Climbing & trekkingAsiaYourself or an operatorCheck · Sep 2026
Nepal: trekking permits, TIMS and park fees
A national park or conservation-area entry permit for each trekking area, the TIMS card where it is still required, and (since 2023) a licensed guide for foreign trekkers in national parks and conservation areas.
The permit
- Who issues it
- Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, National Trust for Nature Conservation (Annapurna, Manaslu), Nepal Tourism Board (TIMS), local municipalities
- How to get it
- Yourself or an operator. Park permits can be bought at the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu or Pokhara or at park gates; in practice the guide rule means most trekkers now go through a registered agency, which also issues TIMS.
- Lead time
- 2 days+ · 1–3 days in Kathmandu or Pokhara; book a guide or agency weeks ahead in October–November and March–April.
- Cost (check)
- Park and conservation-area permits about NPR 3,000 each; Khumbu municipality fee about NPR 3,000; TIMS about NPR 2,000 where required (check each).
- Documents
- Passport and visa
- Passport photos (2–4)
- Insurance with helicopter rescue
- Agency or guide details
- If you skip it
- Checkpoints charge double the permit fee or send you back; trekking without a guide where one is required can be refused at the park entry.
- Official site
- Nepal Tourism Board
Worth knowing
- In the Everest (Khumbu) area the local municipality fee has replaced TIMS; in other areas TIMS rules have changed more than once (check).
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.