Tour onlyAsiaLicensed operator onlyCheck · Sep 2026
Tibet: travel permits and the tour rule
A Tibet Travel Permit to enter at all, an Aliens' Travel Permit for most places outside Lhasa, and military or border permits for areas such as Mount Kailash and the far west.
The permit
- Who issues it
- Tibet Tourism Bureau (entry permit), Public Security Bureau (Aliens' Travel Permit), military and border authorities (sensitive areas)
- How to get it
- Licensed operator only. Foreign visitors cannot travel on their own. A licensed Tibetan agency applies for every permit and must supply a guide and vehicle for the whole trip; trains and flights to Lhasa check the permit before boarding.
- Lead time
- 4 weeks+ · Book 1–2 months ahead; agencies usually need your passport and visa scans at least 3–4 weeks before entry.
- Cost (check)
- Permit fees are folded into the tour price; guided trips run roughly US$150–350 a day per person depending on group size (check).
- Documents
- Passport valid at least 6 months
- Chinese visa (or a group visa if entering from Nepal)
- Scan of passport and visa for the agency
- Some nationalities and occupations (journalists, diplomats) face extra checks
- If you skip it
- No permit means no boarding in Chengdu, Xining or Kathmandu, and turn-backs at road checkpoints; the agency, not you, is usually sanctioned, but you lose the trip.
- Official site
- National Immigration Administration of ChinaThere is no public online application for foreigners; only licensed agencies can apply.
Worth knowing
- Tibet has closed to foreign visitors for weeks at a time, often around March and during sensitive anniversaries (check before you book flights).
Check before you pay
Fees, quotas and closed areas change, sometimes with days of notice. These figures were last checked in Sep 2026; confirm on the official site or with a licensed operator before you book flights.