Bhutan Visa Application


Bhutan has a unique system for allowing you to enter into the country. At first this may appear complicated but in fact it works pretty well. Visas are arranged only by your tour operators and the actual visa is issued when you arrive in the country- whether by road at Phuentsholing or by air in Paro. The fee is a nominal ($20) and is to be paid on the spot. You will also require two photographs. The visa is issued for the exact time you intend to stay in the country but if required can be extended, courtesy your tour operator. You need to fill up this form and send it to us. Or you can also download the hardcopy of the same form and fax it to us.


The whole process takes around two weeks and what you need to get to enter the country is:

• Decide on how long you intend to stay in Bhutan and Draw up a rough itinerary. Discuss your plans with them before you firm up the itinerary and then let them set up the trip for you.
• You will be required to make the entire payment in advance to the tour operator before the visa application can be processed. (Refunds, in the event of cancellation, are difficult so it is best to cover that contingency through travel insurance.)


The tour operator submits your visa request (sans the passport – so don’t worry!), to the Department of Tourism who verifies that your payments are in and then issues an approval letter. On the basis of this clearance, the tour operator now files a final visa application with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they usually take a week to process it before sending your operator a visa confirmation number. The last and key element in the plot is Druk Air who will issue you a ticket to Paro once they have the confirmation number! The deck is now clear but to save time on arrival at Paro airport, it’s best to carry a faxed copy of the approval letter.

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