Tibet Travel Permits Guideline

There are overall 6 kinds of travel documents for your Tibet holiday. We specify it in a Tibet permits documents list as below. You may just need 1.2.3 or 1.2.3.4. or 1.2.3.4.5.6. This depends on your Tibet travel itinerary. As different parts of Tibet requires different Tibet travel permits. Please take a quick look and hope it helps you.

  • 1. Valid Passport
  • 2. Chinese Visa (Z, F or L, or OPEC Working permit)  or Tibet Group Visa
  • 3. Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Permits-Tibet travel permits for entry and travel
  • 4. Tibet Aliens’ Travel Permits (PSB’s)-for not fully open areas;
  • 5. Tibet Military Permit and Foreign Affairs Permit-for Kailash and Kham Tours;
  • 6. Tibet Boarder Defense Permit-for Everest and/or Kailash trip

Special Attention:

Tibet is not fully open for foreign travelers, it is compulsory that a foreigner need to apply for the Tibet Travel Permits.

There are even further tight restrictions on foreign people who work as government public service officials, diplomats, journalists, military personnel, etc and they almost do not have access to the sensitive Himalayan region. This is probably one of the reasons the US President Donald J. Trump has signed a bipartisan bill on Tibet into law that could enrage China, paving the way to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials traveling to America.

However, except for government officials and reporters, journalists, and military service people, etc who have a sensitive occupation, ordinary passports holders are still able to travel to Tibet with Tibet travel permits together with China visa (entering Tibet from mainland China) or Tibet group visa (for entry from Nepal). And all foreign travelers are forced to stay in strictly controlled accommodation which has all certificates to host foreign travelers, and during their entire travel in Tibet, legal travel agencies have to take full management and be responsible to update to authorities instantly that all foreign traveler’s daily tour activities are smooth and there is no any potential problem with regards to society stability.

As being registered travel agency in Lhasa, let the Tibet travel expert, the local tourism insider provide you the timely updated permits policy and regulation. If you are planning a Tibet tour, we provide one-stop-shop full services if your job is not one from the above which is restricted.

Aliens’ Travel Permit

Public Security Bureau issues the Alien’s Travel Permit. It is required when tourists are planning to travel to the ‘unopened’ areas of Tibet, like Mount Everest Base Camp in Shigatse, Samye Monastery in Tsedang.

You require Aliens’ Travel Permit to visit ‘unopened’ areas. Public Security Bureau, “PSB” issues the Aliens’ Travel Permit. Usually, you can apply for it once you arrive at Lhasa. For tour groups, our guide will ask you for the passport and Tibet Travel Permit, which they will submit to the Foreign Affairs Division of the PSB for the Aliens’ Permit. It normally takes several hours and the cost is 50 CNY per person. If you travel alone, you need to join local tours to ‘unopened’ areas, and the local travel agencies will arrange the PSB for you as well. Pay attention, no travel agency can provide ‘Alien’s Travel permit-only’ service.

Military Area Entry Permit

You require The military area entry permit if you are planning to travel to some military sensitive areas in Tibet. Like Mount Kailash in Ali, Rowok Lake in Chamdo.

Sensitive borders such as Mt. Kailash and eastern Tibet not only require a Military Area Entry Permit, but also a Foreign Affairs Permit. For Tholing and Tsaparang in western Tibet, you will also need a permit from the local Cultural Antiquities Department.  Global Link Tours & Travel will arrange this one month before you enter Tibet. The military affairs office issues the Military Area Permit while the Foreign affairs office in Lhasa issues Foreign Affairs Permit. It normally takes 10-15 working days to get them all.

We shall update the latest Tibet Permits news here to offer you further references on traveling schedule.

More information and FAQs please visit below link to know more:
http://challengers.vip/faqs/
Contact us for information:
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Tibet Travel Permits & Visa Documents

How can I obtain Aliens’ Travel Permits for my Tibet Travel?

Permits to visit places that are not declared open are known as Aliens’ Travel Permits (ATP). If you would like to travel to places besides Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, you will need Aliens’ Travel Permits (ATP) issued by the Local Public Security Bureau (PSB). A single permit (with a group’s all name list) is normally issued to all the people who are traveling together and the permit just name one of them and states how many others are accompanying him. After you arrive, we need your original passport and visa to apply for the permit in Lhasa or Shigatse and it normally takes only 30 minutes to get this. Our Tibetan tour guide will apply and keep the permit for you.

How can I obtain Military and Foreign Affairs Permit?

Some military sensitive areas such as Yunnan/Sichuan to Tibet overland and Mt. Kailash area. Our local Tibet travel agency begins to apply for these permits normally 1 month in advance at least to avoid any urgent cases, because to apply these documents for long distance trips such as to Kailash or Sichuan/Yunnan to Tibet, we’d better confirm and begin different application process earlier to ensure the trip works smoothly and it is why normally these travelers fix their Tibet tour booking with us 1 month to half year in advance.

How many days will the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Permit be valid?

We can make sure that during the time of your schedule with us your TTB Permit will be valid. If you want to change your schedule, please let us know in advance. We need time and extra efforts to rearrange your tour. If you arrive Tibet earlier than your scheduled date, this will be an urgent situation and we will charge an extra service fee to reapply for your TTB permit. If you arrive later than your scheduled date, we can extend your trip for a few more days (normally 2-5 days) to help you finish the scheduled trip.

How to get the Tibet Travel Permit

ravel agency in Tibet must prepare lots of work to apply for Tibet travel permits according to the permits schedule. If your trip is with Everest base camp, you’d better confirm a tour booking at least 15 days before arrival date, and if your trip covers Mt. Kailash, it is safer to confirm a tour booking at least 30 days before arrival date. For the easy cultural tour in and around Lhasa, you can even apply for permits 10 days in advance only.

Tibet travel permits application process:

  1.  confirm a full tour or minimum tour service with local Tibet travel agency per above time schedule. It is better to confirm earlier to avoid the urgent situation.
  2. Once local Tibet travel agency gets your passport copy and/or China visa photocopies, they can prepare to apply permits 1 month-45 days at most.
  3. Permits will be ready at least 1 week before your arrival date in Lhasa, we can get permits almost 20 days in advance.
  4. One permits got from Lhasa, the agency can send permits to your address in China, and it is not wise to send permits abroad. as the international express from Lhasa is too complicated and too risky.
  5. Then at least 2-3 days before your arrival date, you can get the Tibet travel permits and fly to Lhasa without any problem.

For more information and instructions need, please contact us by sending email to service@challengers.vip.

How do I apply for China Visa

Normally it will be easy for you to apply for a China tourist visa, “L” Visa. Most Chinese embassies and consulates will issue a standard 30-day, single entry tourist visa in three to five days. If you are lucky, some embassies may give you a 60 or 90-day visa. If you want more flexibility to enter and leave China for several times, most Chinese embassies will issue a double-entry or multiple entry visa. For those who work, study, or live temporarily in China, you need other related China visa such as “F” Visa, “X” Visa, “Z” and “M” Visa. We strongly suggest that you would better not mention any words of Tibet on your China visa application form due to its sensitive political condition. If you have any trouble applying for a China visa, we can help you apply and send you an electronic copy of The Tibet visa invitation letter to help you solve the problem. And we normally apply this visa invitation letter 1-3 months in advance. However, we do not receive clients as a congressman, journalist or military.