No Visa Fees for Nepali Citizens Visiting China From May 01, 2024

The People's Republic of China has made a significant decision regarding visa fees for Nepali citizens traveling to China. This decision, announced by the Embassy of China in Kathmandu, entails a waiver of visa fees for Nepali nationals starting from May 1, 2024. The agreement to waive visa fees was reached during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayankaji Shrestha to China in March. It's important to note that while visa fees will be waived, charges for express services and other related services will remain unchanged.

The primary objective of this decision is to strengthen the friendship and mutual visits between China and Nepal while enhancing the convenience of visa services for Nepali travelers. This move has been long advocated for by the Nepali tourism industry, anticipating positive impacts on tourism exchanges between the two nations.

Maniraj Lamichhane, the Director of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), expressed optimism about the potential impact on tourism. He highlighted that both inbound and outbound tourism traffic will benefit from this initiative. Notably, statistics from the NTB reveal a growing trend in Chinese tourist arrivals in Nepal for the year 2024. In March alone, Nepal welcomed 12,093 Chinese tourists, a notable increase from 9,180 in February and 1,436 in January. In the entire year of 2023, Nepal received a total of 60,878 Chinese tourists. The highest number of Chinese tourist arrivals before the COVID-19 pandemic was recorded in 2019, with 169,543 arrivals.

It's worth mentioning that Nepal already offers visa-free entry to Chinese citizens, further facilitating travel and tourism exchanges between the two countries.