You will get important information about Tibet Travel Permit or Tibet Visa and necessary documents to apply for the permit on this page.

Foreigners who want to go to Tibet Autonomous Region need to get a Tibet Travel Permit as well as China visa. You can only apply for Tibet Travel Permit by a Chinese tour operator as the permit is only issued to a Chinese travel agency now. You can join in not only a group tour of a travel agency, but also a private tour of a travel agency to get Tibet Travel Permit.

Foreign visitors are not allowed to buy air ticket, train ticket or bus ticket to Tibet without Tibet Travel Permit. You need to apply for the permit at least 20 days in advance.

Note: New restrictions will come out anytime, if there are activities, like anniversary, and visited by government officials or foreign politicians and etc.

What are Tibet Permits?
There are 3 kinds of the permits to Tibet including the Tibet Travel Permit, the Aliens’ Travel Permit, and the Tibet Military Permit.

Foreign travelers have to apply for a Tibet Travel Permit as well as a China visa before heading to the Tibet Autonomous Region in China.

But if you want to travel to restricted areas like Everest Base Camp, Mt.Kailash, Syaka Monastery, Samye Monastery and Ranwu in Tibet, Aliens’ Travel Permit and Military Permit are needed.

Tibet Travel Permit

Only Chinese travel agencies can get the Tibet Travel Permit for you. Travelers have to join in a tour to get this permit. Permit application should be submitted 20 days before the tour starting date.

All your information on the permit will be checked at airport or train station. You can get onboard on a train or a flight to Lhasa only when all the information matches on your Tibet Travel Permit. We will send the permit to your hotel in China before your tour.

Note: Ordinary travel agencies have no authority to apply for the Tibet Travel Permit for diplomats, government officials, Journalists and professional media photographer. They can only travel to Tibet under the arrangement of Foreign Affairs Department, Economic Development Committee and the like.

The Aliens’ Travel Permit

The Aliens’ Travel Permit, also called travel permit is the must-permit in the restricted areas, such as Everest Base Camp, Mt.Kailash, Syaka Monastery, Samye Monastery, Ranwu and etc. This permit is issued by Foreign Affairs Section in the local Public Security Bureau in Tibet as it should be applied for with your original passport. So you will not get this permit before the tour.

An Example:

If you plan to visit Mt Everest, you can only get this permit at Public Security Bureau in Shigatse, as Mt. Everest located in Shigatse.

Note: Your guide will help you to get this permit at Public Security Bureau. It is easily obtainable at your arrival. Wait for your guide for about 30 minutes or more depending on the number of tourists there.

Tibet Military Permit

Ngari, Nyingchi, and Nagqu are the military sensitive regions in Tibet, so the Military Permit is a necessary document in these areas. But it is rarely used as only a few special tours involving those places. Original passport and Tibet permit are the documents to apply for the Military Permit which is only issued by the Lhasa military office. Usually, applying for the Military Permit takes one or two weeks.

Necessary Documents to Apply for the Permit
Once you confirm your tour with us, you need to send us a scanned copy of your passport and the Chinese tourist visa and offer real and true personal information such as full name, nationality, and occupation at least 20 days in advance by email.

Travelers can apply for an individual permit or a group permit which can be only handled by travel agencies in China. It is the absolutely wise choice to ask a travel agency to handle the Tibet Travel Permit.

Handling Procedures of Tibet Travel Permit
Visitors have to join in a tour group of a travel agency in China to get this permit.
Visitors have to examine personal materials (passport, visa, certification of employment and so on) and provide them to the travel agency.
Those materials will be checked by Tourist Administration.
Tourist Administration will provide Tibet Travel Permit
Public Security Office checks, stamps Tibet Travel Permit and paste anti-fake code on Tibet Travel Permit.
Tibet Travel Permit costs about 200 Yuan.
When to apply a Tibet Travel Permit
In order to travel in the restricted regions, it is better for foreign travelers to apply for the permit at least 20 days prior to the date of Travel. And it is at least 10 days prior to the date of Travel for a tour to the open places such as Lhasa (the capital of Tibet), and Mt. Everest.

When and What Kind of Tibet Permits Should be Provided for Check?
When go to Tibet by train, visitor should prepare the copy of the Tibet Travel Permit for check.

If visitors go to Tibet by air, they should prepare original Tibet Travel Permit.

If visitors enter Tibet from Qinghai land route, they should prepare original Tibet Travel Permit.

If visitors enter Tibet from Sinkiang land route, they should prepare original Tibet Travel Permit, the official document of the entrance to the military region and the document of the entrance to border land.

If visitors go to Lhasa, Jiangzi or Shigatze, they should prepare original Tibet Travel Permit.

If visitors go to Zedang or Mount Everest scenic area, they should prepare original Tibet Travel Permit and travel certificate.

If visitors go to Ali or Linzhi, they should prepare original Tibet Travel Permit, travel certificate and official document of the entrance to the military region.

If visitors go to Tibet from Nepal, they should give the electronic edition of Tibet Travel Permit to the agency in Nepal.

Restricted Regions in Tibet
Although visitors can travel in Tibet, some parts in Tibet are still not open to the public. However, travelers with a travel permit can travel in the restricted regions. The restricted regions are consisting of Tsedang, Shigatse, Gyangtse, Ngari Region, Nyingchi Region, and Chamdo Region.

Additional Information about the Tibet Permit
Foreign travelers can go to Tibet from both China and Nepal. The Tibet permit is on the must-prepared document list on the journey from other cities in China to Tibet. The permit is necessary when travelers check in the airport or travel on the train to Tibet.

Entering Tibet via Nepal by Land or Air
If travelers plan to enter Tibet from Nepal, you must get Tibet group visa from the Chinese Embassy in Katmandu. Travelers need to keep a fax copy of the permit from the Embassy.

If you are solo traveler or budget sensitive, then we have guaranteed departure Tibet Small Group Tours every week, you can just sign up one of our Tibet Group Tours departure based on your interest and we will find other like-minded travelers to share the cost. For free consultation about Tibet travel permit please write us at cytstibet@gmail.com