Every destination, every required paper and its lead time, one table
| TTB permit only | Lhasa, Namtso, Shigatse, EBC, Gyirong, Shannan, Nyingchi valley |
|---|---|
| + Aliens’ Travel Permit | Ngari (Kailash, Guge), remote Chamdo/Nagqu counties |
| + Military Permit | Ngari and bookable border-zone routes |
| Closed to foreigners | Mêdog, Zayü, parts of Yadong and Cona |
| Rule change | ATP dropped for main corridors, 4 Jun 2025 |
| Lead time driver | The strictest paper on the route |
Tibet’s map opens in layers, and the layers shifted on 4 June 2025. The Tibet Travel Permit alone now covers far more than Lhasa: the Shigatse corridor with Everest Base Camp, the Gyirong valley, the Samye circuit in Shannan and the Nyingchi tourist valley all dropped the add-on Aliens’ Travel Permit on that date. What remains restricted is the far west — Ngari, with ATP plus military screening — and a short list of frontier counties that stay closed to foreign travellers altogether. The strictest layer your route touches sets the paperwork lead time for the whole trip: 15–20 working days for TTB-only routes, 25+ when Ngari is involved.
This page is the reference matrix. Find the furthest-west or furthest-south point of your route; that row’s permit set is your filing list, and its lead time is your booking deadline.
The matrix: destination × permits × lead time
| Destination (altitude) | Prefecture | Required permits | Total lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lhasa city, Drepung, Sera, Ganden (3,656 m) | Lhasa | TTB permit | 15–20 working days |
| Yamdrok Lake (4,441 m) | Shannan (lake rim) / Lhasa approach | TTB permit | 15–20 working days |
| Namtso Lake (4,718 m) | Lhasa / Nagqu | TTB permit | 15–20 working days |
| Tsedang, Samye, Yumbulagang | Shannan | TTB permit (ATP dropped 4 Jun 2025) | 15–20 working days |
| Shigatse city, Tashilhunpo (3,840 m), Gyantse, Sakya | Shigatse | TTB permit (ATP dropped 4 Jun 2025) | 15–20 working days |
| Everest Base Camp / Rongbuk (5,150 m) | Shigatse (Tingri) | TTB + Qomolangma reserve ticket (ATP dropped 4 Jun 2025) | 15–20 working days |
| Gyirong valley & border (2,700 m town) | Shigatse | TTB + border paperwork via agency | 20–25 working days |
| Mount Kailash & Manasarovar (Darchen 4,575 m) | Ngari | TTB + ATP + Military + Border Defence | 25+ working days |
| Guge Kingdom, Tholing, Zanda | Ngari | TTB + ATP + Military + Border Defence | 25+ working days |
| Nyingchi main valley: Bayi, Basum Tso, Bomi (2,900 m) | Nyingchi | TTB permit (ATP dropped 4 Jun 2025) | 15–20 working days |
| Nyingchi border counties: Mêdog, Zayü | Nyingchi | Closed to foreign travellers — not bookable | — |
| Yadong (Chumbi valley) | Shigatse | Largely closed; rare approved routes carry the full stack | 25+ working days where granted |
| Nagqu grasslands, Changtang fringe | Nagqu | TTB; ATP on remote northern counties | 20–25 working days |
| Chamdo & eastern overland (G318/G317) | Chamdo | TTB; classic G318 corridor needs no add-on since Jun 2025 | 15–25 working days by route |
Reading the layers
The pattern behind the rows: distance from Lhasa is not the driver — proximity to an external border is. Namtso at 4,718 m needs nothing extra; Yadong at a lower altitude is mostly closed, because the Chumbi valley wedges between Sikkim and Bhutan. The same logic explains why Nyingchi’s tourist core (Bayi, the Basum Tso lake circuit, the peach valleys) files light while Mêdog — a county the highway only reached in 2013 — stays off-limits to foreign travellers entirely.
Three planning rules fall out of the matrix. First, the strictest row on your route sets the whole trip’s lead time; a single Kailash day inside a three-week itinerary makes it a 25+ working day filing. Second, permits name counties, not sights — adding “just one more lake” after filing means re-filing if the lake sleeps in a new county. Third, the matrix shows the standing regime as of the June 2025 rule change; closures and relaxations both happen, and your agency confirms the live status at booking.
Routes mapped to permit sets
| Classic itinerary | Permit set | File by |
|---|---|---|
| 4–6 day Lhasa + Yamdrok or Namtso | TTB only | 4 weeks ahead |
| 7–9 day Lhasa–Shigatse–EBC | TTB + reserve ticket | 4–5 weeks ahead |
| 8–10 day Lhasa–EBC–Gyirong–Kathmandu overland | TTB + border paperwork (+ Group Visa if starting in Nepal) | 5–6 weeks ahead |
| 13–16 day Kailash kora + Guge | TTB + ATP + Military + Border Defence | 8 weeks ahead |
| 9–11 day Lhasa–Nyingchi loop | TTB only | 4 weeks ahead |
Frequently asked questions
Which parts of Tibet need no extra permit beyond the TTB permit?
Far more than before June 2025: Lhasa and its monastery ring (Drepung, Sera, Ganden), Yamdrok and Namtso lakes, Shigatse and Gyantse, Everest Base Camp, the Gyirong corridor, the Samye circuit and the Nyingchi tourist valley. A trip confined to these files in the standard 15–20 working days with no add-ons.
Is Everest Base Camp a restricted area?
Not any more in permit terms. Since 4 June 2025 EBC needs no Aliens’ Travel Permit — just the TTB permit and the Qomolangma reserve ticket (CNY 180 peak season, CNY 90 November–March), and never military screening. The booking deadline stays in the 4–5 week range.
Why does Mount Kailash need so much more paperwork?
Geography: Ngari Prefecture runs along the India and Nepal borders, so every Kailash, Manasarovar and Guge itinerary passes military and border screening — 10–15 working days, filed before arrival, on top of the standard permit. Total lead time 25+ working days, and no office in the chain sells urgency.
Can I visit Mêdog?
No. Mêdog and neighbouring Zayü sit in the Yarlung Tsangpo bend’s frontier zone and are closed to foreign travellers — licensed agencies cannot file these routes, whatever the lead time. The Nyingchi valley to their north (Bayi, Basum Tso, Bomi) is fully bookable on the TTB permit alone.
What happens if I show up in a restricted county without the right paper?
The checkpoint turns the vehicle around, and the agency and guide carry the liability — which is why no licensed guide will drive an unfiled route. There is no on-the-spot fine-and-proceed mechanism for foreign travellers; the permit set is binary.
How do I check my own route?
List every county you sleep in or drive through, match the strictest against the matrix above, and that row is your filing. Or shortcut it: send the route to Tibet Daily and the permit set comes back mapped line by line, with the file-by date, before any payment.