Licensed Bhutanese tour operator · Thimphu
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You may apply yourself through Bhutan’s official online system, or we can apply for you. Here is the whole process, the current fees, who is exempt, and what happens if you cancel.
Most visitors to Bhutan need a visa, and there are two ways to get one. You may apply directly through the Royal Government of Bhutan’s official online visa system, or a licensed tour operator or hotel can submit the application for you. There is no embassy queue and no visa on arrival. Where we are running your trip we file the application ourselves, at no charge beyond the government fee, once your dates are held.
Apply at least three weeks before travel. Applications have been turned around faster, but a passport-validity problem discovered four days before departure is not a situation anyone enjoys. Requirements vary by nationality — check the official system, or ask us, for your own passport.
The Sustainable Development Fee replaced the old minimum daily package in September 2022 and was reduced to its current level in September 2023. It is paid to the government, not to us, and it funds healthcare, free education, forest conservation and the upskilling of tourism workers. It is the mechanism that keeps visitor numbers low without a permit lottery.
The current rate has been confirmed by the Royal Government of Bhutan to 31 August 2027. Rates are set by government and can change; the fee applicable to your dates will be clearly identified in your quotation as its own line.
Worked example at the current rate: a 7-night trip for two adults is 7 × 2 × US$100 = US$1,400 in Sustainable Development Fee, plus the US$40 visa application fee each. Both are government fees and are quoted separately from the cost of your journey.
No visa required. You need a valid passport or a Voter Identity Card, and an entry permit issued on arrival at Paro or Phuentsholing. The SDF is Nu. 1,200 per adult per night. We arrange the permit either way — it saves you a morning in a queue.
Under 6: no SDF at all. Ages 6–12: half, at US$50 per night. Ages 13 and over pay the adult rate. Children still need their own visa and their own passport, and we will need the same documents for them as for you.
The SDF is charged per night in the country, so a fourteen-night trip is fourteen charges. There is no cap and no bulk rate. Incentive schemes have come and gone; if one applies to your dates we will apply it and tell you, rather than pocket it.
The SDF is refundable by the government if you cancel before travelling, subject to their processing. The US$40 visa fee is not. Our own cancellation terms are sent with every quote, in writing, before you pay anything.
Travel east of Thimphu, and entry to certain dzongs and temples, needs additional route permits. Trekking in protected areas needs park permits. All of these are our job, included in your quotation, and arranged before you land.
Comprehensive travel insurance, particularly medical and emergency evacuation cover, is strongly recommended for travel to Bhutan. It is not a government visa requirement. For our trekking itineraries it is a condition of our own booking terms: insurance covering the maximum altitude on the route and emergency evacuation is required for participation, and we ask to see the policy number.
One email with your journey, the Sustainable Development Fee, the visa application fee and any single supplement — all as separate lines, so you can check the arithmetic yourself.
