Issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB), Tibet Permit is a two-page A4 size document that allows you to enter and travel in Tibet. Tourists can only get this Tibet travel permit from a local tour operator in Lhasa whom you book a tour with to apply for the permit from the TTB, you have to send by email the scan copy of your valid passport and Chinese visa to your Tibet tour operator at least 15 days before the tour because the application & approval takes about 10 days.
There is no "permit-only" service from your tour operator, tour guide, vehicle and accommodation are all indispensable parts of this packaged tour like the Tibet travel permit. Here we’ll go over more details in this Tibet travel permit guide.
Like previous years, Tibet opens to foreign tourists again from the very beginning of April after the complete closure in March. To some degree, April is seen as the beginning month for Tibet inbound tourism each year and Tibet permit policy declared in each April serves like an indicator for the whole year remains. Yet, it is still very hard to expect what's the next possible policy change could be. The new policy (restriction) could come out anytime if there is any sensitive event (anniversaries, visit by central-government officials or foreign politician) approaches or unexpected suddenness (social unrest, strike) take place. Based on our close relationship with related governmental bodies and rich experience in Tibet tourism, we will keep updating the latest Tibet permit policy in 2017 here if there is any new regulation come out.
2018 Update 6: (20-07-2018)
For some reasons, all the international tourists shall leave Tibet before 31st, August, 2015; from now on, tourism administration will not accept any Tibet travel permit application for tours in September, 2015; further news will be announced concerning when international tourists can get travel permit into Tibet in this September.
If you want to learn more about getting a Tibet travel permit and all of what Tibet travel permits entail, you can check out our various Tibet travel permit guides below. You can learn more about what exactly a Tibet permit is, how to apply for one, and where and when to get one. Our guides will help make it easy to get the permit you need to enjoy your next trip to this country, without the hassles that can come without understanding what a Tibetan tour requires. You can also learn more about how to apply for a Chinese visa. Once you have your Tibet travel permit, you can learn more about our tour packages and start scheduling your next trip with us.
Tibet is part of China politically, so to travel into Tibet, a valid Chinese visa is a must-have document for sure. Tibet is the only province in China that requires a travel permit and a pre-organized tour for non-Chinese tourists.
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Across the world, there is only one direct international flight to Lhasa that departs from Kathmandu, Nepal; besides, the Chinese Customs at Zhangmu that borders Nepal is also the only Customs that allows international tourists to enter and exit Tibet by overland..
What follows is some fundamental and essential facts concerning how to get all documents processed in a right and quick way.