There are many different National parks in Nepal, a variety of conservation areas and other places requiring trekking permits and documentation for trekkers to access. Permit fees help ensure maintenance costs are met for Nepal'strekking areas, regardless of the wider economy and your trek helps to contribute to the ongoing maintenance of some of the World's most incredible landscapes. That is, provided you trek in an ethical fashion, and leave no trace.
Permits are only half of the paperwork now. Since April 2023 a foreign trekker in a national park, conservation area or restricted area also has to walk with a licensed guide, and the trekker registration card is issued through an agency rather than to you directly. We have set out what that means on do you need a guide to trek in Nepal.
There is a wide range of trekking permits for Nepal, but these are the most common. Included is the name of the trekking permit or national park pass, the common abbreviation, and the price of the permit.
| Code / Short Name | Full Permit Name | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| TIMS | Trekkers Information Management System | No longer required anywhere in Nepal. See below |
| SNP | Sagarmatha National Park permit | NPR 3,000 (about US$22) |
| KPLRM | Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit | NPR 3,000 (about US$22) |
| ACAP | Annapurna Conservation Area permit | NPR 3,000 (about US$22) |
| MCAP | Manaslu Conservation Area permit | US$30 |
| TSUM | Tsum Valley Conservation Area permit | US$35 |
| LCAP | Langtang Conservation Area permit | US$30 |
| KCAP | Kanchenjunga Conservation Area permit | NPR 3,000 (about US$22) |
| DCAP | Dolpa Conservation Area permit | US$20 |
| UD | Upper Dolpa restricted area permit | US$500 for the first 10 days |
| UM | Upper Mustang restricted area permit | US$50 per day |
| MRAP | Manaslu restricted area permit | US$100 for 7 days |
| - | Manaslu local government entry fee | US$10 |
| NARPHU | Narphu Valley restricted area permit | US$100 for 7 days |
| KRAP | Kanchenjunga restricted area permit | US$20 per week, rising to US$25 after four weeks |
Two things have changed recently in the restricted areas. Upper Mustang is now charged per day, rather than as a single fee covering the first 10 days, so a shorter trek there costs a good deal less than it used to. Restricted area permits are also now issued to solo trekkers: the rule requiring a party of at least two was dropped in March 2026 across all fifteen restricted districts, where previously a lone trekker had to find a partner or pay for a second permit nobody used. A licensed guide from a registered agency is still required, and still the only way any restricted area permit is issued at all.
TIMS cards are no longer required
The trekker registration card is gone. The Khumbu dropped it years ago in favour of its own municipality permit, and the 2023 guide rules finished the job everywhere else: your agency already registers your passport, route and guide against the permits themselves, so the separate card stopped earning its keep and the checkpoints stopped asking for one. If a website is still telling you to budget for TIMS, that tells you how recently it was written. There is more on why the card disappeared.
If you are trekking in the Everest region
Everest Base Camp needs two permits, and neither of them is a TIMS card:
- Sagarmatha National Park permit, NPR 3,000
- Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit, NPR 3,000
That is NPR 6,000, roughly US$45, for the whole trek. Buying a TIMS card for an Everest trek is money you do not need to spend.
Park and conservation fees are set in Nepali rupees and the dollar figures here are approximate, so treat them as a guide rather than an exact price.
Trekking Permits and Passes Required for Nepal Treks
For your trek in Nepal, the following passes and/or permits will be required. Some Nepal treks require many passes (e.g. Manaslu Circuit), though most treks require just one or two permits. Using the following chart you can cross reference the area of your trek with the permit(s) required.
| Permit: | SNP | MCAP | ACAP | TSUM | LCAP | DCAP | UD | UM | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVEREST REGION | |||||||||
| All Treks |  |
KPLRM | |||||||
| Island Peak | |
KPLRM, IP Permit | |||||||
| ANNAPURNA REGION | |||||||||
| All Treks | |
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| LANGTANG REGION | |||||||||
| All Treks | |
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| MUSTANG | |||||||||
| All Treks | |
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| DOLPA | |||||||||
| Upper Dolpa Treks | |
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| Lower Dolpa Treks | |
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| TSUM & MANASLU | |||||||||
| Tsum valley | |
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| Tsum & manaslu | |
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| Manaslu circuit | |
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| KANCHENJUNGA | |||||||||
| All Treks | KCAP, KRAP | ||||||||
Do Elite Trekkers Organise Trekking Permits for Nepal?
Yes! We sure do. We can organise any of the permits you need for just $10 service fee, plus the permit cost. This can save you hours, if not days of running around Kathmandu finding offices and filling out forms. All you need to do is pay the permit fee online, then email us a copy of your passport details page and a passport photo style selfie - we'll do all the rest.
Your guide will bring your completed permits along at the start of your trek, or if for any reason you choose not to trek with us, we can deliver them to you in your Kathmandu hotel, or you can collect from our office near Kopan.
Common questions about Nepal trekking permits
Do I need a TIMS card for Everest Base Camp?
No, and not anywhere else either. TIMS is no longer required in Nepal at all. An Everest Base Camp trek needs the Sagarmatha National Park permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit, bought at Lukla or the Monjo checkpoint, and nothing else. A TIMS card bought for any trek now is money spent for no reason.
Can I buy my own permits without a guide?
Not any more. Since April 2023 a foreign trekker in a protected area walks with a licensed guide hired through a registered agency, and the permits are issued against that arrangement rather than over the counter to an individual. Our page on whether you need a guide to trek in Nepal sets out what that means.
Where do I actually buy them?
The conservation area permits come from the Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The Everest permits are sold on the trail as described above. Restricted area permits go through an agency and cannot be bought by a trekker directly at all. Or you can hand the whole thing to us for a $10 service fee.
How long does it take, and what do I need to bring?
A passport, a copy of the details page and a passport style photograph will cover most permits. If you are doing it yourself, leave a working day for it, and rather more in October when the queues at the permit offices are at their worst. If we are doing it, we need your passport copy and photo by email and your guide brings the permits to the start of your trek.
Do I need a separate permit to climb a trekking peak?
Yes, and it sits on top of everything above rather than replacing any of it. Peak permits are priced per climber and per season, and they come with their own requirements, including a climbing guide. Our trekking peaks pages cover what each climb involves.
Are the fees the same for everyone?
No. Trekkers from SAARC countries pay considerably less on most permits, and Nepali citizens pay less again or nothing at all. The figures on this page are the rates for everyone else.