Bhutan visa and permits
Bhutan Visa (Applicable for all tourists except travelers from India, Bangladesh and Maldives)
Travel to Bhutan is highly regulated under the policy "High Value, Low Impact Tourism". Bhutanese policy ensures that only a limited number of tourists enter the country at any one time, preventing it from being overwhelmed by mass tourism and thus altering its character, and that the tourists who do come get the most out of their visits.
All the tourists (except the travelers from India, Maldives and Bangladesh) traveling to Bhutan require a Bhutan Visa to enter the Country. It can only be processed through a local tour operator in Bhutan such as Neptune Holidays – Bhutan or one of their International Partner.
Bhutan tourist visa is issued only when a confirmed booking through a local tour operator has been made. No foreign embassies / organizations can issue Bhutan Tourist Visa. A Valid passport copy and the Bhutan visa application form duly filled must be sent to us us atleast a month before the tour. The visa will be processed by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) once the full payment of your holiday (including a USD $40 visa fee) has been wire transferred and received in the TCB bank account. Once received the visa clearance will be processed within 72 working hours.
A Visa approval letter is issued by the Government of Bhutan which will later be sent to the travelers through email or fax. The travelers have to show the visa approval letter while boarding the Druk Air/ Tashi Air Flight. The actual Visa will be stamped on arrival in Bhutan. For travelers entering Bhutan by land, two passport size photographs are required on arrival in the border. A visa fee of US $ 40 is payable. The Visa fee can be sent with the tour payment as menntioned above.
Please download Visa Application Form here:
Entry Permits and Special Permits (Applicable for travelers from India, Bangladesh and Maldives)
Travelers from India (Indian Nationals), Bangladesh (Bangladeshi Nationals) and Maldives (Maldivian Nationals) neither need to pay the government royalty nor need a Bhutan visa to travel to Bhutan. The only document required is the entry permit for Paro and Thimphu.
If you are entering Bhutan via land (Phuentsholing) you have to process your entry permit in the immigration office in Phuentsholing. Your guide from Neptune Holidays - Bhutan will do the formalities for you. Your national passport, citizenship identity card or voter identity card (Alternative Document only for Indian Nationals) confirming your citizenship is required to process the permit.
If you are travelling to Bhutan by Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines, your permit/visa will be issued at the Paro Airport on arrival.
PS - Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian Nationals travelling to countries other than their home country from Bhutan may require a valid passport as per the immigration rules of the country you are traveling to.
If the travelers travel to Places beyond Thimphu i.e. Punakha/Wangdue, etc, they also require a special permit known as Route Permit. The Route Permit is processed and issued in Thimphu. It can be applied for only after entering in Bhutan and after producing the Enter Permit which travelers obtain on arrival. Two copies of Passport Size Photograph is required to process the Route Permit.