How to extend a Nepal tourist visa without losing a day

Tourist visas in Nepal can be extended for a minimum of fifteen days at a time, up to a total stay of 150 days in one visa year - and the visa year runs January to December, not from your arrival date. That single detail decides most extension plans.

Before you start

You can extend at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu (Kalikasthan) or at the Immigration Office in Pokhara. Both use the same online system.

What you need:

• Passport, valid for at least six months
• Current visa page
• The online application receipt with its barcode
• Payment - card or cash at the counter

Step 1 - the online form

Go to the Department of Immigration online application portal and complete the tourist visa extension form. The system generates a barcode receipt valid for fifteen days. If you do not attend within that window, you fill the form again.

Two fields cause most rejections:

• Arrival date must match the immigration stamp exactly, not your ticket
• Passport number must include any letter prefix

Print the receipt. The office does not accept it on a phone screen.

Step 2 - fees

Extension	Fee (USD)
First 15 days (minimum)	45
Each additional day	3
Multiple-entry surcharge	25
Late fee, per day overstayed	5

Extending thirty days therefore costs 45 plus fifteen additional days at 3 - not thirty days at 3. Work out the total before you choose a duration, because extending twice costs the 45 minimum twice.

Step 3 - the office

Arrive before 10:00. The counter stops accepting applications early in the afternoon and the queue in October and November - the trekking season - is genuinely long.

The order inside the building is: token, document check, payment counter, biometric and sticker. Budget ninety minutes on a normal day and three hours in peak season.

The 150-day rule

You may spend a maximum of 150 days on a tourist visa within one calendar year. There is no extension beyond that and no exception for a short break outside the country - days spent in Nepal in that calendar year all count.

If you need longer, you are looking at a different visa category:

• Non-tourist visa - requires a sponsoring organisation
• Business visa - requires investment and company registration
• Study visa - requires enrolment at a recognised institution
• Residential visa - for specific categories including NRNs and certain investors

Start that conversion at least a month before your tourist days run out. The sponsor letter, not the immigration counter, is the bottleneck.

Overstaying

Overstay is charged at USD 5 per day, plus the normal extension fee, and must be cleared before departure. Short overstays are a fine and a lecture. Longer ones can result in a deportation record that affects future visas, so clear it at the office rather than at the airport.

A practical sequence

1. Count your days in Nepal this calendar year, including the current visa
2. Decide the exact end date you want
3. Apply online 3-4 days before your visa expires
4. Attend the office before 10:00 with the printed receipt
5. Check the sticker before you leave the counter - corrections are far easier on the spot