Do Indian passport holders need a visa for Nepal?
No. Indian passport holders do not need a visa to visit Nepal. The two countries share an open border and a special bilateral agreement, Indian citizens can enter, stay, work, and travel freely in Nepal without any visa or time restriction. Nepal is the only country in the world where Indian citizens have this level of unrestricted access.
How to Apply
No application needed. Simply travel to Nepal by air, road, or rail. At the immigration counter, present your Indian passport or voter ID card and you’ll be waved through.
If travelling by road, you can cross at open border checkpoints such as Raxaul-Birgunj, Sunauli-Bhairahawa, or Kakarbhitta-Panitanki.
Documents Required
- Valid Indian passport (recommended), OR
- Valid Indian Voter ID card
- Note: Driving licences, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards are not accepted as entry documents
Costs & Fees
No visa fee. Entry to Nepal is completely free for Indian citizens.
Tips
- Despite no visa requirement, carry your passport rather than just a voter ID, it makes hotel check-ins, domestic flights within Nepal, and trekking permits much smoother.
- Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and the Everest Base Camp trek are the highlights.
- Trekking in Nepal requires a TIMS card and national park permits, these are obtained inside Nepal at trekking offices and cost a few thousand rupees.
- The best time to trek is October to November (post-monsoon) and March to April (pre-monsoon) for clear mountain views.
- Nepal uses the Nepalese Rupee, Indian Rupees are widely accepted in most places, though at a fixed exchange rate of 1 INR = 1.6 NPR.