Travel in Tibet...Frequently Asked Questions About Permits

Two of the most common questions I get from people are "What permits do I need to travel to Tibet" and "How do I get a Tibet permit"? In this article I hope to clear up all the confusion about permits and travel in Tibet. It sounds complicated with a lot of rules, but it actually isn't too difficult.

Before I begin, it is important to remember that the terms "Tibet" and "Tibet Autonomous Region" (or TAR) are slightly different. When I use the term "Tibet" I am referring to all of the Tibetan Plateau. This area consists of 16 Tibet Autonomous Prefectures found in the TAR, Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces. All of these areas are considered to be Tibet to the Tibetan people. The Tibetan regions outside of the TAR are nearly all open and do not require any travel permits.

Tibet Travel Permit

There is no such thing as a "Tibet Visa". All foreigners going to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) need to have a Tibet Travel Permit along with a Chinese visa. Since June 2008, a full tour of Lhasa must be booked in advance before you are allowed to go to Lhasa. The Tibet Travel Permit is not placed in your passport, but is a two page piece of paper that should be given to you. The first page is the actual permit, while the second page is the group travel list. If you are traveling by yourself to Lhasa, then just your name will be listed, but if you are traveling with a group of 2 or more all names will be listed and you will share 1 permit. This is the general permit that you need to enter anywhere in the TAR. There have been many rumors that this permit would be done away with after the start of the train to Lhasa, but as of today it is still needed more than ever. If you fly, train or bus into Lhasa, you will need to have this permit. Technically, this permit costs a little over $6USD (Y50), but nobody actually pays that price. Here is why: The Tibet travel permit can only be issued through the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) which is based in Lhasa. All permits come from the TTB. Most travel agencies in Beijing, Chengdu, Xining, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Lanzhou get this permit through the TTB in Lhasa. Since these cities are all far away from Lhasa, they usually have to have a local travel agency in Lhasa help them. The local travel agency in Lhasa takes a copy of your passport and Chinese visa information and brings them to the TTB to arrange your permit. These copies are sent to the Lhasa office by the local office you are using (ie. in Beijing, Chengdu, Xining, etc). The local agency in Lhasa does not do this for free. They usually charge between Y150 and Y300 per person to do this. The travel agency you use in Chengdu, Beijing, Xining, etc to arrange the permit for you also does not do this for free. They charge an additional Y150 to Y400. So this is why a permit that costs Y50 ends up costing Y400 to Y800 or more. 

The travel agency you use to arrange your permit will give you a copy of the permit. The actual copy is usually kept at the Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa, however some airports are now requiring the actual permit. Make sure the travel agency gives you a copy of this permit and make sure that your name and passport information is correct!! Some people are checked for the permit while others aren't (in the same way that some speeders in the US are pulled over while others are not). Many travelers will tell you that they had no problems traveling to Lhasa without a Tibet Travel Permit or that they were never checked. Good for them! Since the reopening of Lhasa in June 2008, airports and train stations have become much more strict in checking permits. It will be very difficult to go to Lhasa without a permit.Just because you weren't checked for a permit doesn't mean they aren't required!! People are almost always checked when flying into Lhasa though you could also be checked taking the train. If you are caught trying to sneak into the TAR, you can expect to be detained at the police station, fined and sent back to where ever you were before (ie. Golmud, Derge, Zhongdian, etc).

Once in Lhasa, you will probably not be checked for your permit, but you will be checked before boarding your train or flight to Lhasa. The days of going to Lhasa without a permit are probably over, at least for a while. Keep your permit with you just in case something unusual happens.

 

For information on taking the train from Xining to Lhasa email me at (currently all travel to Lhasa must be done in a group):

lhasapermits@tibetanconnections.com in Xining

Alien Travel Permit

An Alien Travel Permit is needed in addition to a Tibet Travel Permit for going to any areas of the TAR outside of the Lhasa municipality. If you want to go to Samye, Chamdo, down the Friendship Highway, Everest, Kailash, Guge, etc. you have to have an Alien Travel Permit. Exceptions to this are Nam Tso, Nagchu, Amdo town, Ganden monastery, Shigatse and a few other smaller places. No additional permits are required to go to these places. Alien Travel Permits are easy and quick to arrange. If you book a 4WD trip in Lhasa, the permit will be included in the price. The travel agency will fill out the necessary paper work for you. This permit is usually around $12 (Y100) per person. There are several checkpoints that check to see if you have an Alien Travel Permit. You can be fined and sent back if you are caught without it. Currently all foreigners planning on taking a trip outside of Lhasa must have a tour guide accompany them. Not all travel agencies may be enforcing this, but it is the current law. If you have to have a guide, try and make sure that he is Tibetan. The guide will usually have all of your necessary permits.

 

Military Permit

Military permits are needed in addition to the two above mentioned permits to go through some sensitive border areas of the TAR. China and India have had a long standing disagreement on the southern and western boundaries of Tibet causing the areas to have a lot of military personnel. Military permits are needed if going to Mt. Kailash, Guge Kingdom, overland to Kashgar, and for travel in Nyingtri prefecture. Only a travel agency can arrange this permit for you. You cannot get it on your own. Travel through these regions require you to go by 4WD. Independent travel is strictly forbidden. If you are caught traveling through this region without a military permit and without a 4WD, you can expect to pay a stiff fine and to be questioned by the police.

Getting Caught Without a Permit

If you enter the TAR without a Tibet Travel Permit or you are caught in a region which requires you to have an Alien Travel Permit or Military Permit you can expect to be taken to the local police station and fined. Somebody at the police station will speak at least a little bit of English (and I mean little!) and they will explain to you what you have done wrong. They will write you a ticket which you have to sign. Then you will be fined between $40 and $100 (more in some situations). The police will escort you to the nearest bus station and put you on a bus going the opposite direction (ie. if you are caught trying to sneak into the TAR from Derge, they will put you on a bus heading back to Derge). If you are detained, it is usually not for more than an hour or so, but I have heard of some foreigners being under "house arrest" at a hotel for a few days. The chances are minimal that someone will check your permit in Lhasa so if you make it there without one, you will probably be okay. However, if you plan on going to places outside of Lhasa you will have to prove you have this permit. Keep in mind that when Tibet was independent, it was closed to foreigners. Very few people were allowed in, though many tried. So paying $50-$80 or so for a permit isn't so bad when you put things in perspective. It is still a lot cheaper than going to Bhutan. Think of the TAR as a National Park or Theme Park that requires everyone to purchase a ticket before they can enter.

 

Travel to Tibetan Prefectures Outside the TAR

Travel to the regions of Tibet outside the TAR do not require you to have any permits in most cases. There are a few counties in Golok and Ngawa Prefectures that require foreigners to get a permit from the police, but that's about it. You can travel independently through these prefectures (found in Qinghai, western Sichuan, southwest Gansu and northwest Yunnan provinces) using public transportation. These regions are actually a better place to see authentic Tibetan culture without as much Chinese influence. Many regions in these areas are home to nomad Tibetans who spend their lives on the grasslands herding yaks and sheep. These areas of Tibet are just as much Tibet as the TAR...and maybe even more so. Many past and present Tibetan leaders, including the current 14th Dalai Lama, were born in these areas. Tibetan culture is much more intact here than most regions of the TAR, though few foreigners travel to these areas. Many people are not aware that these places are also Tibet.

Entering the TAR from Nepal

When you enter the TAR from Nepal, you have to go by completely different rules from when entering from the rest of China. When you enter from Nepal, you have to be on a group Chinese visa. Only travel agencies in Kathmandu can arrange a group Chinese visa for you. You can't get it on your own. There is no way around this. Before, you had to be with a group of four or five people, but now you can get a group visa with only two people and in rare cases even one person. DO NOT get a Chinese visa in your passport before you arrive in Nepal. If you do, it will be cancelled and you will have wasted your time and money. You cannot enter the TAR from Nepal on a regular Chinese tourist visa...it MUST be a group visa. The group visa is usually a piece of paper. It is not stamped in your passport like a normal visa. The group Chinese visa is usually valid for only 21 days, though sometimes they will give you 28 days. From Kathmandu, Nepal you have the option of flying or taking a 4WD to Lhasa. You have to arrange all travel through a travel agency. You cannot buy a ticket to Lhasa on your own. You also have to have a Tibet Travel Permit and Alien Travel Permit that a travel agency must arrange for you.

There are now flights year round between Kathmandu and Lhasa. The one-way flight is only an hour, but it is not cheap. Expect to pay over $300 for the flight, visa and permit. Many people take a 5 to 7 day overland trip to Lhasa going through Everest Base Camp, Shigatse, Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake. This overland trip also is not cheap. About the cheapest you will find it is for around $500 per person. There are many, many travel agencies in Kathmandu that can arrange travel to Lhasa. Shop around and feel free to negotiate on the price.

Try and avoid getting a Chinese group visa with a stranger. With a group visa you have to enter and exit China together. So if you get put on a group visa with someone you don't know and he plans to exit China through Mongolia and you plan to exit through Vietnam, you are going to have some problems because your group visa is only on one piece of paper. If you are on a group visa with people you plan to exit China with, then you will be fine. A lot of people try and change their group visa into a standard Chinese visa once they leave the TAR (also known as splitting the visa). It is not possible to change or split your visa in Lhasa or anywhere in the TAR. Places like Golmud and Xining in Qinghai province are known to change people's visa's while places like Chengdu and Kunming sometimes will not. It is very difficult to extend a group Chinese visa beyond the 21 (or sometimes 28) days given to you. That is another reason people try and change the group visa into a regular tourist visa. Regular tourists visa's can easily be extended an additional 30 days at most PSB offices in China. If you plan on entering Tibet with a group and exiting China with the same group within the validity of the group visa (21 to 28 days), you will be fine. It is much easier and cheaper to begin your trip in China and then go to the TAR rather than starting from Nepal. From China, you can travel to Lhasa on your own. From Nepal, you have to go with a group. For more information on entering the TAR from Nepal contact (tell them Losang recommended you):

The Trekkers Society in Kathmandu

If you plan on flying from Kathmandu to any city in China outside of the TAR (ie. Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, etc), the rules above DO NOT apply to you. All you need is a regular Chinese tourist visa. There is no need for a group visa or Tibet Travel Permit.

Entering the TAR from Kashgar, Xinjiang province

To do this route legally, you have to go through a travel agency in Kashgar who will arrange a Tibet Travel Permit, Alien Travel Permit and Military Permit for you. Independent travel is not allowed on this route. There are no flights between Kashgar and Lhasa. This trip is not a cheap one to do legally. Some foreigners manage to hitchhike from Kashgar to Ali (Shiquanhe) and turn themselves into the police there. The police in Ali are known for giving foreigners a $40 fine, but then giving them all the necessary permits to make the rest of their journey to Lhasa legal. Things change so there is no guarantee the police in Ali will do this for you. There is still a good chance they will fine you and send you back to Xinjiang. For more information on this route contact the helpful people at:

Entering the TAR from Yunnan province

This route also has to be arranged through a travel agency. All of the above mentioned permits are needed to do this trip as well as a 4WD with driver and guide. An overland trip from Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Zhongdian to Lhasa via eastern Tibet can be arranged. There are also flights from Zhongdian to Lhasa (Tibet Travel Permit is needed).

There have been many reports of the bus station in Zhongdian selling foreigners bus tickets to Lhasa without a permit. According to the PSB in Zhongdian this is illegal. However, the bus station seems to be selling foreigners bus tickets in spite of the law. There have been some reports of foreigners buying a bus ticket from Zhongdian to Lhasa without any problems, but later getting caught and fined while in the eastern TAR. So if you decide to take the bus to Lhasa, be aware that you could be fined and sent back. Keep in mind that if you make it to Lhasa without any problems, it does NOT mean that permits aren't required! It just means you got lucky. For more details on going from Yunnan to Lhasa contact:

Khampa Caravan in Zhongdian

Entering the TAR from India/Sikkim and Bhutan

These routes are currently not possible to do. There are no borders between Tibet/China and India that are open to foreigners. There are also no routes between Tibet and Bhutan that are open to foreigners.

Comments

[Travelcia]

nice blog and nice pics :) congrats

[kitesurf travel]

hey great blog! Im looking to travel to tibet in the summer. Cant wait, nice lot of info on here so thanks :-)

[Kristyna]

hello,Im planning a trip from Tibet to India - Sikkim. Is any of the border crossings open for foreigners at the moment?Thanks a lot. Kristyna

[nicolas]

After Tibet,we plan to travel to the rest of China for a month.How,where and when do we have to get THAT visa for the rest of China?

Thanks

[Liz]

I'm want to go to Tibet in this year but i don't have any experience about Tibet.

[Karen]

Any idea when the Tibetan areas of south west Gansu and west Sichuan are going to open? Xiahe, Langmusi, Barkam, Apa....

Thanks

[suzan]

Hi great site - thanks for the up to date information and wonderful photos. Im planning to go to Tibet via China with one other female friend in June for the horse festival and onwards. Anyone else thinking of heading there at that time - share a guide?

[jess]

thank you so much :)
it was really good to know about Tibet.
it is the best page i have ever seen :) thank you
i wish to know more about so please upload asap .

jess

[Mark]

Great site- the best information I have found so far. Can anyone tell me how many days it typically takes to obtain a Chinese group visa from a travel agency in Kathmandu?

Two of us hope to travel there in April 2009.

Cheers

[Losang]

Christopher...You should have contacted me! I probably could have arranged your permits and tour for cheaper!

Yes, there are becoming more agencies that require a deposit from customers to ensure that they stay within their group and then leave Lhasa once the tour is over. The deposit is returned once the tour is over and the customer proves they have a ticket departing Lhasa on the date the tour ends.

[Christopher]

Hey there- I'm a student from Australia looking to get into tibet from late jan-early feb-- I've taken onboard your advice about adherence to permit regulations and have applied for a permit through an agency in Chengdu-- I'm also looking into the possibility of getting out to the Everest Base camp- were there any others out there also interested just for the sake of minimising costs on the tour...

Also I've read that many agencies require you to pay a deposit now to guarantee that you remain within the tour group (one site said Y1200) and dont wally off and start doing your own thing ... is this an uniform regulation,or have others found themselve able to abandon their travel group without too much fuss??

[Losang]

Max...Since June 2008 the travel regulations for the Tibet Autonomous Region have been quite strict. The rules are being followed by the book. If you make it to Ali on your own, don't expect the PSB there to open their arms and give you a permit to travel independently to Lhasa as they have in the past. Chances are now they will fine you and send you out of the TAR as soon as possible.

[Max]

Hello! Does anybody have last news about Ali? Is it still possible to get a permit there?

[ronald fernando]

oh, wow!

We are planning to go to Shanghai and Beijing this February..

and suddenly this place caught my attention to include in our itinerary.

wonderful place, maybe.

[Jeffrey]

Peeps!...I am travelling this December ... from KL - Chennai - Goa - Delhi - Kathmandu and into Tibet and from there if all goes well, I am wanna take the train to Beijing and reach Shanghai just in time for the New Year.

Ill be in Kathmandu on the 20th December 2008.

I am travelling alone and if anybodys travelling in the same direction, maybe we could meet up and save some costs?

email me at jeffrey_e77@yahoo.com

Peace! Jeffrey :-)

[capaosanco]

Hi,

We're a group of 8pp planning to travel to Tibet in Chinese New Year (Jan.26th to Feb.8th), from Lhasa to Shigatse to Amdo region in Nagchu. How's the weather condition during that period, and what places we should go in Amdo (not that Amdo in Qinghai)? And is this possible for us to have some camping with nomad's family? Thanks.

[Losang]

Diego...Some regions of Kham and Amdo, the outer provinces of Tibet, remain closed at this time. Regions that are closed currently include all Tibetan areas in Gansu province including Labrang Monastery. All Tibetan areas in northern Sichuan (Ngawa/Aba Prefecture) also remains closed. All Tibetan areas in Qinghai are open as is western Sichuan (Garze Prefecture) and northwest Yunnan (Dechen Prefecture). If you have any other questions, feel free to send me an email at info@tibetanconnections.com

[Diego Loukota]

Hello!

Very illuminating site! I'm living in China and planning a trip to the southeast in the winter. Reading what you said about Tibetan prefectures outside the TAR, I'd like to include them in my itinerary. I would like to ask you: do you know whether after this year's uprisings the policies regarding tourism have been changed/tightened? Are some of those areas currently closed to foreigners? Labrang and Kumbum are still shut? Thanks, Diego.

[Losang]

Lhasa is finally open again to foreign tourists! After close to 4 months of being closed, it is open again.

[Dana]

Hi! This was very useful! I am planning to come from Beijing to Kashgar from 26th of May to 16th of June. Is there any easy way I can travel afterwards from Kashgar to Lasha, spend few days in Lasha and then return to Shaghai by plane? Would you please let me know if you can arrange this and also ho wmuch it will cost? Thank you very much! Dana.

[Marilyn Clark]

Hello,
I just spent HOURS going through this great, informative and pictorially wonderful site. I'm so glad to find you. I will be in Lhasa for the Butter Lamp Festival March 26th. Afterward I'd like to get in touch with you to book a few tours. I will be in Tibet for 40 days so I'd like to hook up with some other travelers to see Amdo, etc. I will be booking a trip from Lhasa to Nepal, maybe 10 days. I'm leaving from Nepal.

I'm looking at staying in Lhasa at the Barkhor Namchen House for the first week, then moving over to the Lhasa River Guest House. Are these good choices? I'm putting together my tour wish list. Please email me with any advice. I'll be there in March and April. Thanks,
Marilyn

[Jules]

I hope to arrive in Lhasa on March 1st. I know a couple of days to aclimatise is required. But after that time I hope to get a low cost tour/lift from Lhasa to Kathmandu with a stop off at Everest base camp along the way. I'd quite like to make this trip in as short a time as is possible taking saftey (i.e. aclimatising) into consideration. So, i'm hoping for something lasting around 5 days in total. If anyone is keen to do something similar around that time - or has any useful info regarding this kind of trip, please let me know

Cheers

theapplepie77@yahoo.co.uk

[Romi]

Hiya

Me and my friend are thinking of going to Tibet, we have visa for China, however have not obtained ATP yet. We are traveling on budget, hence want to go independently if anyone is interested to join us to make it cheaper email me. We are arriving to Beijing on 03.02 and have visa for 30 days.

email romcaukatyahoo.co.uk

[Sporty]

nice site!!! Briliant.

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