Nepal Electronic Travel Authorization cuts 2 hour airport queues

Nepal fully implemented an optional Electronic Travel Authorization on Aug. 17, 2026, allowing eligible tourists to clear pre-travel verification online rather than complete paperwork entirely at border posts.

How the ETA pre-clearance works

Instead of navigating paper forms or kiosk queues at the terminal, travelers eligible for a visa on arrival can submit passport details and pay fees through the Department of Immigration portal before departure. Border officials scan the traveler's passport, pull the pre-approved record from the system and print the entry visa at the desk.

The digital clearance isn't a standalone visa; it converts directly into a standard tourist entry permit upon arrival. Eligible visitors can still choose the traditional visa-on-arrival process at the border, but completing the authorization in advance bypasses airport bottlenecks that frequently exceed two hours at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

The system operates across all major entry points, including international airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa, as well as designated land crossings like Birgunj, Belhiya and Kakarbhitta.

Stay limits and permitted activities

While the online pre-check reduces arrival delays, the underlying conditions under Nepal's entry rules remain identical to standard tourist visas. Entry permits are issued for 15, 30 or 90 days and total cumulative stays can't exceed 150 days per calendar year.

The authorization covers a defined set of activities:

• Tourism: leisure travel, trekking, mountaineering and personal visits

• Limited business: attending conferences, commercial negotiations, site inspections and signing contracts

• Prohibited activities: local employment, paid work and productive labor for domestic entities

Remote workers and digital nomads utilizing tourist status must monitor their rolling stay tally against the strict 150-day annual ceiling, as the pre-clearance confers no residency or specialized remote-work rights.

Nationals from 12 restricted territories, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria, remain excluded from both the visa-on-arrival facility and the standard online portal and must continue securing physical visas through Nepali diplomatic missions abroad before travel.