Updates on the current situation in Nepal – Covid-19

– last updated on 14 December 2022 –

To date, the official regulations are unchanged since 14 March 2022.

This means that:

  • If you are vaccinated against Covid-19, you no longer need to present a negative PCR test to enter Nepal. A PCR test is also no longer required before departure to enter the airport premises. A basic vaccination is sufficient (boosters are not necessary). Make sure to bring your vaccination certificate.
  • If you are not vaccinated against Covid-19, it is still necessary to submit a negative PCR test on arrival in Nepal. You do not have to be quarantined.

These are the rules applied by the Nepalese government. If you are travelling to Nepal, it is best to also still check the website of your airline and the foreign affairs department of your country of departure. If they do ask for a PCR test, you will still have to be able to present it at airport check-in.

In addition, it is also still a requirement that you complete the Passenger Locator Form. This is no longer checked everywhere, but it is still the rule. You can find this form here.

10-03-2022 – No more PCR-testing for Nepal for vaccinated travellers

On 10 March 2022 the Nepalese Immigration sent uit the following communication:

  • If you are vaccinated, you don’t need to present a negative PCR-test at arrival in Nepal. The same goes for departure, you don’t need a negative PCR-test anymore to be able to enter the airport in Kathmandu.
  • If you are not vaccinated, then you still need an negative PCR-test to be able to enter Nepal. You don’t need to quarantine anymore

These are the current rules set by the Nepalese government.

We advise, if you plan to travel to Nepal, to still consult the websites of your airline en the Department of Foreign Affairs of your own country. If they still ask for a PCR-test, then you will have to be able to present a negative PCR-test at the airport at time of the check-in.

To know the actual rules which are communicated in the aviation sector, you can consult the website of IATA.

Update about Covid-vaccinations in Nepal:

currently more then 80% of the Nepalese population above 18 years old is fully vaccinated, approximately 50% of the youngsters between 12 and 18 had their vaccinations.

23/09/2021 – Relaxation of access conditions for travellers

On 23 September 2021, the long-awaited decision was finally made official and the rules for travellers were relaxed. Currently, the Covid-19 infections are under control and vaccination continues.

Travellers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer need to go into quarantine after arrival. The rules are now as follows:
– upon arrival in Nepal, you present a negative PCR test result, maximum 72 hours old together with a proof that you have a valid vaccination against corona (last vaccination >14 days before arrival in Nepal);
– You must show a document of your hotel booking;
– Fill in an Online Arrival International Traveller form before departure and present the barcode generated upon arrival in Nepal.

It is now also possible again to get a Visa-on-arrival, but only for travellers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

28/05/2021 – In Kathmandu valley the lockdown is tightened.

21/05/2021 – First handover of medical material (through our fundraiser).

Unfortunately, the number of Covid infections in the villages is increasing rapidly. This is worrisome because rural health posts and hospitals do not have medicines or protective equipment to deal with Covid-19 infected members of their communities. Having protective equipment is important to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Therefore, we decided to use the donated money to buy medicines, mouth masks, disinfectants, PPE and other medical supplies for the health posts of Thulo Parsel and Bolde, two villages in Temal district. These are also the villages where Chuda and most of our guides come from.

Chuda went there today, 21 May 2021, with our guide Dorje. Although they are both vaccinated against Covid, they took the necessary preventive measures when handing over the donated medical supplies.

Our fundraising campaign remains open, as there will be more places that need help in the coming weeks. It would be great if you would share it in your network!

13/05/2021 – Start up new fundraiser – for medical supplies

Because we cannot just stand by, we decided to start a new fundraiser. With the collected money, we want to buy medical equipment and donate it to public hospitals. Take a look here!

6/05/2021 – Nepal closes down international airport again.

On 6 May Nepal will again close its only international airport. This means that there will be no more flights in or out. Because Nepal was already open for tourists, a lot of people are stuck again.

https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/covid-19-nepal-to-suspend-international-flights-starting-midnight-travelers-rush-to-exit20210506104449/

29/04/2021 – Nepal goes into lockdown again.

Nepal was a bit too enthusiastic with reopening. Because of the open border with India, the Indian variant of the coronavirus has also crept into Nepal. On April 29, 2021, Nepal went into lockdown again. It is a déjà vu of last year. The number of Covid-19 infections rose too fast, so the government in the Kathmandu Valley decided to go into lockdown again. Several other districts followed suit and also went into lockdown.

Kathmandu locks down again

4/04/2021 – Vaccinations for tourism workers.

People working in tourism are considered frontline workers. This gives them the opportunity to get vaccinated now. Chuda and our trekking guides will be vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine in the coming days.

26/03/2021 – Nepal opens up even more for tourism!

Guidelines for having a Nepalese visaSince 26 March, new rules have again applied if you want to travel to Nepal. The document you see gives a clear overview of which conditions currently apply.

The main rule remains that you have to arrange your visa from your country of origin. There are two options:
– if there is an embassy or consulate, you apply for a visa there.
– If there is no embassy in the country where you live or are staying, you can arrange permission for a visa on arrival through a local agency. With this document you can then not only board your flight, but also obtain a visa on arrival.

The previous system whereby anyone could obtain a visa on arrival has not yet been restarted.

The big change is that the quarantine after arrival in Nepal has been abolished. However, you are still required to undergo testing after arrival in Nepal.

19/01/2021 – New entry measures : easier to travel to Nepal

Entry measures for NepalOn 18 of January 2021 the Immigration department communicated new entry measures for Nepal. They loosened up the requirements to enter Nepal. That’s good news if you want to start planning a trip to Nepal in the nearby future!

It’s possible again to apply for a visa in the Nepalese embassy or consulate, located in your country. If there is no Nepalese representation in your country, you can ask your travel agency in Nepal to arrange a special permission with the Nepalese government. With this document you are able to get a visa upon arrival. Besides the visa, you need a negative Covid-19 report of less than 72 hours old, counting from your first port of embarkment.

It looks at first sight, that there is no obligation to quarantine after arrival in Nepal anymore. There is currently still a great deal of confusion as to whether you have to undergo quarantine after arrival. According to some, there still needs to be quarantined after arrival. They refer to the sentence that people need to adhere to the applicable rules and the rule of quarantine is not explicitly abolished. According to others, since it is not explicitly mentioned means that it is not applicable anymore. We are still waiting for additional clarification on this interpretation from the government.

You don’t need to have a special Covid-19 insurance for a coverage of 5000 USD. We advice of course to have a good travel and cancellation insurance if you decide to travel to Nepal.

15/11/2020 – First successful trek in Covid-19 times

Our first customers since March 2020 have had a successful trekking. Read their review here.

22/10/2020 – Our first customer since the lockdown in March!

Our first customer arrived today. So it is again possible to travel to Nepal, provided that the complies with the guidelines drawn up by the government. It is necessary to travel with a local agency to obtain a visa.

Currently our client is in quarantine for 7 days in a hotel of his choice. Afterwards she will travel with us in the Helambu region together with her husband (who was already in Nepal).

This is a good opportunity to put our precautions and guidelines into practice. In addition to mouth masks during transport and when no distance can be kept, a thermometer and an oximeter will be taken into the mountains. The guide and carrier are tested on Covid-19 before they leave. In contacts with the local communities they wear mouth masks.

17/10/2020 – Tourists can enter Nepal again under strict conditions

From the 17th of October it is possible to visit Nepal again with a tourist visa. It is not possible to just take the plane and arrange a visa-on-arrival. There are some strict conditions set in place by the Nepalese government.

There is a lot of confusion about the clarity of the applicable conditions. We had a client arriving at the 21st of October, so we know these rules are the correct ones, since we applied them!

The following conditions apply:
– You need to take out additional ‘Covid-19’ insurance with cover of at least USD 5000. This means that in addition to a good travel insurance, you need to have an insurance that covers all the extra costs you can have as a result of Covid-19;
– In order to obtain a visa upon arrival, you must have booked a trekking or expedition with a local travel agency, registered with the government and paying all of its outstanding fees. This agency will arrange a special document for you with the Immigration Department. On the basis of this document you can board without a visa and after arrival in Nepal you will receive a visa at the airport.
– You will bring a negative PCR-test of maximum 72 hours, this will be shown when boarding as well as when entering Nepal.
– There is a mandatory quarantine of 7 days, which you have to spend in a hotel, but you can choose in which hotel. This has to be determined in advance and will be presented to Immigration.
– On day 5 of the quarantine, you must take a compulsory PCR test, which you can do at one of the designated hospitals.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 infections in Nepal, and especially in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the South of Nepal, are still increasing. The hospitals in the valley don’t have enough capacity to cope with all this.

Moreover, you should also keep in mind that many trekking areas or villages in the mountains have their own local rules, sometimes even with quarantine. Read here more.

17/09/2020 – Buses and domestic flights are allowed again

As of today there are again connections between the different cities in Nepal. Both buses and domestic flights have been allowed to resume their operations. They are only allowed to run at half capacity, so that distance can be maintained. The local population will therefore be able to travel again.

15/09/2020 – From 17 October, international flights will also be possible for tourists, trekking and mountaineering!

Even though there are still many Covid-19 infections in Nepal, it was decided that from 17 October everyone can come back to Nepal. You will need a negative PCR test and you will have to be quarantined upon arrival. There is also a form online that you have to fill in. Further procedures and rules will be worked out in the coming days.

As soon as more is clear, we will add this here!

You can find our Covid-19 guidelines regarding health and safety for traveling in Nepal here.

Nepal open for trekking from 17 October

1/09/2020 – Reopening of the international airport

Although the number of Covid-19 infections is raising rapidly in Kathmandu valley, the government decided to reopen the airport. There will be allowed only 500 persons per day to arrive in the airport. Tourist are not yet welcome and it is not possible yet to get a tourist visa for Nepal. Only Nepalese living and working abroad, employees of big international NGO’s, embassy staff and the staff of the UN agencies located in Nepal are allowed to enter the country.

26/08/2020 – Lock-down in Kathmandu valley extended

The lock-down in Kathmandu valley got extended with another week. People are only allowed to leave their homes a few hours in the morning to do grocery shopping. It is still mandatory to wear a mask.

18/08/2020 – Second lock-down in Kathmandu valley

A surge in Covid-19 cases forces authorities to declare a week-long curfew till 26 August. Probably the lock-down will be extended at that date.

10/08/2020 – Less freedom of movement in Kathmandu / postponement of airport opening

Because the number of Covid-19 cases in the Kathmandu valley is increasing after the lockdown was lifted, it was decided to reverse some of the relaxations. The government also decided to wait with the reopening of the airport. The schools have still not reopened either.

21 July 2020 – End of the lock-down – subject to conditions

The pressure on the land became too great, so from one day to the next the government decided to lift the lock down. Only the next day the conditions were published. The official number of cases went down, but Covid-19 is still ubiquitous. There’s also less testing than a few weeks ago.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/07/21/government-decides-to-lift-the-four-month-long-coronavirus-lockdown-but-with-conditions

20 July 2020 – Domestic and international flights possible from 17 August 2020

Under pressure from tourism, the government decided to reopen the international airport from 17 August. Domestic flights will also restart on this date. No clarification has been given as to who can re-enter the country and under what conditions. Also, it is not clear what happens when you get Covid-19 as a tourist in Nepal. So as a travel organization we still have a lot of questions and uncertainties that we want to solve before we can confirm that it is safe to travel to Nepal!

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/07/20/domestic-and-international-flights-to-resume-starting-august-17

20 juni 2020 – Third visit to the villages (Go Fund Me – action)

Our co-founder Chuda went for a third time with rice to the villages of Bulde and Thulo Parsel. He managed to distribute rice to over 120 families in both villages.

15 June 2020 – Relaxing the lock-down

Despite the fact that the number of corona cases is increasing, there are also parts that have almost no corona infections. For this reason, the government has decided to relax the measures somewhat. This is also the case in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Social distance is still the rule, and wearing a mouth mask is highly recommended.
The airport will remain closed until 5 July 2020 for all normal flights. Only charter flights with special permission of the Nepalese government are allowed.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/06/10/cabinet-to-discuss-ways-to-ease-lockdown

5 June 2020 – Food distribution in Bulde – 87 families

Chuda went to the villages with food for a second time last night. He went a second time to Bulde, where some of our guides and porters live. Last time we could only help 20 families with rice. This time 87 families got a big bag of rice, so they have food for the coming weeks. It was a happy reunion with the guides! Everyone is doing well – despite the difficult circumstances.

30 May 2020 – Extension of the lockdown until 14 June

The lock-down was extended again and the airport remains closed – for regular domestic and foreign flights – until the end of June. Although the borders with India are open for Nepalese who want to go home. Additional the government also decided to start evacuating Nepalese citizens in several countries in Asia and the Middle East in the coming days.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/05/30/government-extends-lockdown-until-june-14

25 May 2020 – Daily update number of infections

https://kathmandupost.com/covid19

17 May 2020 – Extension of the lock-down until 2 June

Again it was decided to extend the lock-down and this time until the end of May. All aviation has also been suspended until at least 15 June and all borders remain closed.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/05/17/government-extends-nationwide-lockdown-until-june-2

7 May 2020 – 101 confirmed cases in Nepal

The number of official infections is increasing, partly because more tests are now being carried out.

https://kathmandupost.com/health/2020/05/07/two-more-covid-19-cases-take-nepal-s-tally-to-101

6 May 2020 – Extension of the lock-down until 18 May

The government has decided – in view of the increase in the number of infections – to extend the lock-down until 18 May. All flight traffic is suspended until 31 May.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/05/06/government-extends-lockdown-until-may-18

5 May 2020 – Food distribution in Bulde (20 families) and in Thulo Parsel (114 families)

With the money raised from our Go Fund Me action we bought rice in Kathmandu. Chuda went with this to the two villages where most of our trekking staff lives with their families. There we were able to give 114 families in Thulo Parsel and 20 families in Bulde a large bag of rice. The people there were very grateful. With our guides and porters everything is good!

27 April 2020 – Extension of the ‘lock-down’ until 7 May

The Nepalese cabinet decided late on Sunday 26 April to extend the lock-down until Thursday 7 May, the holiday of Buddha, Buddha Jayanti.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/04/26/nepal-government-extends-covid-19-lockdown-until-may-7

25 April 2020No flights until at least 15 May 2020

Also the airport of Kathmandu remains completely closed for the time being. There are no international or domestic flights possible until at least 15 May.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/04/25/all-international-and-domestic-flights-to-remain-suspended-until-may-15

21 April 2020 – Nepal Inside Out launches a Go Fund Me action

To meet the shortage of basic goods in the villages, we decide to start a Go Fund Me action. With the budget that we collect with this action we want to provide families from the villages Thulo Parsel and Bulde, which are 5 hours drive from Kathmandu, with basic food packages.

Most of our guides and porters live in these villages. We also take travelers to homestays in these villages. This way we want to give something back to these communities in these difficult times.

13 April 2020 – the lockdown extended to 27 April

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/04/14/lockdown-extended-by-12-more-days-until-april-27

6 April 2020 – the lockdown extended to 15 April

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/04/06/government-extends-nationwide-lockdown-until-april-15

29 March 2020the lockdown extended to 8 April

It is decided to extend the lockdown in Nepal until April 8th. There are no international flights possible until at least April 15.

https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/03/29/nationwide-lockdown-extended-until-april-8-ban-on-international-flights-until-april-15

26 March – early April 2020 – Evacuations of travellers from all corners of the country

In consultation with the Nepalese government and the Nepalese Tourism Board, trekkers are evacuated from the mountains. From different parts of Nepal domestic flights and buses are chartered to bring travellers to Kathmandu. From here, evacuation flights are organized by various embassies, including the Dutch and Belgian governments.

25 March 2020 – Nepal launches #strandedinnepal

Nepal Tourism Board starts together with

For more details you can visit their webpage:

For an update of the travel situation in Nepal as a result of COVID-19 you can visit the page of the Nepalese Tourism Bourd (NTB) www.welcomenepal.com.

24 March 2020 – Nepal goes into lockdown

Nepal closes its borders to everyone. Regular international or domestic flights are no longer possible, moving within the country is no longer allowed and everyone has to stay inside.

You can find more information in this article: https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/03/23/nepal-goes-under-lockdown-for-a-week-starting-6am-tuesday