocopies of your passport and visa.

Question: Can we fly freely to Lhasa without a Tibet Permit?

Answer: No, you cannot. Without the Tibet Travel Permit, your flight tickets cannot be issued.

Question: Can I have my permit arranged by your agency? But, I will arrange my own tour in Tibet.

Answer: We do not offer a permit-only service. Foreign travelers must be on an organized tour, either a private tour or a group tour to visit Tibet. Independent travel is prohibited in Tibet.

Question: I'm a resident of Hong Kong and I have a Chinese Passport. Do I need Tibet Permit to travel to Tibet?

Answer: No. Chinese Passport Holders do not need Tibet Permit to go/travel to Tibet. According to the rules and regulations of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), foreign passport holders (including the Taiwanese and Non-Chinese ID card holders need to have Tibet Travel Permit to visit Tibet. People who hold Hong Kong SAR passports and Macau SAR passports do not need Tibet Travel Permits.

How to get the travel permits?
To get a permit you should submit the following documents and mention the following information to us.

Full name | Gender | Date of birth | Passport number | Nationality

All exactly the same as on your passport, and you need to tell us your occupation because journalists and people that could be involved in political matters could be revoked (they need more complicated procedure to get a permit). You need to apply for the travel permit at least 10 days prior to your entry date.

Please note that if you do not book any tour from a licensed agent, we cannot help you get the permits. No travel agency can provide "permit-only" service. A Must services include transfers and guide.

Remark
1. All kinds of people can get Tibet permit through a travel agency except diplomats, journalists, and senior government officials who should travel to Tibet under the arrangement by the Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Government.

2. After having a permit, we could continue the following operate for your amazing tour in Tibet.

3. Only the guide could hold the permit after you establish yourself on Tibet land. You are not allowed to bring with it and travel to anywhere you want because except Lhasa you need another permit named as "Aliens’ Permit".

Other documents
Other documents are the same as you travel to other places of China - you need hold a valid passport with valid visa (issued by Chinese Embassy). If you are coming to Lhasa from Kathmandu, you'd better get China visa from Kathmandu because no matter you've already got the visa in your country or not, you must get a visa in Kathmandu, which is regulated in an official memo between China and Nepal.