Nepal Visa for Greeks: Visa on Arrival Step by Step (2026)

Of all the steps for a trip to Nepal, the visa is one of the simplest — and that is genuinely good news. As a Greek (and an EU citizen) you are entitled to visa on arrival: you get your visa right there at Kathmandu airport, with no embassy, no appointment, no mailing off your passport and no middleman. Alternatively, you can pre-fill the application online and save time in the queue. In this guide we explain everything with real 2026 figures: cost, durations, what you need, the airport process step by step, extensions, children and land borders.

If you are planning the wider trip, read alongside the complete Nepal travel guide; the visa is the first box you tick, but not the only one.

Do Greeks need a visa for Nepal?

Yes — but in the most painless way there is. Nepal grants almost every nationality (and certainly Greeks) a tourist visa on arrival. You submit nothing on Greek soil, you need no invitation letter, you do not go through an embassy in Athens. You land at Kathmandu airport, follow the "Visa on Arrival" signs, and within a few minutes you have the stamp in your passport.

The only cases needing extra care are very specific (e.g. press assignments, long stays, volunteering on a work visa). For the classic traveller or trekker, visa on arrival covers everything.

The two routes: Visa on Arrival or online application

There are two ways to get a tourist visa, and they lead to the same result:

• Visa on Arrival (VoA) at the airport: you do it all on the spot at Tribhuvan (KTM) when you land. The most common and comfortable route.
• Online pre-filling: you go to the official Immigration platform (eta.nepalimmigration.gov.np), complete the form up to 15 days before arrival, upload a photo and get a receipt with a barcode. At the airport you scan that barcode at the machine and skip the data-entry stage — you only pay and pass through.

Online pre-filling is not mandatory, but if you travel in peak season (October–November, the top season for Himalaya trekking) it saves real time, because the airport kiosks form queues and some are not always working. Just note that the online receipt is valid for 15 days — if your flight slips beyond that, you redo it.

The 3 durations and their costs (2026)

The tourist visa comes in three "packages". You choose according to how long you stay — and if you are heading for a big trek, get comfortably more days, because the price difference is tiny next to the stress of an extension.

All three are multiple-entry visas: you can exit to India or Tibet and re-enter for as long as the visa lasts, with no new charge. The days count from the date of entry, not the date of issue, and refer to total days of stay within the calendar year. The euro figures are indicative — the official price is always in US dollars.

What you need — the requirements

The list is short, but every item matters. Have them ready before you reach the counter:

• A passport valid for 6+ months from your date of entry, with at least one blank page for the stamp. This is the single most common reason someone runs into trouble — check it now.
• One passport photo (recent, colour). The kiosks take a photo on the spot with a camera, but keep a printed one as backup, especially if you do the online application.
• Cash for the payment — ideally in US dollars (USD), clean notes. See below on the payment question.
• An address of stay in Nepal (the hotel/guesthouse of your first night) — the form asks for it.

You do not need proof of a return ticket or a bank balance for the tourist visa, though it is good to carry them for the trip generally.

The airport process, step by step

Once you land at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu, the order is fixed and clear:

• Step 1 — Kiosk (machine): in the arrivals hall, before immigration, there are self-service machines. You scan your passport, take a photo, fill in the details and the machine prints a receipt with a barcode. If you applied online, you simply scan your own barcode and move on.
• Step 2 — Visa Fee Counter: you go to the payment desk, hand over the receipt and pay the visa fee (30/50/125 USD). You get a stamped payment receipt.
• Step 3 — Immigration: in the immigration queue you present passport + kiosk receipt + payment receipt. The officer affixes/stamps the visa in your passport.
• Step 4 — Baggage & customs: you collect your bags and walk out. Welcome to Nepal.

At a quiet hour it all takes 20–30 minutes; at peak time (when flights from Doha, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul land together) it can reach 45–60 minutes. Pre-filling online and having exact dollar notes ready are the two things that get you through faster.

Payment: cash, currency and cards

The visa desk accepts several foreign currencies, but in practice US dollars (USD) in cash are the cleanest way. Euros are often accepted too, but the exchange rate they apply may not favour you and change is given in Nepalese rupees. Cards are sometimes taken, but the machines are not always reliable — do not rely on a card alone.

Practical tip for Greeks: bring from Greece or the airport a few clean dollars in the exact amount (e.g. one 100 + one 20 + one 5 for the 90-day ($125)). There are ATMs at Kathmandu airport too, but the visa queue moves more smoothly when you already have the cash in hand. Remember you will also need dollar cash for trekking permits in certain areas, so it will not go to waste.

Extending the visa

If Nepal "keeps" you longer than you planned — it happens often — you can extend easily, without leaving the country:

• Where: at the Department of Immigration offices in Kathmandu (Kalikasthan) and Pokhara (Damside/Pardi). You apply online on the same platform, then pay/collect at the office.
• Cost: the extension has a minimum charge of ~45 USD for 15 days, and beyond that it works out to about 3 USD/day.
• Maximum limit: as a tourist you may stay a total of up to 150 days within one calendar year (January–December). Beyond that no further extension is granted for the same year.

Do not let the visa expire: overstaying is charged with a per-day fine and can hold you up on departure. If you see you will stay longer, sort the extension a day or two before it expires.

Visas for children

Good news for families: children under 10 get a free (gratis) visa. But note — "free" does not mean "no process": the child must have their own passport and be registered normally in the form (online or at the kiosk); the fee is simply waived. For children aged 10 and over the normal adult cost applies. Carry a passport photo of the child as backup.

Land borders (from India or Tibet)

Not everyone enters Nepal by plane. If you arrive overland — say you combine the trip with northern India — visa on arrival is issued at the main land crossings too, on exactly the same logic (kiosk/form, payment, stamp). The key border points:

• Sunauli / Belahiya — the most popular crossing from India (Uttar Pradesh side), handy for Lumbini and Pokhara.
• Kakarbhitta — in the east, from West Bengal (near Darjeeling/Siliguri).
• Birgunj / Raxaul — central, the main trade road towards Kathmandu.
• Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Mahendranagar — western crossings.
• Rasuwagadhi / Kerung — the crossing to/from Tibet (China); here the process also depends on the Chinese side, so you almost always travel on an organised programme.

The same applies at land borders: a passport valid for 6+ months, a photo, dollar cash. It is best to arrive during office hours (the crossings do not operate 24/7).

What the tourist visa does NOT cover

One point that confuses many people: the tourist visa gives you the right to enter and stay in the country — nothing more. Specifically:

• It is not a work permit. You cannot work for pay; that is what a separate work/volunteer visa is for.
• It does not include trekking permits. The trekking permits (ACAP, national parks, TIMS) are issued separately and paid for on top — the visa simply gets you into the country.
• It is not enough for restricted areas. Regions such as Upper Mustang, Manaslu or Dolpo require a special, expensive permit through an agency, over and above the visa.

In plain terms: the visa is the "key to the front door", but inside the house every room (every trek, every park) has its own ticket.

Practical tips for travellers from Greece

• Check your passport today. The 6-month rule catches out travellers every season. If you are close to the limit, renew it in good time.
• Keep clean dollars in the exact amount. It is the most painless way to pay and gets you out of the queue quickly.
• Do the online application if you travel in peak season — you skip the slowest stage at the airport.
• Take a comfortable duration. For a trip with a trek, the difference from the 15-day to the 30-day is just 20 USD — far cheaper than the stress of an extension.
• Keep the receipts (kiosk + payment) until you clear immigration; sometimes they are asked for again.

Once the visa is sorted, the next thing on your mind is where you will sleep the first night and how you will get around — see the guide to Kathmandu, the capital, which is the gateway for almost every traveller.

Would you rather not think about the bureaucracy at all?

The visa is easy, but it is only the beginning: next come the Lukla flights, the permits, the guides, the lodges and the coordination at altitude. If you would prefer to set foot in Nepal with all the logistics already arranged — from airport transfer to permits and a private guide — see the premium partnership Elysian Himalaya. You just hold on to your passport and your smile; the team handles the rest, with a Greek by your side to explain it all in your own language.