Travel tips · Nepal
Nepal Visa for UK Citizens
British passport holders get a Nepal visa on arrival: choose 15, 30 or 90 days, pay in cash, pre-apply to skip queues.
UK citizens have one of the simplest entry experiences in Nepal: no advance visa is required. British passport holders get a tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport and at major land borders, choosing their stay length and paying a modest fee in cash. There is no appointment to book and no need to visit a Nepali embassy — an optional online pre-application is the only paperwork you can do from home, and even that just shaves time off the queue.
The short answer
Carry a passport with at least six months' validity, a recent passport photo and the fee in cash (US dollars are easiest, pounds are usually accepted). Choose 15 days (~US$30), 30 days (~US$50) or 90 days (~US$125), all multiple-entry. Complete the online form in the week before you fly to skip the kiosk, or fill it in on arrival. Maximum stay is 150 days per calendar year. These figures are as of 2026 — confirm current fees with Nepal's Department of Immigration before travel.
Step by step: getting your visa on arrival
At Tribhuvan International Airport the process runs in three stages:
- Fill in the form. The fastest route is the online pre-arrival application on the Department of Immigration portal, completed in the seven days before you land — print or save the submission receipt. Apply earlier than that and it expires. If you skip it, self-service kiosks in the arrivals hall generate the same form on the spot.
- Pay the fee. Queue at the bank counter and pay in cash. Dollars are simplest; sterling and other major currencies are usually accepted, and card payment is possible but unreliable.
- Get stamped. Take your passport, form and payment receipt to the immigration desk, where the visa is stamped into your passport.
Land crossings such as Sunauli, Birgunj and Kakarbhitta run the same steps in smaller offices — useful if you're entering overland from India. For a detailed walkthrough of the capital's airport, read our Nepal visa on arrival guide.
Fees by duration
| Visa | Approx. fee (USD) | Entries |
|---|---|---|
| 15 days | ~$30 | Multiple |
| 30 days | ~$50 | Multiple |
| 90 days | ~$125 | Multiple |
All three tiers are multiple-entry, so a side trip to India or Bhutan within the validity doesn't cost you a new visa. Per day, the 90-day option is by far the cheapest, so if you expect to stay six weeks or more, buying long upfront usually beats extending later. Travelling as a family? Children under 10 are typically issued a free (gratis) visa — confirm current exemptions before you fly. See the full breakdown in our Nepal visa fees 2026 guide; rates change periodically, so treat every figure as indicative.
What to bring
- Passport with at least six months' validity and a blank page for the stamp.
- Cash for the fee — US dollars in small, clean notes are the most reliable; have the exact amount ready.
- A spare passport photo — the kiosks can sometimes take one, but a backup avoids a bad start if the camera is down.
- Your printed online receipt, if you pre-applied — airport printers are not guaranteed.
Extending your visa in Kathmandu or Pokhara
Plans grow in Nepal. If yours do, extend at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu (Kalikasthan) or Pokhara: start the form on the immigration portal, then pay and collect at the counter, usually the same day. Extensions run from a 15-day minimum with a daily fee, up to the hard cap of 150 days of tourist stay per calendar year. Full details, documents and queue tips are in our Nepal visa extension guide.
Common questions from UK travellers
- Do I need to visit the Nepali Embassy in London? No — for an ordinary tourist trip, the visa on arrival covers you entirely. Advance embassy applications are only for the handful of nationalities not eligible on arrival, which does not include the UK.
- Is the online form an e-visa? No. Nepal has no true e-visa; the online form is a pre-arrival application valid only within seven days of landing, and you still pay and get stamped on arrival.
- How do UK rules compare? Britons follow the same route and pay the same fees as US citizens and German citizens; only Indians (no visa) and SAARC nationals (gratis visa) differ. See the rules by nationality hub.
- Anything else to check? The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publishes Nepal travel advice covering safety, trekking and health — worth reading before you book, and often relevant to travel insurance validity.
Don't overstay
Stay past your visa's expiry and Nepal charges a per-day fine on top of the normal extension rate — even a single day counts, and it's collected when you depart. Short overstays are usually settled in cash at the airport desk; longer ones must be cleared at Immigration before you fly, and can escalate into real trouble. Treks and mountain flights run late, so build in buffer days and extend before, never after, the deadline. Details in our overstay fine guide.
For the wider process — visa types, who's exempt and next steps after landing — see the master Nepal visa guide. And since the Government of Nepal reviews fees and eligibility from time to time, reconfirm the current position with the Department of Immigration shortly before you depart.
Frequently asked questions
Do UK citizens need a visa for Nepal?+
Yes, but British passport holders can get a tourist visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and at major land borders. You can also pre-apply online in the seven days before travel. There is no need to obtain a visa from a Nepali embassy in advance for an ordinary tourist trip.
How much is a Nepal visa for UK citizens?+
The standard fees are roughly US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days, all multiple-entry — the same as most other on-arrival nationalities. Fees are charged in cash, with US dollars easiest. These are 2026 figures; confirm current rates with the Department of Immigration before you go.
Can I get a Nepal visa on arrival with a UK passport?+
Yes. British passports are fully eligible for Nepal's visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport and at land crossings such as Sunauli, Birgunj and Kakarbhitta. Bring a passport with six months' validity, a passport photo and the fee in cash, and you'll be stamped in on the spot.
Can I extend my Nepal visa as a UK citizen?+
Yes. Extend at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu (Kalikasthan) or Pokhara for a minimum of 15 days, charged per day. Your total tourist stay cannot exceed 150 days in a calendar year, so if you already know you'll stay long, a 90-day visa upfront is usually cheaper than extending.
Can British citizens pay the Nepal visa fee in pounds?+
Major currencies including pounds sterling are usually accepted at the airport bank counter, but US dollars are the most reliable and avoid awkward exchange rates. Carry small, clean notes and have the exact fee ready, as change can be limited at busy times.
Does Nepal have an e-visa for UK citizens?+
No — Nepal does not issue a true e-visa. The online form on the Department of Immigration site is a pre-arrival application, valid only in the seven days before you land. It speeds up the queue, but you still pay the fee and collect the visa stamp on arrival.
How long can Brits stay in Nepal?+
Up to 150 days per calendar year on a tourist visa. The longest visa issued on arrival is 90 days, after which you can extend at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu or Pokhara in 15-day-minimum increments until you reach the 150-day annual cap. Those are the rules as of 2026 — reconfirm before travel, as Nepal reviews visa policy periodically.
