How to Use Tibet Travel Permit for Foreign Travelers in China
Tibet travel permit for foreign travelers

How to Use Tibet Travel Permit for Foreign Travelers

Tibet Travel Permits for Entry First Page
Tibet Travel Permits for Entry First Page

Well as is known to all that all foreign travelers need accurate Tibet travel permit to explore Tibet legally. This post helps answers how to use Tibet travel permit for foreign travelers.

No foreign travelers can travel Tibet independently. Every foreign traveler that is planning an adventure to Tibet will need to work carefully with a local tour agency. A tour agency will make all the arrangement for your tour. This includes apply for Tibet travel permit for you. The permit application process takes some time. Therefore, it is important that you plan your Tibet trip well in advance.

Where to Receive Tibet Travel Permit for Foreign Travelers

In general, you need to show your Tibet travel permit when boarding Tibet bound flight or train. This means your agency will either mail or email the permit to you. If you are flying, or taking trains from certain cities, you need to show your original permit at departure. In these cases, your agency will mail the permit to your hotel in your last stop in China before Tibet. If you are taking the train from Xining, you only need to show a copy. In this case, you will receive a permit copy and you can print it out yourself. Most tour agencies will deliver the entry permit to the hotels for free. Some would even deliver them in person at the hotel, train station or airport.

Where will the Tibet Travel Permit be Checked?

  • All physical Tibet entry travel permits will be checked at the departure airport in China. However, if travelers take the train from other cities in China to Lhasa, a photo copy of the permits will suffice. Furthermore when foreign travelers board the plane from Kathmandu to Lhasa, they will just need Tibet group visa at Kathmandu airport, while the Tibetan tour guide will hold the physical permits to meet travelers at Lhasa airport. Once a person arrives in Tibet, the hotel might also need to see your permit. So be sure in every case, you will have to ensure you have permits properly applied in advance with a local Tibet travel agency.
  • After that, people should expect their Tibet travel permit to be checked when they enter Lhasa and any time that some police asks for it. Most of the time, no one will ask for proof of the travel permit, but everyone should be able to provide them when asked. The tour guides can keep the travel permits for you. It is safer this way and then no one will need to worry about misplacing their own.
  • The tour guides can also handle additional permits for you. For example, certain destinations in Tibet require an alien’s travel permit. These specific travel permits cannot be applied for until a person arrives in Tibet, but the tour guides will know if they are needed and can assist everyone with the application process.

Many people may find the Tibet travel permit process difficult in the beginning, because there are so many things to remember. However, as long as your agency submits the application on time, there is nothing to worry about. If you have any questions regarding to Tibet travel permit, please feel free to contact us.

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Bella Zhang