Western Tibet’s extra screening, filed weeks before you fly
| Permit | Military Permit + Border Defence Permit |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Military and border authorities, Lhasa |
| Needed for | Ngari (Kailash, Guge), border counties, Yadong |
| Applied by | Agency, before arrival |
| Processing | 10–15 working days, parallel to TTB filing |
| Total lead time | 25+ working days |
| Fee | No published fee |
Routes into Ngari Prefecture — Mount Kailash (6,714 m), Lake Manasarovar (4,590 m), the Guge Kingdom ruins — and the handful of bookable border-zone routes require a Military Permit on top of the Tibet Travel Permit and the Aliens’ Travel Permit. Unlike the ATP, this one cannot be arranged after you arrive: the agency files it in Lhasa before your trip, the screening takes 10 to 15 working days, and it is the reason every Kailash itinerary carries a 25+ working day total paperwork lead time.
The label covers a pair of documents in practice — the military area entry approval and the Border Defence Permit (bianfangzheng, border pass) — filed together and travelling together in the guide’s folder; the most sensitive counties add a Foreign Affairs Permit to the same submission. Travellers never handle any of them; what you contribute is the same passport scan set, just earlier.
Where it applies
| Area | Why screened | Typical itineraries |
|---|---|---|
| Ngari Prefecture: Kailash, Manasarovar, Darchen, Guge / Zanda | Border-adjacent western prefecture | 13–16 day Kailash kora routes, Guge add-ons |
| Yadong county (Chumbi valley) | Tri-border area; large parts closed to foreigners | Rare special-interest routes, where approval is granted at all |
| Mêdog, Zayü (Nyingchi border counties) | Frontier zone south of the Yarlung Tsangpo bend | Closed to foreign travellers — agencies cannot file these routes |
| Eastern overland entries (G318/G317 remote sections) | Route-dependent county screening | The classic G318 tourist corridor itself needs no add-on permit since June 2025; the guide handles any county-level paperwork en route |
Everest Base Camp does not need a Military Permit — since June 2025 it needs no Aliens’ Travel Permit either, just the Tibet Travel Permit and the reserve ticket. The confusion is common because both EBC and Kailash sit “west of Shigatse” in trip-planning shorthand; the screening line runs at the Ngari prefecture boundary, not at altitude.
How the filing works
The agency submits the same group list and route to the military affairs and border defence offices in Lhasa, in parallel with the Tibet Tourism Bureau filing. Screening runs 10–15 working days and does not compress — no office in this chain sells urgency. The combined arithmetic is fixed: documents in hand 25+ working days before arrival, which for the June Saga Dawa season at Kailash means filing in April. The processing time page has the month-by-month calendar.
On the road, the permits surface at the checkpoints west of Saga and at the Darchen entry: the guide presents the folder, passenger heads are counted, and the convoy moves. Travellers see perhaps ninety seconds of it per checkpoint.
Planning consequences worth knowing
Three follow directly from the screening. First, no late Kailash bookings: inside 25 working days, no agency can file you onto a kora departure honestly. Second, no route improvisation in the west — the approved county list is the legal route, and a spontaneous Zanda detour without Guge on the filing is a checkpoint refusal. Third, passport renewals are poison late in the process, because all three documents bind to the passport number; renew before filing or after the trip, never between.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Military Permit cost extra?
There is no published official fee; the work is in the agency filing and the calendar. Tibet Daily’s Kailash and Ngari itineraries include the full permit set — Tibet Travel Permit, Aliens’ Travel Permit, Military Permit and Border Defence Permit — in the published price.
Do I need it for Everest Base Camp?
No. EBC needs the Tibet Travel Permit and the Qomolangma reserve ticket — since June 2025 not even the Aliens’ Travel Permit, and never military screening. The Military Permit starts at the Ngari prefecture boundary: Kailash, Manasarovar, Guge and the far-western counties.
How long before a Kailash trip should I book?
Eight weeks is comfortable; 25 working days is the hard floor. For the Saga Dawa full-moon window (May/June 2026) book three months ahead — the screening queue meets peak demand, and Darchen accommodation sells out before the permits would even clear.
Can the screening reject me?
The same occupation rules as the main permit apply, screened harder: media, government and military-affiliated occupations are the realistic refusal cases. Ordinary travellers with clean documents pass; the screening is about who enters border zones, not about tourism volume.
Is the Border Defence Permit a separate application for me?
Not on the traveller side — agency filing covers both documents in the same submission. (Mainland Chinese citizens arrange their own bianfangzheng at their local police station; foreign travellers’ versions ride on the agency’s military filing.)
How do I start a western Tibet booking?
Send your passport scan, Chinese visa copy and intended month at least eight weeks out, and name the full route — Kailash kora only, or Kailash plus Guge and Tholing. Tibet Daily files the complete permit set in one pass and confirms each document as it clears.