A Kathmandu-issued paper visa that replaces the one in your passport
| Document | Tibet Group Visa (China Group Visa) |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Chinese Embassy, Kathmandu |
| Needed for | Any entry to Tibet from Nepal |
| Format | Separate paper sheet, not in passport |
| Processing | 4 working days standard; 3 urgent |
| Embassy days | Mon / Wed / Fri submissions |
| Fee | USD 60–155 by nationality + service fee |
| Validity | Single entry, max 30 days |
| Side effect | Voids any existing Chinese visa |
Travellers entering Tibet from Nepal — flying Kathmandu–Lhasa or crossing overland at Gyirong (1,800 m on the Nepal side at Rasuwagadhi) — do not use an ordinary Chinese visa. The Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu issues a Tibet Group Visa instead: a separate paper sheet listing the whole group, valid for a single entry of up to 30 days, processed in 4 working days through the agency’s Kathmandu partner. The Tibet Travel Permit is still required on top of it, arranged before you ever reach Nepal.
The rule with teeth: if your passport already holds a valid Chinese visa — including a 10-year multi-entry one — the Group Visa voids it. Travellers planning China–Tibet–Nepal–China loops need to sequence around this, because re-entering mainland China after Nepal means applying for a fresh visa. This page covers the process, the fees, and the routing decisions that follow.
How the Kathmandu process runs
- Before Nepal: book the Tibet itinerary and send passport scans — the Tibet Travel Permit files in Lhasa on the normal 15–20 working day clock, and a scanned copy plus invitation paperwork goes to the Kathmandu partner.
- In Kathmandu, day 1: hand your physical passport to the partner agency in Thamel and make the brief in-person embassy appearance the application requires. The embassy lodges group applications on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.
- Day 4 (standard): passports return with the Group Visa sheet — one sheet for the whole group, every name and passport number on it, entry and exit dates fixed to the itinerary. Urgent service compresses this to 3 working days.
- Departure: fly to Lhasa Gonggar or drive to the Rasuwagadhi–Gyirong crossing. The Group Visa and Tibet Travel Permit are checked together at entry.
Plan four to five weekdays in Kathmandu for the standard service — the Monday/Wednesday/Friday submission rhythm plus Nepali and Chinese public holidays set the real floor, not the nominal processing days. The urgent option exists at roughly USD 30 extra but cannot be relied on for tight connections.
Fees by nationality
The embassy mirrors bilateral visa fee schedules. On the March 2026 table: US passports pay USD 155 standard / USD 185 urgent, Canadian USD 85 / 114, and most other nationalities USD 60 / 89, plus an agency service fee of roughly USD 20–35 per person. The fee is paid in Kathmandu through the partner agency and is the one paperwork cost not bundled into Tibet Daily tour prices — every other document on the route is included. The embassy revises the table without notice, so confirm the band at booking.
Group logic: entering and leaving together
The visa is issued to the group as a unit, and the default rule is that the group enters and exits China together on the listed dates. Splitting the group — one traveller continuing from Lhasa into mainland China while others fly back to Kathmandu — is possible but must be declared at application so the embassy issues separate visa sheets per sub-group. Decide the exit plan before the Kathmandu filing, not after.
| Your plan | Visa consequence |
|---|---|
| Nepal → Tibet → fly home from Lhasa via mainland city | Group Visa covers the transit; exit date listed |
| Nepal → Tibet → onward travel in mainland China | Declare at application; the Group Visa’s 30-day single-entry cap covers the whole China stay |
| China → Tibet → Nepal → back to China | Plan a fresh Chinese visa for the return — the Group Visa voided the original |
| Nepal → Tibet → Nepal (overland loop) | Cleanest case; dates simply mirror the itinerary |
Gyirong overland notes
The Rasuwagadhi–Gyirong crossing is the operating tourist land border between Nepal and Tibet — it replaced the earthquake-damaged Zhangmu port and sits about 70 km west of it. From Kathmandu the drive to the border runs six to eight hours on a road that monsoon season treats badly; most Kathmandu to Lhasa overland itineraries sleep at Syabrubesi or Timure before crossing. On the Tibet side, the guide meets you at Gyirong port with the Tibet Travel Permit — since June 2025 no separate Aliens’ Travel Permit applies on this corridor — and the route climbs from 1,800 m to the plateau within two driving days, the steepest acclimatisation profile of any Tibet entry, which is why those itineraries build in a Gyirong-town rest night.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Tibet Group Visa cost?
On the March 2026 embassy table: USD 155 for US passports, USD 85 Canadian, USD 60 most other nationalities, with urgent service roughly USD 30 more and an agency service fee of USD 20–35 on top. Standard processing is 4 working days. It is paid in Kathmandu and is the one document cost outside Tibet Daily’s bundled price.
Will it cancel the Chinese visa I already have?
Yes — issuing a Group Visa voids an existing Chinese visa in the same passport, including 10-year multi-entry visas. If your trip returns to mainland China after Nepal, plan a fresh visa application for the return leg, or re-sequence the trip to do mainland China first and exit through Nepal last.
Do I still need the Tibet Travel Permit?
Yes. The Group Visa replaces the visa, not the permit. The Tibet Travel Permit files on the normal 15–20 working day clock before you reach Nepal, and both documents are checked together at the Kathmandu check-in counter or the Gyirong border. Booking late in Kathmandu does not work — the permit cannot be conjured locally.
How many days do I need in Kathmandu?
Four working days for the visa, and the embassy only lodges applications on Monday, Wednesday and Friday — so plan four to five weekdays in practice; landing on a Thursday costs the weekend. Most travellers use the wait for the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO circuit; the agency needs your passport and a brief embassy appearance on day one, then returns the passport with the visa sheet.
Can solo travellers get a Group Visa?
Yes — “group” describes the document format, not a head-count requirement. A single traveller gets a Group Visa sheet listing one name, attached to their Tibet itinerary, on the same 4 working day clock and fee schedule.
How do I start a Nepal-entry Tibet trip?
Book the Tibet itinerary at least four weeks before your Kathmandu arrival — five for Kailash routes — and send passport scans. Tibet Daily files the permit, briefs the Kathmandu partner, and hands you a day-by-day paperwork schedule so the embassy days slot cleanly into your Nepal plans.