BHUTAN VISA & PERMIT RULES – Explained in Simple Words

Bhutan is a lovely and beautiful country with happy people all over Bhutan, but their Permit and visa requirements are not simple like many other countries like Thailand. The requirements for a permit or a Visa differs based on many factors such as,

·      Are you a solo male or female traveller,

·      Your Nationality,

·      Are you entering Bhutan by Air or road?,

·      If you have a pre booked Guide along with you or not.

A combination of these factors put you in a certain category, through this Blog or rather this article, we try to make you understand the permit & Visa procedure in the simplest way, But before that we must take a look on some of the important pointers for visiting Bhutan.

1.    The initial visa/permit issued at the road or airport border will only be valid for two districts, i.e. Paro and Thimpu. If you wish to visit other districts like Punakha, Then you will have to take an extra permit from Thimphu district. For Paro and Thimpu, you will get a permit/visa at the entry point.

2.    In No case will the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan allow you a permit to stay for more than 14 days when arriving by flight. When arriving by road, you will be allowed a permit of 7 days of stay.

3.    If you plan to stay for more than 14 days (or 7 days incase of a road trip), then you have to apply for a visa/permit extension before the initial visa/permit expires. It is quite a simple process. You can read this post further for it.

4.    When on any boards or post you read the word SAARC, it means the Countries that include India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. You will come across this term many times, so take a note please.

If you happen to visit the country’s website which is http://www.tourism.gov.bt/plan/visa there is a chances of you getting confused on various factors. Here we come up with a simple way to explain everything for a smooth Bhutan trip. We have created four categories of travellers, based on their choices. This classification should cover almost everyone who wants to visit Bhutan.  Now let us have a quick run through on the 4 categories for Visa/Permit Rule

1.   SAARC National(s) without Guide (Solo/ Group, Male/Female):

This category is for people who dislike a guide always by their side. Backpacker Travelers like me prefer to take guides only when required and not on every step. Being an SAARC country National, it’s really easy for this category to visit Bhutan by both road and air. SAARC Nationals like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan do not need a visa and can obtain their entry permits at the border by showing their passport/any National ID card. You won’t require a Guide just to enter the country.

There are 2 sub category for SAARC country travelers without a guide,

A.     If Travelling by Road:  while traveling by road you will reach a small town called Jaigaon, Jaigaon of India and Phuentsholing of Bhutan touches each other by a mere gate. Phuentsholing  is the bordering town of Bhutan which touches the border of West Bengal. This is where you will be entering Bhutan The Immigration officers at Phuentsholing  always asks solo travellers (male/female) to sign precautionary forms stating that you will be held responsible if something goes wrong on your trip and other such issues. Every traveller is granted an initial 7-day permit, valid in Thimpu and Paro district of Bhutan. For people travelling in groups, entering the country by road is a comparatively smoother process. You can take a bus or taxi from Phuentsholing to Thimpu/Paro. Or you can also enter Bhutan by your own vehicle by taking an extra road permit.  There is  2 check points on the way. The police will check your permit and bags for a banned substance like Tabaco. However you are allowed to take 150 sticks of cigarettes with you without any problem. If you want to take more, it can get you in problem rarely but possible.  Note: Voter Id incase of Indian travellers is an important Id proof, do carry it for smoothest paper work anywhere in Bhutan.

B.    If Travelling By Air: The airports in Bhutan are more simple in terms of giving out the initial permit. Bhutan Airlines and Druk Air are only two airlines that fly to Bhutan across multiple locations. You will be required to show your passport (not voter ID card) at the airport and the officer-in-charge will ask you about your date of departure. You may also be required to show your departure ticket. Once the conditions are met, you shall be handed a 14-day permit in less than 45 minutes.

2.            SAARC National(s) with Guide (Solo/ Group, Male/Female):

For those who prefer Guides at all times, this category mentions the steps to acquire a visa/permit to visit Bhutan.

Being an SAARC National like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan , these trips to Bhutan costs much less than what it would cost for Non-SAARC Nationals. The Travel Agents will be taking care of all the paperwork required for your visit so this is a smooth and easy way to get a permit or visa.

A.    If Travelling By Road: Depending on your arrangements with the travel company, a Travel Guide will meet you at the border of Phuentsholing and make sure that your permit is done smoothly. As mentioned in the above category, travellers will be granted an initial 7-day permit, valid in Thimpu and Paro only. For any other district like Punakha you will need an extra permit from Thimpu town. 

B.    If Travelling By Air: In this case, the Travel Guide shall meet you outside the Paro Airport. He will need a copy of the stamp on your passport to obtain a permit or to extend the permit. travellers will be granted an initial 14-days, valid in Thimpu and Paro only. For any other district like Punakha you will need an extra permit from Thimpu town.

3.   Non-SAARC National with Guide (Solo/ Group, Male/Female): 

Bhutanese visa/permit system gets really complicated in this category. Bhutan doesn’t prefer Western tourists in their country (as they think that it might disturb their lifestyle as Western tourists may or may not follow the law or even adapt to the local lifestyle.

Non-SAARC Nationals are required to pay 250$ per day during in-season and 200$ during the off-season to the Tourism Board of Bhutan in order to visit the country. So if Non-SAARC National wishes to travel to Bhutan for 7 days, you will be required to pay 7*250$ = 1,750$ (or 1,400 during the off-season). This is a crazy but effective method from the Government’s point of view. It scares away most Western backpackers because most people wouldn’t want to pay such an unreasonable amount for just a week-long trip. The separate cost of the visa is 40$. This amount is required to be paid in installments; the first half is paid while booking the trip and the second half of the money is to be paid a month before your trip to Bhutan.

Non-SAARC Nationals are allowed to book a trip to Bhutan only through authorised Travel Agents. Travel Agents offer travel packages that include the costs of transport, accommodation, food, permit and everything other than your personal expenses. The facilities included in these packages are world-class and include living in 4-star hotels, authentic Bhutanese experience and all that 250$ could buy you in a day.

4.            Non-SAARC National without Guide (Solo/ Group, Male/Female):

Any Non-SAARC National without a Guide is not allowed in Bhutan. All Non-SAARC Nationals need to book their visit to Bhutan through Travel Agencies and follow the policy as discussed earlier in the post.

Now lets discuss about the possibility of permit extensions and special permit.

Extending the Permit:

As we already mentioned above, the Government of Bhutan does not allow an initial permit of more than 14 days if you are travelling by air, and 7 days if you are entering the country by road. If you wish to stay in Bhutan for more than 14 days, you’ll need to apply for an extension of the permit. This can be done at the Thimpu Immigration Office only. Which is opposite to the Taj property at Thimpu.

The extension process is pretty simple. You will need to fill out a form stating the details of your initial permit and submit it to the Immigration office. An officer-in-charge will then ask you the reason for your permit extension and your itinerary for the trip. If the officer finds your reasoning satisfactory enough, you will be granted an extension within 30 minutes.

you can apply for only one extension at the Thimpu Immigration Office.

If you need a second extension, you will need to visit the Phuentsholing Immigration Office, exit the country by road and receive a new permit to enter the country.

Obtaining Special Permit to Visit Other Districts:

If you wish to travel to other districts such as the HAA Valley, Punakha, Wagandu districts, you will need to apply for a special permit.

This process is similar to the permit extension process mentioned above. You won’t be needing separate permits to visit the separate districts in Bhutan. You can mention the names of all the districts that you wish to travel to within the given form and submit it to the officer-in-charge. The officer will then compare your list to the number of days you have left in the country and issue a permit based on that. This process takes up to 15-20 minutes, depending on how busy the office is.

Note that in cases where one wishes to travel to multiple districts over the initial time period of 14 days, one will be required to apply for a permit extension as well as a special permit. This method is way easier than it sounds and would give you enough time to experience the true beauty of Bhutan.

This was the most simple way to explain the procedure to you, In case you have any other queries regarding this system, do feel free to contact me and I will try my best to guide you. Bhutan is a beautiful country and is indeed a lifetime experience. I strongly believe that if you like to travel, this is a country that you wont miss out. Here I can just conclude with –

Welcome to Bhutan – The Happy Country!!