The Tibet permit, explained without the runaround

Tibet is the one destination on this site where the paperwork is harder than the trekking. This page is what we tell people on the phone, written down.

The rule, in one paragraph

A foreign passport holder cannot travel in the Tibet Autonomous Region independently. You need a Tibet Travel Permit (TTP), you need to be on an organised itinerary with a licensed Tibetan guide, and you need to be accompanied for the duration. You cannot buy a flight to Lhasa and sort it out on arrival. Airlines will check for the permit before they let you board.

This is not a formality that a good operator can waive. It is the condition of entry.

What the permit is, and is not

The TTP is issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau, through a licensed Tibet-registered travel agency — never to an individual. That is why every Tibet trip is sold as a package: the agency is the applicant, and you are a named traveller on their itinerary.

Depending on where you go, one or two further permits are added on top:

• Alien's Travel Permit — required for areas outside Lhasa, including Everest and much of Ngari. Usually arranged in Lhasa once you arrive.
• Frontier/foreign affairs permit — for specific border regions. Not relevant to the Kailash kora in normal routing, but relevant to some western areas.
• Military permit — for a small number of restricted zones. If a route needs one, assume it also needs extra lead time.

Timing: the part people get wrong

Permit processing is done on a fixed calendar in a group, not per person, and it does not bend for late documents.

• Standard lead time: 15–20 days before your Lhasa arrival, once we have full documents.
• Documents needed: clear passport photo page, China visa (or visa-free entry proof), and occupation — this is asked for and yes, you must answer it.
• Hard truth: if your documents arrive after the batch submission closes, you miss that batch. The authorities do not issue a refund for the permit fee, and neither can we.

The three ways people get it wrong:

1. Booking flights before the permit is confirmed. Do not do this. Book refundable or wait.
2. Assuming a China visa is enough. It is not. A valid China visa gets you into China; it does not get you into Tibet.
3. Leaving the occupation field blank or vague. It gets queried, and a query costs a week.

What it costs

The permit fees themselves are modest. The real cost is the structure: because you must travel with a guide and a vehicle, Tibet is inherently a higher-cost destination than Sichuan or Yunnan. Budget-wise, our Tibet programmes sit in the ¥6,000+ band per person for the trekking portion, before international flights.

We do not sell permits separately, and we will not pretend we can. If someone offers you a standalone permit, ask them which licensed agency is the applicant. The answer tells you everything.

Practical notes for the kora

• Acclimatise properly. Lhasa is 3,650 m. The kora's high point is 5,648 m. Our itineraries build in four nights before the drive west, and we will not shorten it.
• Season. May to September is the working window. Winter koras happen but the pass conditions are a genuine gamble.
• Fitness. The kora is 52 km over three days at altitude, with one very hard day. It is walkable by a fit hiker with no technical skill; it is not a stroll.
• Photography. Restrictions around certain monasteries and checkpoints are real. Your guide will tell you where to put the camera away. Listen the first time.

If your plans are still forming

Tell us the month you are targeting and whether your dates are fixed. Tibet batches are planned months ahead and the permit calendar is the binding constraint — the earlier we know, the more likely you are on the trip you want.