Home / Travel Info / Visa & Entry Permits
Travel info
Visa & Entry Permits
Everyone except Indian nationals needs a visa for Bhutan. Indian nationals receive an entry permit instead. Here is how both work, and what we do for you.
Who needs what
Bhutan’s entry rules are simple once you know which group you are in:
- Indian nationals — an entry permit, not a visa, issued on arrival at Paro airport or at the land border in Phuentsholing (and other border crossings when open), or applied for online in advance. Bring a valid passport or Voter ID card.
- Nationals of Bangladesh and the Maldives — a visa, which follows its own process. Ask us and we will guide you through the current steps.
- All other nationalities — a tourist visa, approved before you travel.
Cost and how to apply
The Bhutan visa costs US$40, paid once per visit. You can apply online yourself on the Department of Immigration’s website, or ask a tour company or hotel to apply for you — most travellers let their tour company handle it as part of the booking.
To apply, you need a passport valid for at least six months from your date of departure from Bhutan, a recent passport-style photograph, your travel dates and your hotel bookings. The visa is linked to your Sustainable Development Fee payment for the nights you stay.
Visa applications are generally processed within about five working days once everything is complete. The visa is issued electronically — keep a copy with your passport to show on arrival.
How we help
- We check passport validity and the details of every traveller in your group.
- We prepare and submit the visa or permit application on request, with your SDF and hotel bookings.
- For Indian nationals, our guide meets you at Paro airport or Phuentsholing and helps with the permit desk.
- For travel beyond Thimphu and Paro, we arrange any route permits needed for the districts on your itinerary.
Guides and getting around
Visitors may walk freely in Thimphu and Paro. A licensed guide is required to enter dzongs, monasteries and monuments, and for travel beyond Thimphu and Paro. Every journey we arrange includes a licensed guide, so this is taken care of.
More travel info
Keep reading
Sustainable Development Fee
Current SDF rates, what it pays for and how it appears in your quote.
Getting to Bhutan
Flights into Paro, overland borders, and onward travel.
Best Time to Visit
Four seasons, month by month, with festivals and treks.
Health, Altitude & Safety
Altitude by region, pacing, insurance and medicines.
Money, Phones & Internet
Ngultrum and rupees, cards and cash, SIMs, Wi-Fi and power.
Culture & Etiquette
Dress for dzongs, temple manners, photography and festivals.
What to Pack
By season and by trip type — culture tours and treks.
Where You Stay
Our own hotels, certified hotels elsewhere, farmhouses and trek camps.
Ready when you are
Ready to plan your journey?
We handle visas, permits and the SDF for you — and answer every question along the way.