Tibet Travel Permit

First, to apply for the Tibet travel permit, You will have to book a tour with a local Travel agency with a tour guide and private vehicle in Tibet.

Many Tibet travel websites state all international travel must join a group tour to travel to Tibet. It is completely wrong information.

But you must have a trip organise with a local travel agency for them to make a Tibet travel permit.
If you want to join a budget group tour or do a private tour is our own choice.

You will have to send a copy of your valid passport and Valid Chinese Visa to Lhasa’s travel agency to apply for the Permit in Lhasa. It is best to submit these documents a month earlier to avoid the last-minute rush in the process.
If you are coming to Tibet from the other parts of China on a flight or train to Lhasa, you will need to apply for a visa from home or your host country.

I understand getting a Chinese Visa from home is challenging without any right and proper supporting documentation. But to avoid these confusions, all the travel agency in Tibet can help you send the Visa invitation.

On these invitations, you can only apply it with the Chinese embassy, not the consulate. Yes, many travel website asks travellers not to mention their plan to visit Tibet. But some times it is hard not to say.

If you are coming to Tibet from Nepal, the travellers must apply for the Chinese Group visa from the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. In this case, we can make your permit only with a copy of your passport.

Application of the Chinese group Visa can be made only by a licensed travel agent in Nepal. The embassy will accept the visa application from the individual applicant directly. Hence we will send your visa invitation will be sent only to the travel agency in Kathmandu.

The passport should be the passport on which you will apply for the visa. If your visa on an old passport, you need to bring both passports for the journey.

Until now, it takes from a week to a month for the Tibet travel permit process to complete. If your Tibet tour itinerary covers more Tibet areas, it takes more time for the Tibet travel permit process to complete.

Because, while making your Tibet travel permit, your travel agency should also finish other permits to complete the process.

The online platform of the Tibet tourism Administration to apply for the permit is on a trail. Once it is open for all the travel agencies in Tibet, the number of days required for the permits application will reduce to one fourth. We will update you on it.

But so far, I think it is best to send the documents in a month advance to make sure it finishes way ahead of time.

While applying for the permit, the Travel agent will have to submit the following information. It is best for the travellers to type and sends this information in soft copy to avoid typo errors, costly.

Please type your Names, Passports Numbers, Date of Birth, Nationality, Gender, and Professions in a table.

All the travellers must have a permit/ copy of the permit while entering Tibet.

If you are coming on the train to Lhasa, you must have a copy of your permit in hand while boarding the train to Lhasa.

They will also check it on arrival at Lhasa train station too. So we always advise all the travellers to make two copies.
But please remember, right now, the train station in Chongqing needs the original permit in hand before getting on the train to Lhasa. Please have your permit send to your hotel in China.

If you are taking a flight to Lhasa, you will need the original Tibet travel permit in hand while boarding the plane to Lhasa.
Travel agencies can send your permit to any given Hotel or personal address in china if you are taking transiting flight to Lhasa.

All the major travel agency can have someone deliver the permit to the transiting airport anywhere in China.
We would strongly recommend you to make transiting cities Chengdu more convenient for both parties.

As you get the permit or its copy, please make sure you check the following two things on it. If there is any mistake on it, you will face trouble getting into Tibet.

It may be due to cultural difference, or sometimes due to not clear passport copies. Many travel agency often makes mistakes in typing the Names, Date of birth, and Passport number.

Please check if there is any mistake and have your travel agency fix it before your Tibet journey begins.