Bhutan Visa/ Travel Information

All foreign nationals except citizens of India, Bangladesh and Maldives require a visa to visit Bhutan. It is worth noting that no foreign missions issue Bhutan tourist visas. Bhutanese visas are only issued when you arrive in Bhutan, either at Paro Airport (if entering by air/flight) or Phuentsholing, Gelephu or Samdrup Jongkhar (if entering by road). You must apply in advance through a Bhutan tour operator and obtain visa approval before visiting Bhutan.

For a Bhutan visa, you must email the tour operator a clear scan copy of your passport information pages and your passport photo with details of your permanent address and occupation. For visa application, your passport must have a minimum validity of six months. Your tour operator applies for your visa at the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) in Thimphu.

Before the visa process begins, the TCB checks that you have paid the full amount of your holiday (including the USD 40 visa fee). Once they know that you have paid, they issue an approval letter to your tour operator. With this approval in hand, the tour operator makes the final application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, which takes up to three working days to process the visa.

Once the visa clearance is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they send a visa confirmation number to the tour operator and Druk Air/Bhutan Airlines. The airline will not issue your ticket to Paro until it receives this confirmation number and you should double-check your visa information when you check in for your flight.

The actual visa approval stamp is printed in your passport when you arrive at Paro International Airport by flight or drive to other ports (named above). You will receive a visa for the exact period of your stay in Bhutan that you have arranged. If, due to an unusual event, you need to extend your stay in Bhutan, you can extend your visa by paying an extension fee.