FAQ's about your travel to Bhutan
Find answers to your questions before coming to Bhutan so that you can find out exactly what you want to know. If you have more question please feel free to reach us via contact form.
Before entering Bhutan, visitors from every country except India need a visa. Except for people from Bangladesh and the Maldives, everyone else needs to apply for and get this visa before they travel. Visitors from Bangladesh and the Maldives also need a visa, but they can apply for one before they go or when they get to Bhutan.
Visitors from India can apply for a permit, but they must have a passport or voter ID card from India. Indian citizens under the age of 18 can get in with a passport or a birth certificate, and they must be with a legal guardian.
Swiss and Thai citizens with diplomatic or government-issued passports can get a visa at their country’s port of entry.
You can apply for a visa online from this website but it might not be straight forward, that’s where we can help you.
In order to get a visa, you will have to pay the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), which is US$100 per day (per adult; concessionary rates apply for children).
A one-time, non-refundable fee of $40 must also be paid when applying for a visa. Visitors from Bangladesh and the Maldives who need a visa can do so online before they travel or in person when they get to Bhutan.
Visitors from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives can apply for a permit (Indian nationals) or visa (Bangladeshi or Maldivian nationals) here before traveling. You may also apply at the point of entry, but please be aware that depending on the number of candidates at the time, there may be a lengthy wait. We recommend that you arrange your permit/visa ahead of time.
We can also help you out with this process. Just get in touch!
It will take up to 5 days for your visa to be granted.
Yes, your application will cost a one-time fee of US$40 to process. This is paid along with your Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) when you apply for a visa.
You may stay upto 90 days with your tourist visa.
Yes, as long as the extension request is made before the visa or permit is set to expire.
The Sustainable Development Fee, or SDF, is a tax that tourists pay every day to help the country of Bhutan grow. Since the kingdom opened its doors for the first time in 1974, visitors have been an important part of the country’s growth. The SDF helps us make sure that enough tourists keep coming and that we can keep giving our guests a peaceful and personal experience.
The national exchequer collects the SDF, and the money goes to projects that improve facilities, services, and infrastructure for both Bhutanese people and tourists. It also pays for free healthcare and education.
The SDF is $100 per person, per night for all visitors except those from India. For guests from India with an Indian passport or voter ID card, the SDF is 1,200 ngultrum per person, per night, or the same amount in Indian rupees. Without a passport or voter ID card from India, the full SDF of US$200 will be charged.
At the time of travel, children ages 6 to 12 get a 50% discount on their SDF. Children who haven’t turned six yet don’t have to pay any SDF.
Day visitors to Bhutanese towns on the border with India don’t have to pay the SDF either until they reach a point that the Bhutanese government has chosen.
The SDF fee of US$100 per person, per day must be paid by all guests (with discounts applied for children). Only people from India can pay the daily rate of Nu. 1,200 (or the same amount in Indian Rupees).
Yes, the Department of Immigration will give back the SDF for trips that are canceled or cut short. Any bank fees will be taken out of the total amount given back. SDF refund requests should be made online through the visa portal. Visitors will get their money back after they leave Bhutan.
Yes. All visitors must have full, valid travel insurance for the whole time they are there. Except for people from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, it must be in place when you apply for a visa if you are from any other country.
At their point of entry, people from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives can buy insurance for travel within the country.
There is a daily fee of 4,500 Nu per car. Also, you have to have a guide, which will cost extra.
If a guest wants to bring their own car, it must meet the standards of Bhutan’s Roads Safety and Transport Authority. It must also have a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, proof of pollution control, an entry permit, and be in good shape. In Bhutan, you can drive on your own with a valid Indian driver’s license.
There is one international airport in the country, and it is in Paro. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines run flights to and from places like Bangkok, Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Bodhgaya, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Guwahati, and Singapore. After getting the right permissions, private jets or charters can fly into Bhutan.
There are also airports inside Bhutan in Yonphula in the east, Bumthang in the middle, and Gelephu in the middle of the south.
From September 23, 2022, adults and children entering Bhutan no longer need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but we still encourage it. No quarantine.
To monitor covid-19 variations, all 12-year-olds entering Bhutan may be randomly RT-PCR tested at the border or at work. Surveillance RT-PCR testing is free.
Guests in Bhutan must quarantine in their hotel if they test positive for COVID-19. Guests pay for extra quarantine stays and PCR tests. Quarantine waives the Sustainable Development Fee.
Unless the guest’s destination requires covid-19 protocols, Bhutan will not have them.
In Bhutan, people no longer have to wear face masks anywhere, except in hospitals and health centers. But guests can wear face masks if they want to. Also, if the number of COVID-19 cases goes up in the future, the government may require people to wear face masks. As a precaution, guests should always bring a face mask with them when they travel.
The easiest way to get around Bhutan is to rent a car with a driver from a car rental company or a company that helps tourists. In Bhutan, you can’t rent a car that you drive yourself.
With the Druk Ride app, you can also book a local driver or transportation service, as well as plane tickets and tours. Your hotel might also be able to give you a ride or help you find one.
If you are traveling with a tour company, they will take care of your transportation.
When traveling long distances within Bhutan, flights are often the fastest way to get from one place to another. Domestic airports have flights to and from Yonphula in the east, Bumthang in the middle, and Gelephu in the middle of the south.
Helicopter services can be set up for special trips.
No, you must undertake those activities through an accredited tour company.
A local guide will help you see the best of the country and keep you safe when you’re in an area or at an altitude you don’t know. For any trip or trek outside of Thimphu and Paro, you have to have a guide with you. People who enter Bhutan through our land borders and want to go beyond the border towns must also have a guide.
Guests don’t need a Route permit to travel around the country anymore, as long as they are with a Department of Tourism-approved guide. Please talk to our hosts to get the list of approved tourism services from the Department of Tourism.
Even though guides aren’t needed for all activities, like going out to eat or shopping, we strongly suggest that visitors bring guides with them to temples and other places of interest. When you go to places like dzongs, you have to have a guide with you.
If you are following an itinerary or going on a trip that your hotel has planned, you won’t need to book a guide because one will be set up by the hotel.
Even if you are traveling alone, Bhutan is a very safe place to visit. Locals and visitors don’t have to worry much about crime, but you should still watch out for yourself and your things. In some places, you may come across stray dogs. Please be careful around them because they are not used to humans. They usually stay away, but please stay as far away from them as you can, especially if you are traveling with children. Please don’t feed or pet any wild animal, including these.
Floods and landslides are two natural dangers that happen from time to time in Bhutan. Between June and September, the monsoons can make it hard to get around and use services. Check with your hotel or tour company to see if there will be any changes.