We arrange Tibet permits and Tibet Group Visa to Lhasa and beyond!

Tibet Permits

Tibet Permits including Tibet Travel Permits(TTP), Alien’s Travel Permit (ATP) and Military Permits. Tibet Travel Permits is a basic permits that every foreign traveller must be obtained and it’s good for if you are just stay in or around Lhasa.  Alien’s Travel Permits and Military Permits are required if you are travelling in the restricted areas of Tibetan Autonomous Region.

All foreigners traveling to the Tibet Autonomous Region require a Tibet Travel Permit issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa. Foreigners cannot directly obtain these permits; only travel agencies in China can apply for you. In order to obtain a permit, you must have a fully booked tour for the duration of your stay inside the Tibet Autonomous Region, which includes:

• Travel tickets to Lhasa
• Permit for Lhasa and additional permits for travel outside of Lhasa
• Itinerary for all days in Lhasa and surrounding areas
• Registered guide
• Registered car and driver for any trips outside of Lhasa
• All accommodations must also be booked at approved foreign tourist hotels
• Proof of travel leaving the Tibet Autonomous Region

In order to process your permit, we will need a color scan of your passport and current Chinese visa. Your Chinese visa must be valid throughout the duration of your stay in Tibet. We need 10 days to process your permit, so make sure to plan for this.

Note: If you need a visa extension, it is best to apply for one outside of Tibet, as they are extremely difficult to get in Tibet.

Please note what type of visa you have and provide us with any additional information we may need.

• Tourist (L) visa requires no extra documentation.
• Work (Z) visas require that you also send us a copy of your work permit and an official letter from your company.
• Business (F) visas require that you provide a letter from your company or school with this visa.
• Student (X) visas require that you give proof of your enrollment at your place of study. A copy of your Student ID or a letter from your university will suffice.

Tibet Group Visa

This visa is only applicable for travellers who entry from Nepal by air or overland

All foreigners traveling to Tibet from Nepal require a Tibet Group Visa. This visa only can be obtained in the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. This visa is printed on a A4 size paper with your essential information such as all the group member’s name, passport number, gender, nationality, date of birth and occupation. The dates of entry and exit are precisely noted on the visa paper. All the members of the group must entry Tibet and exit China together. The Chinese embassy in Kathmandu issues two copies of original Tibet Group visa. One copy will be collected by immigration office when you entry Tibet and the other one need to show at the exit gate in China. If you entry from Nepal, then make sure you are not apply Chinese visa in your home country or elsewhere. Because if you do obtain a normal Chinese visa, it will be cancelled and you need to apply Tibet Group visa at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.

Permit and Tibet Group Visa Eligibility
 
We cannot process permits for:

• Diplomats
• Journalists
• Press Agents
• Tibetan expatriates
• Anyone involved in organizations or activities that would disrupt the peace and prosperity of Tibet

Important information regarding train tickets:

In the first half of this year Lhasa hosted approximately 1 million tourists. This volume of travel makes getting train tickets very difficult. The prices for tickets frequently change based on the going rate at the time. If you plan to travel by train, give yourself a few extra days to avoid problems or complications.

Please see our Lhasa Tours page for more information on visiting Lhasa and other places in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The most up-to-date info on Tibet Travel Permits and Tibet travel regulations in 2013

April 8th,2013, Tibet Travel situation gets better this year, now Mt.Everest Base Camp is also reopen to foreigner tourists. Now only Chamdo region is closed in Tibet Autonomous Region.

March 30th, 2013, Now there is no restrictions on group size to apply Tibet Travel Permits, you can travel as small as one person group. Though Tibet Tourism Bureau start checking the copy of deposit receipt sent from oversea clients. The number of deposit can be as small as 300USD per person for normal tours and 500-600USD for bigger trips like Mt.Kailash Kora, trekking tours.etc.  Mt.Everest Base Camp is still closed to foreign tourists. However, it may reopen sometime in the summer time.

March 26th, 2013, Tibetan Tourism Bureau(TTB) had a meeting on 23rd and discuss about the permits policy for 2013. Though TTB didn’t announce anything on the paper but Tibet Permits for Lhasa and Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR) started being process on March 26th.  For now, Tibet travellers only need to be in a group of 2 minimum from the same nationality. People from Japan, Philippines and Norway most likely will NOT be given permits. Everest Base Camp remains closed. Chamdo(Chi: Changdu) Prefecture in the eastern TAR remains closed as it has been closed since 2009. A deposit to Lhasa based travel agency bank account is also needed. Since this is the beginning of the new policy on permits. There will be some changes in the future. We will try our best to provide as most up to date and accurate info as possible.

Experience Tibet without Permits

If Tibet Autonomous Region is closed to foreign tourists, you still have option to see real Tibet. The Amdo and Kham Region of Tibet. Both Amdo Tibet and Kham Tibet does not require to obtain a Tibet Permits to visit. The traditional Tibetan region of Amdo and Kham, is located on the northeast and south east corner of the Tibetan Plateau . Though most of Amdo and lies in modern day Qinghai province, large regions also are located in southwestern Gansu and northern Sichuan provinces. Roughly 1.6 million Tibetans live in Amdo which accounts for over 25% of the total Tibetan population. Amdo is famous for producing some of Tibet’s most famous spiritual leaders including Tsongkhapa, 14th Dalai Lama and the late 10th Panchen Lama.
While Kham region offers you spectacular landscape and traditional Khampa way of welcome. The Kham region of Tibet is located in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Xizang, Qinghai, and Yunnan. Kham is known for its verdant grasslands, craggy mountains, and pure rivers. The most famous Tibetan horse festivals Yushu Horse Festival and Litang Horse Festival take place every summer in Kham, where Tibetans compete and show off their riding skills. Tibetans from Kham have a reputation for being as loyal as they are tough. Many carry traditional swords and walk with a swagger, but are quick to invite you into their yak-hair tents for a cup of butter tea. Both Amdo and Kham region is one the most beautiful area of Tibet,  80% of Amdo and Kham Tibetans are Nomads.  Amdo and Kham offers great opportunities for photographing or recording grassland, nomads yak hair tents, snow mountains, holy lakes, yaks and sheep, blue skype, traditional life style, traditional songs,etc.  There are also some famous monasteries in Tibet such as Kumbum Monastery, Rongwu Monastery, Labrang Monastery, Dege Printing House, Dzochen Monastery, Serthar Monastery.etc. We arrange tours across Tibet Plateau and Amdo and Kham become popular in recent years due to less restrictions to visit and better experience with Tibetan lifestyle.