Where to buy trekking permits in Kathmandu and Pokhara

Most foreign trekkers buy their permits in Kathmandu or Pokhara, and the short answer is this. National park permits come from the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu (Bhrikutimandap) or at the park gate. The Annapurna and Manaslu Conservation Area permits come from the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu or Pokhara, the ACAP office in Pokhara or the NTNC e-permit site. The Khumbu trek card is bought near Lukla. Restricted-area permits and TIMS cards are arranged only through a registered agency.

This guide sorts permits by where you buy them, what to bring and what to do if you arrive somewhere the counter is closed. Fees are as of October 2026; the rest of the permit picture is in Nepal trekking permits explained, and the current table is on the permits page. We have not confirmed office hours, so check them before you go.

Permits sorted by counter

The fees come from the Nepal Tourism Board's park entry fees page and the NTNC e-permit site, with children under 10 free; SAARC nationals pay less.

Kathmandu

The Nepal Tourism Board office at Bhrikutimandap (Bhrikutipath) is the main counter for national park permits and many conservation area permits. Individual trekkers can obtain ACAP permits at the Board's office in Kathmandu with a passport and photos. The Board's office is also where many trekkers pick up the entry permit for Sagarmatha or Langtang before leaving the capital, which saves queuing at a remote gate.

For restricted areas, the permit is arranged through your agency before you leave: the agency submits your passport details and your guide's licence number to the Department of Immigration, and you collect the paperwork from the agency. Do not try to queue for these yourself. See the Manaslu restricted area permit guide and the Upper Mustang restricted area permit guide for the details.

Pokhara

Pokhara is the better place to buy Annapurna permits if you are starting there. The Nepal Tourism Board has an office in Pokhara, and the ACAP office in Pokhara issues the Annapurna Conservation Area permit, with a passport and photos. Buy it the day before you travel rather than on the morning of your trek, because the trail starts an hour or two out of town. This is also where you arrange transport to Nayapul, Phedi or Kande; see short treks from Pokhara in 3 to 5 days.

For Poon Hill, Ghandruk, Mardi Himal, Khopra and the Sanctuary, the ACAP permit is the one that matters. Our ACAP permit explainer covers the rules, and the Annapurna Conservation Area guide explains who runs the area.

Online

The National Trust for Nature Conservation runs an e-permit site for the Annapurna and Manaslu Conservation Areas. As of October 2026, online payment adds a 2.9 percent gateway charge, and the same permit issued at a check post costs double, so paying in advance, online or at an office, is cheaper than paying at the gate. Print the receipt and keep a digital copy. TIMS is also online, but only agencies buy it: the Nepal Tourism Board's page describes agencies registering on its online system and each trekker receiving an eCard with a QR code. Read TIMS card explained.

At the gate

Some permits are bought at the park gate or entrance: Sagarmatha at Monjo, between Phakding and Namche; Langtang at Dhunche; Shivapuri Nagarjun at the entrance near Sundarijal. Buying at the gate is fine for Sagarmatha, where the gate is on the trail and everyone passes it. For Langtang, our region data says the permit can be bought in Kathmandu or at Dhunche, but conditions along the Trishuli road changed after the August 2026 floods, so confirm the gate is operating before you rely on it. See the Langtang National Park permit guide.

The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu trek card is a local permit bought on the trail near Lukla from the municipality's Tourist Information Centre, with a passport and photo. Our cost data cites an archived copy of the municipality's page, because the live page returned an error when we checked on 18 October 2026, so confirm the fee at the centre. See Sagarmatha National Park entry and the Khumbu local permit.

What to bring

• Your passport and a few passport-size photos.
• Rupees in cash, with small notes, because counters in remote places may not take cards.
• Your route and dates, so the clerk can write the right permit.
• A pen and a copy of your insurance details.
• Paper copies of every permit once you have them.

Checkpoints inspect permits at places such as Birethanti, Besisahar, Monjo, Dhunche and Syabrubesi. A missing permit means a fine, a doubled fee or a trip back to a counter.

What if the counter is closed

Offices keep office hours and close on public holidays, and festival weeks in Kathmandu can cut the time you have. Allow a spare half-day before you travel, and do not plan to buy a permit on the day of your flight to Lukla or your jeep to a trailhead. If you are short of time, an agency can buy most permits for a fee, and for a restricted area you have no choice.

Do you need an agency at all

For most open-area treks, you can buy the entry permit yourself. What you cannot do alone is the guide arrangement. A licensed guide through a registered agency is required in restricted areas, and under the Nepal Tourism Board rule of April 2023 in national parks and conservation areas, where 2026 operator reports say checkpoints enforce it in Annapurna and Langtang but not in Khumbu (checked 19 October 2026). So the practical question is not "can I buy the permit" but "who is my guide". Read can you trek in Nepal without an agency, the guide rule for foreigners explained and the guide rule by region.

Sharing the paperwork

If you are trekking with a partner, each person needs their own permits and their own copies. Settle who buys what before you reach the counter, and keep receipts. The Annapurna Base Camp partner page, the Everest Base Camp partner page and the Langtang Valley partner page are where you find company. The permits category lists the other guides in this series, and the regions are on the Annapurna, Everest and Langtang pages.

A sample order of operations

Here is how a first-time trekker might sequence permits for an Annapurna Base Camp trek starting in Pokhara. Two days before you leave, decide the dates and ask your agency, if you are using one, whether it will buy the ACAP permit and TIMS for you. If you are buying yourself, go to the Pokhara office with your passport and photos, or pay on the NTNC e-permit site and print the receipt. Check the checkpoint plan: on this route you pass Birethanti, where the permit is inspected.

For an Everest-region trek the sequence is different. Buy the Sagarmatha National Park permit in Kathmandu if you want it in hand before the flight, or at Monjo if you prefer; buy the Khumbu trek card near Lukla; you do not need TIMS on the Everest route. For Langtang the park permit comes from Kathmandu or Dhunche, and the situation on the Trishuli road should be checked first. For Manaslu, Upper Mustang and Nar Phu you do nothing at a counter yourself, because the agency arranges the restricted-area permit and the conservation area permit together.

Common mistakes

Three mistakes cost time. The first is arriving at a counter without photos or cash. The second is paying at a check post and doubling the ACAP fee. The third is assuming that a permit you bought for one region covers another: the Annapurna permit does not cover Langtang, and a Sagarmatha permit does not cover the Khumbu local card. Write your route on a card, tick each permit as you buy it and keep the receipts in one waterproof pouch. If your plans change on the trail, ask a lodge owner or your guide before you walk into a different protected area.