Visa, permits & documents

Tibet Travel Permit, also called Tibet Entry Permit, is one of 3 Tibet permits required for foreign visitors' Tibet tour except the China visa. It is issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau and you need to show this permit before taking a flight or train to Tibet.

There are three types of Tibet permits: Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Entry Permit), Aliens' Travel Permit and Military Permit. Tibet Travel Permit is the document which is the most common-used one.

National Tourism Administration of China prescribes that foreign visitors (residents holding foreign passports, including Taiwan tourists) have to get a Tibet Travel Permit to Tibet. All the people can get Tibet Travel Permit through a professional Tibet tour operator except diplomats, journalists, and government officials.

Tibet Travel Permit

Aliens' Travel Permit

Other useful information

1.You need to apply for the travel permit at least 15 days prior to your entry date.

2.Tibet Travel Permit may be acquired through a Tibet tour operator, except by the following people: diplomats, journalists, and government officials; these people need to contact the Foreign Affairs Office of the Tibetan Government in order to apply for a Tibet Travel Permit.

3.After you have obtained a Tibet Travel Permit, a Tibet tour operator can buy you the air tickets or train tickets, and only with the permit in hand can you pass the check-in counter.

4.Once in Tibet, your tour guide is required to retain your travel permit. You may not carry it by yourself, or travel in Tibet with it in your possession.

5.Do not trust a tour operator that offers to sell you a Tibet Travel Permit without requiring you to book a Tibet tour. No legitimate tour operator will offer "permit-only" service. Avoid wasting your money, as this is almost certainly a scam.