Climbing & trekkingAsiaLicensed operator onlyCheck · Sep 2026
Everest and Himalayan peaks: climbing permits
A mountaineering royalty permit per climber and peak, with a liaison officer, garbage deposit and park fees, arranged through an expedition operator.
The permit
- Who issues it
- Department of Tourism (Mountaineering Section), Nepal; China Tibet Mountaineering Association for the north side
- How to get it
- Licensed operator only. Expedition permits go only through registered expedition companies, who file the team, the liaison officer and the insurance.
- Lead time
- 3 months+ · Plan 6–12 months; operators file permits weeks before the spring (April–May) or autumn season.
- Cost (check)
- Nepal's Everest royalty (normal route) is US$15,000 per climber for spring since 1 September 2025, US$7,500 autumn, US$3,750 winter and monsoon; full guided expeditions typically US$45,000–100,000+ (check).
- Documents
- Passport and visa
- Climbing CV and medical certificate
- Insurance covering high-altitude rescue
- Expedition contract
- If you skip it
- Climbing without a permit brings fines and multi-year bans from Nepal's mountains; summit certificates are refused.
- Official site
- Department of Tourism, Nepal
Worth knowing
- Trekking to Everest Base Camp is not climbing: it needs only the park and municipality permits (see the Nepal trekking entry).
Check before you pay
Fees, quotas and closed areas change, sometimes with days of notice. These figures were last checked in Sep 2026; confirm on the official site or with a licensed operator before you book flights.