Immigration Law in Nepal 2026: Visa Types, Fees & Process Guide

Most foreign nationals coming to Nepal think of immigration law as a customs-counter formality — pay USD 30 at Tribhuvan International Airport, get a 15-day tourist visa stamp, walk out into Kathmandu. The reality is more layered. Nepal's Immigration Act 2049 (1992) and the Immigration Rules 2051 (1994) create a structured visa regime with five primary categories, graduated fees by duration, a 150-day-per-year cap on tourist stays, hard penalties for overstays, and criminal liability up to five years' imprisonment for fake-document offences. Foreign investors, students, NRN family members and long-term residents all sit in a different category from tourists, with their own eligibility, fees and renewal cycles.

This guide is the practical map of Nepali immigration law for the people who actually deal with it — foreign nationals planning a stay, employers hiring foreign professionals, NGOs managing international staff, and law firms handling deportation defence or visa-rejection appeals. It covers the Act 2049 framework, the visa categories, current fees, the overstay penalty schedule, the Department of Immigration extension process, and the criminal-law overlay for fake-document offences.

Alpine Law Associates — trusted by 1,000+ clients across family, corporate, civil, and criminal cases in Nepal.

Speak with our lawyers today →

Our corporate and immigration practice handles foreign-investor visa work under FITTA 2075 + business-visa coordination, NGO and INGO non-tourist-visa renewals, deportation defence at the Department of Immigration, and overstay-penalty negotiation for travellers caught at exit. The most expensive immigration mistake we see is the assumption that a tourist visa can be repurposed for any short-term work — even unpaid volunteering on a tourist visa technically falls within the unauthorised-employment perimeter, with deportation and entry-ban consequences if discovered. The right visa category at the start, and the right extension cycle, are inexpensive compared with the cost of getting it wrong.

What does the Immigration Act 2049 actually do?

The Immigration Act 2049 (1992) and the Immigration Rules 2051 (1994) sit at the centre of Nepal's immigration regime. The Act:

1. Defines visa categories — tourist, business, study, non-tourist, residential, and certain transit and diplomatic sub-categories
2. Sets eligibility — who can apply for which category, the documentation required, the recommendation route through other government agencies (Department of Industry for business visas, education institutions for study visas, the relevant ministry or NGO for non-tourist visas)
3. Prescribes fees and validity — graduated by category and duration; specific figures are revised periodically and published by the Department of Immigration
4. Creates the extension framework — eligibility for in-country renewal, online application via Nepaliport, in-person finalisation at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu or the Pokhara office
5. Sets the penalty schedule — USD 5 per day overstay (with USD 2 add-on for unjustified overstay), deportation, entry ban, and criminal offences for fake documents
6. Defines deportation grounds — overstay, unauthorised employment, false documentation, threat to national security, public-order offences

The Act applies to all foreign nationals other than those covered by special arrangements (Indian nationals under the open-border regime have a distinct framework). NRN-card holders have specific facilitations under the NRN Act read with the Immigration Act, particularly on residential and visit visas.

Tourist visa — fees, duration and the 150-day cap

The tourist visa is the entry point for almost every foreign visitor to Nepal. The Department of Immigration issues tourist visas at Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu), at most land-border entry points, and in advance through Nepali embassies and consulates abroad. Current fees:

The hard rule is the 150-day cap per visa year (the visa year runs January through December). A tourist cannot accumulate more than 150 days in Nepal in a calendar year regardless of the number of entries or extensions. Once the cap is hit, no further tourist-visa stay is granted in that visa year — the only options are exit-and-wait until the next visa year or applying for a different visa category.

SAARC nationals (other than Afghanistan) and citizens of nine specifically listed countries get gratis (free) tourist visas for limited durations under reciprocal arrangements. Indian nationals do not need a visa under the open-border regime but should carry valid identity documents. Citizens of certain countries (notably some West African and Middle Eastern states) require visa-in-advance from a Nepali embassy and cannot obtain visa-on-arrival.

Business visa — for FDI investors and traders

The business visa is granted to foreign investors who have made or are making investment in Nepal under the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act 2075 (FITTA), to representatives of foreign businesses operating in Nepal, and to traders dealing with Nepali markets. Key features:

• Recommendation — required from the Department of Industry, the Investment Board (for large-scale projects), or the relevant sectoral authority
• Investment threshold — tied to the FITTA 2075 minimum FDI threshold notified by the Government
• Validity — up to 5 years, with extensions available; multiple-entry standard
• Fee structure — graduated by duration and investment tier (refer to current Department of Immigration notification)
• Family inclusion — spouse and dependent children typically receive dependent business-visa derivatives

For a fuller treatment of the business visa specifically — eligibility criteria, FITTA 2075 thresholds, current fee structure, and the Department of Industry recommendation process — see our dedicated business visa in Nepal guide.

Study visa — students, teachers and researchers

The study visa is granted to foreign nationals approved by the Government of Nepal for academic study, teaching or research in Nepal. Initial validity is one year and renewal depends on documented academic progress. Key requirements:

• Admission letter from a recognised Nepali educational institution (university, college, school, research institute)
• Government approval — through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for university-level study; through the relevant ministry for school-level or specialised research
• Financial capability proof — bank statements, sponsor letter, or scholarship documentation; required unless the student is under a specific government-to-government scholarship programme
• Health and character — basic medical and police-clearance documentation
• Renewal — annual, on submission of academic progress report from the institution

Foreign teachers and researchers attached to Nepali institutions receive study visas of similar duration on institutional recommendation. The category is wider than the literal name suggests — it covers most education-and-research visit purposes.

Non-tourist visa — work, NGO/INGO, family

The non-tourist visa is the residual category for foreign nationals coming to Nepal for purposes that don't fit cleanly into tourist, business or study. Common use cases:

• NGO and INGO staff on long-term postings to Nepali offices
• Foreign professionals employed by Nepali companies on remuneration (subject to relevant ministry approval)
• Spouses and dependents of Nepali citizens or NRN-card holders, on family-reunion grounds
• Diplomatic family and support staff not covered by the diplomatic-visa category
• Specialised social-development work approved by the relevant ministry

Validity is up to one year and extensions are routinely granted on continuation of the underlying purpose with sponsoring-institution recommendation. The non-tourist visa is the most paperwork-intensive of the regular categories because it requires both Department of Immigration approval and the underlying ministry-level recommendation.

Overstay penalties — what does staying too long actually cost?

Overstaying a visa triggers a per-day penalty that escalates if no valid reason can be shown. The current schedule:

The Department of Immigration calculates the overstay days from the day after the visa expired to the day of regularisation or exit. The overstay penalty must be paid in cash at the Department of Immigration counter or at the airport before departure; no exit is permitted until the penalty is settled. Confirm the current per-day figure with the Department of Immigration before relying on the headline number — the schedule is revised periodically.

Online visa extension via Nepaliport

The Department of Immigration provides an online visa-extension application service through the Nepaliport portal. The flow:

1. Open the Nepaliport portal and create an account using your passport details
2. Submit the visa-extension application with current visa details, requested extension period, and supporting documents (sponsor letter where relevant)
3. Pay the extension fee online — typically credit card or bank-transfer accepted
4. Receive an appointment slip for the in-person counter visit
5. Visit the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu (Kalikasthan) or the Immigration Office in Pokhara during the appointment window with the original passport, photographs and the application receipt
6. Counter staff verify the documentation and stamp the extended visa on the passport

The online portal removes the long queues at the Department but does not eliminate the in-person visit — the visa stamp is still applied physically. Extensions are typically granted on a working-day timeline of 1–3 days for routine cases; complex cases (overstay, multi-renewal, pending immigration concerns) take longer.

Fake passport and visa offences — the criminal overlay

The Immigration Act 2049 supplements the administrative penalty regime with a criminal-side offence for fake-document use. Anyone who commits or causes the use of a fake passport or visa faces:

• Imprisonment up to 5 years; OR
• Fine up to NPR 50,000; OR both

The offence covers both the original act of forgery (creating a false document) and the use of a forged document at immigration counters. Where the conduct also amounts to a Penal Code 2074 forgery offence, parallel charges run and the harsher sentence applies on conviction. For the broader document-fraud framework see our document fraud guide.

Deportation and entry-ban — the worst-case outcomes

The Department of Immigration has the power to deport foreign nationals and impose entry bans on grounds including:

• Long-term overstay not regularised through the penalty mechanism
• Unauthorised employment on a tourist visa or other non-employment category
• Criminal conviction in Nepal — particularly for offences against national security or public order
• False documentation at the time of entry or extension
• Threat to national security or public order as determined by the Government
• Visa fraud — using fake supporting documents in a visa application

Deportation orders are issued by the Department of Immigration with appeal lying to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Entry-ban duration depends on the underlying offence; serious offences attract long-term or permanent bans. A deportation record significantly complicates any future visa application not just to Nepal but to other countries that share immigration data.

Practical advice — the right visa for the right purpose

The most common immigration mistakes we handle in our practice are matters of category mismatch — the visa held does not match the activity performed, and the consequence surfaces only when the activity is detected. A few practical rules:

• No paid or unpaid work on a tourist visa — even volunteer work for an NGO requires the appropriate non-tourist category
• Investment-linked stay needs a business visa — running a business or attending board meetings as a foreign owner of a Nepali entity requires the business visa, not tourist
• Family-reunion stays need non-tourist or residential — a foreign spouse of a Nepali citizen or NRN should hold the appropriate non-tourist or residential visa, not a tourist visa
• Track the 150-day cap — keep a running tally of tourist-visa days in Nepal across multiple entries in the same calendar year
• Renew before expiry, not after — extensions filed before the current visa expires avoid the overstay penalty entirely
• Carry the passport with the visa stamp — police checks during long stays do happen, particularly in Kathmandu and tourist areas

Where uncertainty exists about the correct visa category for a planned activity, the Department of Immigration provides a counter-level advice service and an advocate can confirm the position before any commitment.