Nepal Launches Online Tourist Visa Extension Portal for Autumn 2026

Nepal's Department of Immigration has quietly launched an online tourist visa extension portal that went live in early October, allowing eligible foreign nationals to apply for extensions without visiting the Kalanki immigration office in person. The system, which had been in pilot since late August, is now accepting applications from tourists already in the country who need additional stay beyond their initial grant.

For trekkers on the Everest Base Camp or Annapurna Circuit routes, the change is practical: a team finishing a three-week circuit who decides to add a side trip to Langtang or a cultural week in Kathmandu can now file the extension from a lodge with internet access rather than descending to the capital and spending half a day in queue. The portal accepts payment by international card and issues a digital approval that can be shown on a phone at checkpoints.

“The online extension is available for tourists who entered on a standard on-arrival visa and have not exceeded the 150-day annual cap. It does not apply to business, study, or volunteer categories.”

— Department of Immigration notice, 3 October 2026

The 150-day annual maximum remains unchanged, as reconfirmed by immigration authorities earlier this month. Extension fees are unchanged at USD 45 per 15-day block. What changes is the workflow: applicants upload a passport bio-page scan, a recent photo, and the current visa page, then receive an SMS and email when the digital extension is approved. The approval carries a QR code that immigration officers at trailhead checkpoints and domestic airports can scan.

Early user reports from trekking agencies in Thamel suggest the system processes straightforward applications within four to six hours during business days. Complex cases — passports with damaged pages, previous overstays, or name mismatches — still require an in-person visit. The department has not published official processing-time targets, but agents say the digital route is consistently faster than the walk-in counter, which can see waits of three to five hours in peak autumn weeks.

For helicopter charter clients, the portal means a passenger stranded by weather in Lukla or Jomsom who needs a few extra days before a connecting international flight can extend without a road journey to Kathmandu. Pilots and operations managers should note that the digital extension is valid for domestic travel immediately upon approval; no physical stamp is required.

The portal is accessible at the Department of Immigration's official website. A Nepali-language user guide and an English FAQ were published alongside the launch. The department says a mobile app version is under development for early 2027.