Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Travel Permit (also known as Tibet Visa), is a single entry visa that allows you to enter Tibet. For all international tourists, your key to landing in holy Tibet lies in whether or not you can get this Tibet Entry Permit. And this permit allows you to visit places in Lhasa and its surroundings. If you need to go further to restricted areas like Everest Base Camp, Mt. Kailash, Samye Monastery, etc. extra permits (like Alien’s Travel Permit and Military Permit) are also a must. For all of you who need to get to Tibet travel permit for your lifetime journey in Tibet, we offer the most professional and easy-to-understand guideline to get to the permit successfully.

How to Get Tibet Travel Permit

Follow the simple steps, or following the guideline by answering few questions, you will find it is not as complicated as you thought to get your Tibet Travel Permit.

Step 1: Make Sure You Have a Valid Passport and Chinese Visa

Your Passport and Chinese Visa are required for Tibet Travel Permit application. Make sure you already have them. If you don’t have a Chinese Visa and plan to enter Tibet from Kathmandu, Nepal, you need to apply for the Group Visa through Chinese Embassy at Kathmandu.

Step 2: Confirm Your Travel Itinerary and Book the Tour with Us

Since the permit can be only applied through the local travel agency who will offer the full service for you in Tibet, you need to book the tour in Tibet with us.

The entry city and the places you go will be shown on the permit, you need to confirm your itinerary before application.

Step 3: Email Us the Required Documents

The copies of your passport and Chinese Visa are the basic documents needed. Some other documents may be required if you travel with student visa or working visa.

Step 4: Get Your Tibet Permit before Heading to Tibet

We will deliver your permit from Lhasa to your address (usually to your hotels in mainland China) as soon as we received it from the Bureau.

Remember, only when you get Tibet Permit can you board the Tibet train or domestic flight to Lhasa. So, we highly suggest you prepare your Tibet Visa Application 20 days before your departure to China.

Tibet Travel Permit Application Guideline

Tibet Travel Permit Online Application Form

Filling in the following chart for a quick online Tibet permit application. We will contact you within 24 hours.

Your Travel Plan

Travel Date:
Passenger:
Enter City:

Your Contact Information

Full Name:
Your Email:

Country/Region:

More Travel Plan:

SUBMIT

Please Note:

1. If you are the Hong Kong / Macau resident who have Home Return Permit (also known as Mainland Travel Permit), you do NOT need Tibet Travel Permit for your Tibet tour. Just tell us your travel plan and we will help you arrange your trip to Tibet.

2. Journalists and Diplomats can NOT apply Tibet permit though a travel agent.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tibet Travel Permit Application

Can I get the permit without a tour?

No, you can’t. All foreign travelers can't directly apply for the Tibet travel permit, but only through a local travel agency which offers travel services for you in Tibet. And no Tibet travel agency can provide “permit-only” service, meaning that you need to book a tour which at least includes the hotel booking and guide rental etc. As a trustworthy tour operator in Tibet, our travel consultants will work with you to sort it out about the detailed itineraries and hotels, etc. and make a tailor-made tour for you, either small group or private tour.
What documents are required for Tibet Permit application?

You are expected to send your scanned copy of your passport and Chinese Visa via email to your travel consultants. Your passport should be valid for more than six months. Also, you need to confirm with us about your tour information including the itinerary, entry and departure date, etc., which will be listed on the permit. For foreigners studying or working in China, you need to provide the admission certificate or proof of your employment.
Where to get my Tibet Travel Permit in hand?

After we hand the permit application to Tibet Tourism Bureau, the process of the permit is expected to last at least 5 working days. Then, we will deliver the permit from Lhasa to your hotel in mainland China immediately after it gets issued. With the newly-issued permit, you can head to board the flight or train to Tibet. In some extreme cases, our staff will give it to you in person at the railway station or airport.
How to apply for Tibet Travel Permit from Nepal?

If you plan to take a Nepal Tibet tour and enter Tibet from Kathmandu, you need to apply for Group Tourist Visa, a kind of single entry visa, through the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Just as the steps above, you need to confirm your itinerary and book your tour with us, send us the required documents, and we will do the rest for you. Check to learn more about getting Tibet Visa from Nepal.
Do I need to obtain Tibet permit as a Hong Kong resident?

For the residents of Hong Kong and Macau, there is no need to apply for the Tibet travel permit, as long as you have the HK/Macau SAR Passport and Home Return Permit. While, for residents from Taiwan, you need to get the Mainland Travel Permit and Tibet Travel Permit to visit Tibet. Meanwhile, to the global overseas Chinese, if you don’t have Chinese ID or travel to Tibet as an overseas Chinese immigrant, you still need to get China visa and Tibet Travel Permit to visit Tibet.
Do I must confirm my entry city from mainland China to get the Tibet Visa?

When applying for the Tibet visa, you need to confirm your travel information with us, including entry and departure date, the city to enter and exit Tibet, places to visit during your travel etc. All these information will be written on your permit and will be carefully checked at the departure station or airport. If you bring the permit with the wrong entry city, you will be refused to board the flight or train to Tibet. Besides, it will be quite troublesome to revise the written information on the permit if you change your idea.
How far in advance should I apply for Tibet Travel Permit?

It is suggested to start the application of your Tibet permit at least 20 days in advance before your departure date, by mailing your passport copy to us. Since it will normally take 12 working days to approve the Tibet Travel Permit by Tibet Tourism Bureau, and another several days to deliver it to your city in mainland China.
How much does a Tibet travel permit cost?

The Tibet Tourism Bureau as the organization to issue Tibet Travel Permit don’t charge any frees for the application. And for our clients, as long as you book your Tibet tour with us, we promise to offer Tibet visa application service for free, and will guarantee to get your permit before you leave for Tibet.

Checking List for All Tibet Travel Documents

A Tibet Travel Permit is not enough if your itinerary covers the remote and restricted areas of Tibet, like Everest Base Camp in Shigatse, Mount Kailash in Ngari etc. Here we list all the Tibet travel documents you may be required to obtain for your reference.

All Tibet Travel Documents for Tibet tours

1Your Passport and Chinese Visa

Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months with blank pages for Chinese and other Visas. If you get a new passport while you have a valid Chinese visa in your old passport, you can travel with both passports, as long as your visa is still valid and the personal info on both passports are exactly the same. Besides, for tourists as dual citizen with two passports, you need to ensure that you bring the same passport when tour Tibet and apply for the Tibet visa.

As for the Chinese Visa, you can apply for it in your own country. If you intend to visit Tibet from Nepal, you have to apply for Group Tourist Visa instead in Kathmandu. In addition to Chinese Tourists Visa (L Visa), foreigners can also travel to Tibet with other kinds of Chinese Visa, such as Work Visa (Z visa) or Student Visa (X visa), on condition that you provide the corresponding proof for your situation.

Chinese Visa is required for visiting Tibet.

2Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Travel Permit (or Tibet Visa) allows international tourists to board the Tibet train and flight to Lhasa, Tibet. It’s a prerequisite for all Tibet tours. The process of Tibet Permit in Tibet Tourism Bureau takes at least 5 days. Do leave enough time for the entire process (at least 20 days before your departure). We offer free Tibet Permit application for our clients after they book Tibet tours.

Tibet Travel Permit is the must document to enter Tibet.

3Alien’s Travel Permit for Everest Base Camp Tour

If you want to go further to the "unopened" areas outside of Lhasa, such as the Everest Base Camp, you need an Alien's travel permit issued by PSB of Tibet. It is called "Alien's Travel Permit" or "PSB permit". This can be arranged by any tour agency in Tibet, but no travel agency can provide ‘Alien’s Travel Permit-only’ service. Your tour operator, who arranges a Tibet tour for you, will help you apply for this permit according to your itinerary.

Please note that, the Alien's Travel Permit can be only applied after you arrive in Tibet, because your original passport, Chinese visa and Tibet Permit are needed. But don’t worry, it normally just takes several hours and costs CNY50 per person to get one.

Areas requiring the Alien's Travel Permit
Tsedang	Samye Monastery, Tomb of Tibetan King, Trundruk Monastery, Yumbulakhang
Shigatse	Sakya Monastery, Mt. Everest, Rongbuk Monastery
Gyantse	Pelkor Chode Monastery & Kubum Stupa
Ngari Region	Mt. Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, Tsaparang, Years, etc
Nyingchi Region	Basum-tso, Pomi, Rawo-tso, etc
Chamdo Region	Chamdo, Riwoche, Tengchen, etc

One should obtain the Alien's Travel Permit when visiting Everest Base Camp area in Tibet.

4Military Permit for Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar Tour

If you are planning to travel to some military restricted areas in Tibet, like Mt. Kailash and Manasarovar in Ngari, Nyingchi, Nagqu, you will also need to get the Military Permit (short for Military Area Entry Permit) and Foreign Affairs Permit. The Military Area Entry Permit is issued by the military affairs office while the Foreign Affairs Permit is issued by the Foreign affairs office in Lhasa. We will need your passport and Tibet permit for the application. It normally takes 10-15 working days to get them all.