Nepal Entry Requirements for Indians — No Visa Needed

Nepal is the one international trip an Indian passport holder can take without a visa, without a fee, and without a form. Under the 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty there is nothing to apply for. Which is exactly why people get caught out: the only thing that can go wrong is the ID in your pocket, and almost nobody checks it before they reach the airport.

The two official sources do not say the same thing

This matters enough that we will show you the disagreement rather than pick a side for you.

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu is unambiguous: for travel by air between India and Nepal, only two documents count — a valid Indian passport, or an ORIGINAL Voter ID card with photograph issued by the Election Commission. It states plainly that a downloaded or printed Voter ID is not acceptable, and that Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence and embassy registration are not accepted either.

Nepal's Department of Immigration publishes a longer list: passport, a government-employee photo ID, the Election ID, or an Emergency or Identity Certificate issued by the Indian Embassy. It also exempts travellers under 15 and over 65 from that list (they still need photo proof of age and identity), allows 15-to-18 year olds to travel on a school principal's identity certificate in the prescribed form, and lets a family travel on one adult's approved document provided the others can show photo ID and proof of relationship.

So one authority is stricter than the other, and both are current. The practical answer is the one that satisfies both: carry your passport. If you intend to travel on a Voter ID, it must be the original card — not a printout, not a photo on your phone.

The trap nobody mentions: the third-country NOC

If you fly onward from Nepal to any country other than India — Kathmandu to Bangkok, say, or Kathmandu to Doha — you need a Third Country No Objection Certificate from the Embassy of India in Kathmandu first. It is mandatory for every Indian passport holder, regardless of any residence permit or visa you hold elsewhere, and the consular fee is NPR 3,290. You submit in person with your passport, flight ticket, the valid visa for the onward country and two photographs, and it is issued after an interview.

It does not apply if you are only transiting Kathmandu without clearing immigration, and it does not apply to diplomatic, official or UN passports.

This is the most expensive mistake we see on Nepal itineraries: someone books Delhi to Kathmandu to Bangkok as one trip and discovers at Tribhuvan that they cannot board. If your routing leaves Nepal for anywhere other than India, tell us at the enquiry stage and we will build the NOC into the plan.

What we actually do for a Nepal trip

Nothing on the visa — because there is no visa, and we are not going to invent a fee for a service that does not exist. What we sell is the trip: the flights, the Kathmandu-Pokhara leg, Chitwan, Lumbini, trekking permits, a driver who knows the Prithvi Highway, and an itinerary that survives contact with monsoon flight cancellations.

If an agent quotes you for a Nepal visa, that tells you what you need to know about the agent.