Lhasa Travel Forum

Hi everyone,

Just when you thought it was hard enough.....I'm having a nightmare getting a visa for TIbet. It seems here in the UK I can quite easily obtaina visa for China but NOT Tibet!!

What??

Can anyone help me out? I'm off to KTM in 3 weeks and need to get a visa for Lhasa before I leave.

The fun continues.....

Keep safe, take care all.

Kindest, Phil

That's normal, there is no visa for tibet (you need the chinese one anyway) but a travel permit. You can obtain that permit once in Chengdu (Sichuan).
For that, you must buy from a travel agency a plane ticket Chengdu-Lhassa (approx 1500 Yuan). The same travel agency will arrange your travel permit for smth like 600 to 800 Yuan.
If you stay at Traffic Hotel in Chengdu, there are 2 or 3 travel agencies in the premises with all the same price.
It may take between 2 to 4 days to have everything in hand.
I think you can also start the procedure from Kunming or Chonqinq but I do not have the infos.
Good journey
Lolo

It depends wether you're going to china first. It's very possible that some hostels -who deal with these questions all the time-provide some kind of travel/visa package that manages to circumvent the Tibet Visa issue. The gueshouse I stayed in in Chengdu had a similar deal. Don't take this as gospel mind, but the gap between the official code and the reality isn't quite hard and fast. A backpacker's hostel for info in short, is your best bet. Good Luck.
John

No,
Tibet is a no go area without a travel permit.
You are sometime check while visiting sites especially everest base camp.
While I went to Tibet, I stated on my visa application Chengdu and get a "normal" chinese visa.
Normally, plane ticket is Chengdu-Lhassa is not issued without the permit.
Extra info for Phil, you can start from Kathmandu in Nepal. Be aware that now is the moonson and therefore some road are cut off and plane very unreliable.
L

EVERYONE!

Thanks loads for getting back to me so fast....

I now know what I'll be spending the rest of the day doing! :o)

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare, but hey ho that's why I'm going to KTM, Tibet and not the local beach here in raining England!!

Thanks again everyone - hope to return the favor soon...

Take good care - Phil

only way to get to Lhasa (Tibet) is to obtain the permit (that you'll never see) via a travel agent in China...particularly easy in Chengdu...as they also arrange the flight for you. unless you have a hosting company from Tibet...if not...going as a tourist..that's the only way, pal.

Suggest you check the consulates and guide books such as Lonely Planet.
Understand that you can get visas to Lhasa from KTM.