Nepal Rolls Out Electronic Travel Authorization to Speed Airport Entry

Nepal has fully implemented an optional Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) that lets eligible tourists complete entry paperwork online before they fly, rather than filling out forms or waiting in kiosk lines at the border. The system went live on Aug. 17, 2026, and aims to relieve the queues at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu that can stretch beyond two hours.

What changed

Travelers who qualify for a visa on arrival can now submit their passport details and pay fees through the Department of Immigration portal ahead of departure. On arrival, border officials scan the passport, pull up the pre-approved record and print the entry visa at the desk. The ETA is not a separate visa; it converts directly into a standard tourist entry permit once you land.

The process is optional. Eligible visitors can still use the traditional visa-on-arrival route at the border, but completing the authorization in advance is what bypasses the airport bottlenecks.

The system operates across all major entry points, including the international airports in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bhairahawa, plus land crossings at Birgunj, Belhiya and Kakarbhitta.

What it means for nomads

The pre-check speeds up arrival, but it does not change the underlying rules. Entry permits are issued for 15, 30 or 90 days, and total cumulative stays are capped at 150 days per calendar year. Remote workers relying on tourist status need to track their rolling day count carefully against that annual ceiling.

The authorization covers tourism (leisure travel, trekking, mountaineering and personal visits) and limited business activity such as attending conferences, commercial negotiations, site inspections and signing contracts. It explicitly does not permit local employment, paid work or productive labor for domestic entities. In other words, the ETA confers no residency and no dedicated remote-work rights, so working online in Nepal on a tourist entry remains a gray area rather than a sanctioned arrangement.

Nationals from 12 restricted territories, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria, are excluded from both the visa-on-arrival facility and the online portal, and must still obtain a physical visa through a Nepali diplomatic mission before traveling.

The bottom line

For most nomads eligible for visa on arrival, completing the ETA online before departure is a simple way to avoid long entry lines in Kathmandu and at other major crossings. Just remember the 150-day annual limit and the fact that tourist status does not authorize paid work.

Originally reported by Stamped Nomad.