Checking List for All Tibet Travel Documents

A Tibet Travel Permit is not enough if your itinerary covers the remote and restricted areas of Tibet, like Everest Base Camp in Shigatse, Mount Kailash in Ngari etc. Here we list all the Tibet travel documents you may be required to obtain for your reference.

1Your Passport and Chinese Visa

Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months with blank pages for Chinese and other Visas. If you get a new passport while you have a valid Chinese visa in your old passport, you can travel with both passports, as long as your visa is still valid and the personal info on both passports are exactly the same. Besides, for tourists as dual citizen with two passports, you need to ensure that you bring the same passport when tour Tibet and apply for the Tibet visa.

As for the Chinese Visa, you can apply for it in your own country. If you intend to visit Tibet from Nepal, you have to apply for Group Tourist Visa instead in Kathmandu. In addition to Chinese Tourists Visa (L Visa), foreigners can also travel to Tibet with other kinds of Chinese Visa, such as Work Visa (Z visa) or Student Visa (X visa), on condition that you provide the corresponding proof for your situation.

Chinese Visa is required for visiting Tibet.

2Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Travel Permit (or Tibet Visa) allows international tourists to board the Tibet train and flight to Lhasa, Tibet. It’s a prerequisite for all Tibet tours. The process of Tibet Permit in Tibet Tourism Bureau takes at least 5 days. Do leave enough time for the entire process (at least 20 days before your departure). We offer free Tibet Permit application for our clients after they book Tibet tours.

Tibet Travel Permit is the must document to enter Tibet.

3Alien’s Travel Permit for Everest Base Camp Tour

If you want to go further to the "unopened" areas outside of Lhasa, such as the Everest Base Camp, you need an Alien's travel permit issued by PSB of Tibet. It is called "Alien's Travel Permit" or "PSB permit". This can be arranged by any tour agency in Tibet, but no travel agency can provide ‘Alien’s Travel Permit-only’ service. Your tour operator, who arranges a Tibet tour for you, will help you apply for this permit according to your itinerary.

Please note that, the Alien's Travel Permit can be only applied after you arrive in Tibet, because your original passport, Chinese visa and Tibet Permit are needed. But don’t worry, it normally just takes several hours and costs CNY50 per person to get one.

One should obtain the Alien's Travel Permit when visiting Everest Base Camp area in Tibet.

4Military Permit for Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar Tour

If you are planning to travel to some military restricted areas in Tibet, like Mt. Kailash and Manasarovar in Ngari, Nyingchi, Nagqu, you will also need to get the Military Permit (short for Military Area Entry Permit) and Foreign Affairs Permit. The Military Area Entry Permit is issued by the military affairs office while the Foreign Affairs Permit is issued by the Foreign affairs office in Lhasa. We will need your passport and Tibet permit for the application. It normally takes 10-15 working days to get them all.

The Military Permit is the required document for your Mount Kailash tour.