Is there any age-limit on Tibet permits
Many of our customers are curious to know whether there is age limits for applying for the Tibet Travel Permit. The answer to that question is no, but...
Tibet Travel Permit, or Tibet Entry Permit, is foremost and compulsory for foreign passport holders to enter Tibet. Issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, it is also called TTB permit. Without the permit, you can’t board a flight or train to Tibet or cross overland from Nepal, also will not be able to get other permits to continue to travel Tibet further.
● Non-Chinese passport holders - US citizens, UK citizens, Australians, Canadians, Germans, etc.
● The Taiwan tourists, who do not have the valid identity card of China;
● The overseas Chinese, who do not have Chinese passport or ID card.
Note: Hong Kong and Macau Citizens can visit Tibet without Tibet permit.
According to policy of Tibet Tourism Bureau, traveler can not apply the Tibet Travel Permit on his(her) own. He(she) has to book tour service from a certificated agency, and let the agency apply the permit.
1. Work out a detailed itinerary in Tibet and contact a China travel agency. 2. Hire a tour guide and driver for your every day tour(your travel agency will arrange for you).
3. Send scanned copies of your valid passport and China visa to your China travel agency.
4. Offer an available address in China(hotel or local agency) to receive your permit.
5. Your travel agency apply for and obtain Tibet Travel Permit in Lhasa.
6. Your travel agency express the permit to you, or let a tour guide give it to you at airport or train station before your trip.
Note: Above policy doesn't apply to diplomats, journalists, media photographer or government officials.
About the other extra necessary travel documents and permits for going to Tibet, please kindly consult the information below:
1)China visa or Tibet group visa
2)Tibet Travel Permit (TTP)
3)Foreign Alien’s Travel Permit (ATP)
4)Military Permits
Tibet is located in mainland of China, so you must have valid passport and China visa for going to Tibet (unless you are entering Tibet from Nepal), you need to go the local China Embassy to apply China visa first.
Tips: Tibet is political sensitive region, if you mention Tibet as the travel destination on the China visa application form, the China Embassy may refuse your application or ask you to provide a lot of documents which you can’t prepare in advance, so we suggest you can please use Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai these big mainland cities in China to replace Tibet as your travel destination in China
If you are entering Tibet from Nepal, you need to get the Tibet group visa from China Embassy in Kathmandu, this is the A4 paper visa, the contents will list the group members’ names, sex, nationality, passport number, birth date and occupation. It will also list your exact Tibet starting and ending date clearly.
All the tourists on the list must enter and leave China together. In order to apply Tibet group visa, you need to have the Tibet group visa invitation letter which is issued by Tibet travel bureau, our Lhasa office will help you to apply this invitation letter, and send to our representative Nepal travel agency, then they will help you to apply Tibet group visa accordingly.
About the detailed information for China visa application and procedure, please kindly consult local China Embassy official website.
Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) is always mistaken as Tibet visa, actually it’s just the permit for entering Tibet, TTP can be only applied by the local travel agency based in Tibet. Without TTP, foreign tourists can’t board on the train or the flight to Tibet.
The TTP marks all the travel destinations and scenic spots you will visit in Tibet, you can’t change it as your wish. So before Tibet travel permits application, you need to confirm the travel schedule with the travel agency.
If you are holding different visa with (L) tourist China visa(eg: Student or Work visa), you need to provide the invitation letter from school or company to explain your visit purpose.
If your schedule is going to the control zone in Tibet, you need to apply Alien's Travel Permit (ATP), ATP is the travel permit issued by police station and foreign personnel office. When you are traveling to the control zone in Tibet, the tour guide will take your original passport to the local police station to help you to apply ATP.
Foreigners need to apply ATP for going to these regions in Tibet: Tibet Ali Region, Basumtso Lake (Nyingchi), Changdu Region.
Related Scenic spots: Guge Kindom, Kyirong, Mt.Everest Base Camp, Ranwu, Sakya Monastery (West to Shigatse about 200 km), Shalu Monastery (close to Gyantse), Samye Monastery, Cuoqin
Military permit is the travel permit issued by Tibet Military Bureau. If you are going these political sensitive regions or controversial border and sensitive regions between China and neighbour countries.
You are required for Military permits for going to these regions: Ali region, Guge Kindom, Gyirong, Lake Manasarovar, Mt.Kailash, Nyima County, Cuoqin
Tips: You only need to provide valid China visa and confirmed travel schedule, after we get your data, we will apply the other necessary travel permits afterwards.
The simple procedures for Taiwanese people to apply Tibet Travel permits (TTP) :
A、The necessary certificates: Both sides copies of MTP (Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents), Both sides copies of Taiwanese ID card, Taiwan passport first photo page, please kindly send us these documents by scan or photo copies 35 days before departure, the documents should be complete and clear enough.
B、Please confirm the entering and departure route for Tibet, schedule time, scenic spots and routes, reception standard and group members, with detailed contact information (The local phone number for Taiwan is starting with +00886 9) for the travel agency,. The agency will give the detailed price quotation for the group based on the itinerary, and confirm with the tourists.
C、After the team itinerary is confirmed, the travel agency will get the necessary Tibet permits for you. The permits application time depends on the itinerary you are going in Tibet, normally it takes around 20 days to issue everything, but if you are going to unopened regions (Tips:Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon is not open to foreigners at this moment, please don’t plan the travel itinerary to this place), it takes around 35 days time for Tibet permits application. Concerning we still need to arrange the booking with the relevant air tickets, hotels, tour guides and vehicles etc, please confirm the application procedures ASAP, in order to confirm the Tibet travel routes, time and places these data etc.
D、After the Tibet permits are issued, the travel agency will give the original Tibet permits to clients based on the group itinerary, for clients who are taking the train, the Tibet permits will only require for copies, no original ones. For flights to Tibet, the travel agency will courier the original Tibet permits to clients, and ONLY original Tibet permits can board on the flights to Tibet.
Above are the detailed procedures for Taiwanese to apply Tibet permits, the sample photo is below:
Tibet Travel Permits are the necessary permits for foreigners to Tibet, Asian Odyssey Tours can help you to apply. According to the current policy from Tibet travel bureau, all the permits application need to do at least 15 days before the tour starts, if you are going to control zone, it will require more documents and permits, and it also takes longer time. After you confirm the trip itinerary, at least 20 days before departure, we will email you that we need the colorful copies of your passports and China visas to apply the Tibet travel permits. After we get the TTP, we will courier the original permits to your hotel in China, they will also check the original TTP on boarding the flights. If you are taking train to Tibet, we will email you the colorful copies of Tibet permits, you please print the copies out and take them to board on the train, then that’s fine.
Tips: Diplomatic officer, journalist, professional media photographer, and government officials can’t get the Tibet permits as normal tourists from travel agency, they can only get the Tibet permits from Foreign Affairs Ministry or Committee for Economic Development
1、Non Chinese ID card holder -Chinese Taiwanese tourist
2、Non Chinese passport holder -Foreign passport holder
Tips: Chinese abroad (Chinese with foreign passports) also need to apply “Tibet Travel Permits” to enter Tibet.Tourist from Hongkong and Macau with Home Return cards, they are not required for Tibet Travel Permits.Foreign journalists and Diplomatic officer can’t enter Tibet as tourists.
The organized overseas travel groups need to apply Tibet permits from the local travel agency. Since July 01st, 2007. The other offices by Tibet travel bureau will stop issuing Tibet permits for foreigners, all the Tibet permits must be examined and issued by local Tibetan Autonomous Region travel agency, with anti-counterfeiting mark, tourist can apply Tibet permits from any foreign travel agency in Tibet who has the foreign travel business management right.
When you are applying China Visa, we suggest you NOT mention Tibet or any places about Tibet (except the Kathmandu China Embassy), Tibet is political sensitive region in China, if you mention Tibet as the travel destination on the China visa application form, the China Embassy may refuse your application or ask you to provide a lot of documents which you can’t prepare in advance, so we suggest you can please use other mainland cities in China to replace Tibet, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chengdu (Sichuan province), or Yunnan province as your travel destination in China.
Flight or overland car tour from Nepal to Tibet
If you are entering Tibet from Nepal, you must get the Tibet Group Visa from China Embassy in Kathmandu. Even if you have the China visa already, only if you are entering Tibet from Nepal, all foreign tourists need to have the Tibet Group Visa. Tibet Group visa is kind of A4 paper, it will list all the group members names, sex, nationality, passport number, birth date and occupation, it will record the entering and departure date. Generally speaking, the Tibet Group Visa valid time is only for your travel time in China including Tibet, we can also extend it for few days, but mostly for Lhasa not out of Lhasa in Tibet.
Tibet group visa will have 2 copies, one for entering the Chinese border, one for departing the Chinese border. Asia Odyssey Tours can get the Tibet group visas easily from our Nepal travel agency partners. If you decide to come to Tibet from Nepal, please DO NOT apply China visas in your own country as it won’t be valid for the Tibet trip at all. Even if you have the China visa already, the China Embassy in Kathmandu will still cancel your original China visa on the passport.
You can’t apply the Tibet Group Visa by yourselves from China Embassy in Kathmandu, you must get them from the local travel agency in Nepal, and it requires these 3 conditions below:
1 The valid passport
2 One colorful photo with white background with passport photo size, width 33mm* height 48mm, with ears, no ear rings, necklace, jewellery and hats, head to look straight ahead, samples are below:
3 Our Nepal travel agency will bring you the Tibet Group visa application form, you only need to fill with the correct information on the form, then that’s fine. If you don’t have passport photo size copies, you can also get them from Kathmandu directly, it takes around 3-5 dollars.
The Tibet group visa is valid for 30 days as the maximum, you need to inform the local Tibet travel agency about your whole travel itinerary in Tibet and China, then the Tibet travel agency can mark exact valid Tibet group visa time when they apply Tibet group visa invitation letter from Lhasa Tibet travel bureau.
On the Tibet group visa application form, you need fill in the date of arrival in Tibet, and your stay period in China including Tibet according to your requirements, then after the Tibet travel bureau approve, cover with stamp and sign. Then we will send the invitation letter copy to the travel agency in Nepal, they will hold your original passport with the invitation letter to apply Tibet group visa from China Embassy in Kathmandu.
Tips: Tibet Group visa is single entry visa, can’t extend or use for twice.
Below are the Tibet group visa application fees for different nationalities:
Tips: Our Nepal travel agency will hold your Tibet group visa application form and meet you in your hotel in Kathmandu, then they will collect your original passport and Tibet group visa fees. The service fee is extra 5-10 USD per person, and it won’t be refunded. The Tibet group visa fees can also be paid after you get the Tibet group visa if you feel this way is safer for you, that’s no problem.
