UKC

Our preliminary trek ideas for later this year seem to require about ~34 days in Nepal.

It seems like you can buy either 30 day or 90 day visas with a big cost difference, but there is also the option of extending a 30 day visa for a few dollars/day once you are in Kathmandu.

(Previous info seems to talk about 60 day visas, which would be good, but may have been an older system?)

So, if you are there for around 34-36 days (which seems ideal for some treks/exploration) is it well worth paying the much larger fee for a 90 day visa, or is it very straightforward to upgrade a 30 day one for a few bucks when you are there? I could see that could be a problem if you are stuck up at Lukla in the last few days and the visa runs out...

Any recent advice or experience with this.

Cheers

In reply to BruceM:

Pretty sure you can extend them at the airport for a few quid.

In reply to BruceM:
I had the same issue, and ended up getting a 90 day visa as renewing in country seemed like it would be a big bureaucratic headache.

In reply to BruceM:

I would fork out and get the 90 day visa at the airport. I'm generalising here, based on various visa extensions I have requested around the world, but often authorities will not consider extending a visa until it is close to expiry. Therefore if you are thinking of extending your visa in Kathmandu shortly after arrival then there is a risk that they could tell you to come back in three weeks. This I imagine would make a mess of your trekking plans.

The only other option is to maybe research what the fines are like upon departure for overstaying your visa. Some countries have mild fines, others have severe fines.

In reply to Mr. Lee:
When I was in Nepal we extended our 60-day visa when we arrived in Kathmandu. According to the rules this is not how it should be done though. However, a couple of hundred nepali rupees in baksheesh sorts all of your red tape problems! Just remember to be smooth. (This was 10 years ago but I´m confident it´ll work out today as well unless you have problems yourself with it)

If you opt for overstaying please read the fine print, in some countries its a serious crime. You might not be allowed to enter again for some years if you´re overstay is rather long.

In reply to BruceM: Hi, I was in Nepal last year for 6 months, and yes extending is possible, but it would and could take a full day out of your time waiting around.

First you need to find the tourism office, NOT the airport. The airport will do Visa upon arrival NOT afterwards....

The tourism office is on a side street off Ratna Park, once there, fill out forms, THEN pay extra to get it done same day....

If you run out whilst up at Lukla, you may find it hard to get on your flight, as everythiong is checked.

After last years experience, I'd say due to increasing tourism numbers, the pressure on the processes in Public Office are telling, and therefore clumsy and slow to say the least...

Do yourself a favour, pay the $90 and get a 90 day visa then you have no bother, piece of mind and one less thing to worry about....

On the positive, Nepal is still the beautiful, gracious and humbling place it's always been, and Im certainly jealous of your trip!

Moll

In reply to BruceM:
Thank you all for the very useful responses.

I guess it reflects what I suspected would be the case. Sounds like if you were very flexible and had plenty of time to play with you could rely on the extension trick. But for the rest of us, it is safest to play the more expensive long-term game up-front.

Thanks again.