Your passport is on the table beside a cooling cup of tea and, for the third time tonight, you are checking the date inside the cover. Somewhere ahead is a small arrivals hall in Paro with painted wooden pillars, and a person waiting there with a white scarf of welcome. Between you and that hall stands one online form.
It is not a hard form. But the official pages that describe it do not quite agree with one another, and nobody wants to discover a mismatch at a check-in desk in Bangkok. So we read them side by side, and this is the dated checklist that came out.
| At a glance | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who needs a visa | Everyone except Indian nationals (permit); Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals may apply on arrival | Department of Tourism FAQs |
| Fee | US$40, one-off and non-refundable, paid with the SDF when you apply | Department of Tourism |
| Review time | Within five working days of submission | Department of Tourism |
| Documents | Digital passport copy, recent digital photo, arrival and departure dates, payment details | Department of Tourism |
| Passport | Valid for at least six months after you plan to leave Bhutan | UK Foreign Office |
| Length of stay | Up to 90 days from the date of entry | Department of Tourism FAQs |
| Before you fly | Airline may refuse check-in without visa clearance | Drukair |
| Extensions | Handled online since 26 February 2026 | Department of Immigration |
| Older wording | Says tourist visas are processed by licensed tour operators, and does not name the portal | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Checked | 30 September 2026 |
Do you need a visa for Bhutan?
Almost certainly, and before you fly. The Department of Tourism (DoT) says all visitors need a visa before travelling, except those from India, Bangladesh and the Maldives, whose processes are set out separately. The UK Foreign Office adds that the authorities pre-approve your visa and issue it when you arrive.
That pre-approval is not a formality. Drukair warns that you may be denied check-in without prior e-visa clearance from the Department of Immigration. It also offers a small mercy: you do not need a visa to buy one of its tickets, so booking flights need not wait for the paperwork.
The visa fee is only part of the government bill. The Sustainable Development Fee is paid at the same time, and our guide to Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Fee explains it. If you are still at the dreaming stage, planning your first trip to Bhutan puts the visa alongside flights, guides and timing.
How do you apply, step by step?
Online, in four steps. The DoT describes them like this: sign the Pledge of Friendship, create an account, add your travel information, then pay for the visa and the SDF for your stay. You can save the application and return to it later. Once submitted, it is reviewed within five working days.
Yes, the first step is a promise. The pledge asks you to respect sacred places, connect with living culture, leave wild spaces undisturbed and remove no artefacts. It is a rare form that begins with a vow rather than a passport number.
You can apply for yourself and for anyone travelling with you, provided you have the details for each person. The DoT and the Department of Immigration both point to the Bhutan Immigration Services Portal, at immi.gov.bt, though Drukair’s page also lists other addresses, so start at immi.gov.bt. We did not click through the application itself, so these steps are the DoT’s description of it, not our own walk-through.
A guide waits in a painted arrivals hall, khata in hand.
Which documents do you need?
Four things, and the first is a passport with time left on it. The DoT lists a digital copy of a valid passport, a recent digital passport photo, your arrival and departure dates, and payment details.
The passport rule is the easy one to overlook. The UK Foreign Office says your passport must expire at least six months after the date you plan to leave Bhutan, not the date you arrive. Check the expiry date now, before the tea goes cold again.
Payment deserves a phone call. The DoT recommends telling your bank that an international payment to Bhutan is coming, because banks sometimes block online payments they do not recognise. Its FAQs confirm that international credit cards work.
Keep the visa clearance you receive. You will want it at your departure airport and again at Paro, and our guide to flying into Paro explains what happens on the ground.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Plan for about a week and US$40 per visa. The DoT and the UK Foreign Office agree that the application fee is a one-off, non-refundable US$40. The review takes up to five working days by the DoT’s own wording, which shifts slightly between its pages: “within” five working days on the visa page, “up to” five days in the FAQs. Applying with a comfortable margin is easier than explaining a late clearance to an airline.
Once approved, the visa allows a stay of up to 90 days from the date of entry, according to the FAQs. Most journeys are a fraction of that.
The US$40 is also not the whole government cost. The SDF, US$100 per adult per night with concessions for children, is paid in the same step.
Who can apply for you?
You can, or a tour operator or hotel can, according to the DoT and the UK Foreign Office. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs page still says tourist visas are processed through an online system by licensed tour operators, and it does not mention the portal at all. We treat that as older wording: the tourism authority and the Foreign Office both describe wider routes.
When you travel with us, you send the passport details and we file your visa and SDF together, as part of the journey. Whoever files it, the fee is the government’s and is the same. Ask for a copy of the application, and check names and dates against your passport and flights.
Arrival brings a separate rule too, about guides; see whether you need a guide in Bhutan.
What if you are Indian, Bangladeshi or Maldivian?
The process differs, and the pages use different words for it. Indian nationals need a permit rather than a visa, per the DoT, and no fees are payable in advance. They can apply online, through an operator or hotel, or at the point of entry, though the DoT warns of a possible long wait there. They must hold an Indian passport or voter ID card; under-18s can use a passport or birth certificate and must be accompanied by a guardian.
Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals need a visa, but the FAQs say they can apply online beforehand or in person on arrival. The DoT still recommends arranging it beforehand.
Here the sources genuinely differ. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says these nationals “do not require visa” and can get one on arrival; Drukair says they are “eligible for visa on arrival”. The practical outcome is the same: no advance approval needed, but worth having.
What should you check before you apply?
Five quick things. Passport expiry: six months beyond departure. Names and dates: exactly as in your passport and flight bookings, because the SDF is charged per night. Your bank: warned. Children: the DoT counts them as visitors, so include each one. Insurance: no longer mandatory since 23 April 2024, according to the DoT’s FAQs, though still strongly recommended.
Then plans that might change. Extensions must be applied for before the visa expires. On where, the pages differ: one FAQ answer and a Department of Immigration notice of 26 February 2026 say online, while another FAQ answer and the UK Foreign Office’s older text say in person. We follow the newest dated notice, and if you think you may need an extension, ask us before you travel.
For what else has moved this year, read what has changed for Bhutan travel.
Frequently asked questions
Do children need a visa?
Yes. The DoT’s page says all visitors need one, and it sets child concessions on the SDF, so children are counted as visitors. If you travel with us, everyone in your party is covered when we file.
How far ahead should I apply?
Allow more than the five working days a review can take, and remember that your airline wants clearance before check-in. No official page we read says how early is too early, so ask us for your dates.
Can I get a visa at the airport?
Only Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals can, along with Thai and Swiss holders of diplomatic or official passports, according to the DoT’s FAQs. Everyone else needs clearance before boarding.
What is the Pledge of Friendship for?
It is the DoT’s first application step, a commitment to look after Bhutan’s sacred places, culture and nature as a guest and friend. It is short, and worth reading properly rather than clicking through.
A visa is only a form, but the country behind it is worth the paperwork.