Tibet Travel Restrictions

Tibet is a dreamy place to travel to due to its attractive landscapes and mysterious cultures. However, Before making a Tibet travel, you should know there’re some necessary documents to take such as Tibet Travel Permit. The most convenient thing is to find a travel agency to arrange everything for you beforehand.  Here Great Tibet Tour has sorted out the top restrictions and regulations when planning your Tibet trip.

1. You Can Only Enter Tibet via Mainland China or Nepal

There’s only one international flight route connecting Tibet with the outside world, Kathmandu to Lhasa flight. International travelers can fly directly to Lhasa Gongga Airport (at 3,658 meters). Air China and Sichuan Airlines operated direct flights. The flight takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach 609 kilometers.

Besides Kathmandu to Lhasa flights, international travelers also can enter Tibet from mainland China. There are many direct flights to Lhasa from major cities, such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, and Xining. If travelers prefer a train tour to Tibet, they can go to some major starting cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Chongqing. All of the above-mentioned Tibet trains will pass through Xi’an, Lanzhou, Xining, Golmud, and Lhasa. Therefore, it is very convenient to take the train to Lhasa from mainland China.

2. Traveling to Tibet from Mainland China – China Visa Is Required

International travelers need to apply for a China Visa, normally an L visa (tourist China visa). But there’s a Visa-free policy for three countries, Singapore, Japan, and Brunei, which citizens can stay in China for 15 days and enjoy visa-free.

If you are holding other types of China visas, you need additional certification documents to apply for your Tibet entry permit.

3. Tibet Entry Permit Is Required for Tibet Tours

To visit Tibet, international tourists must obtain a Tibet Travel Permit. It is issued by the Tourism Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region(also known as TTB permit). In principle, only Tibet travel agencies can apply for the entry permit and organize Tibet tours for foreign tourists. There were offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu that could apply for a Tibet entry permit. So the only way is to work with a reliable Tibet travel agency like Great Tibet Tour.

Only with the entry permit can you purchase air tickets and train tickets by yourselves, and travel to Tibet. By the way, before you board your flight/train to Tibet, you need to take your Tibet Travel Permit or a copy of the TTB permit by email.

You cannot bring the permit out of China. Your tour guide will collect it when you arrive in Tibet, and hand back it to the Tourism Bureau after your Tibet tour.