Tibet Reopened to Foreign Tourists on June 25, after closed to travelers since middle March 2008. Tibet Tourism Bureau is start to issue to Tibet Travel Permit but with much more restrictions. There are overall four documents required for foreign tourists who want to travel freely in Tibet.

1. Chinese Visa - you can apply for in Chinese Embassy in your country;
2. Tibet Travel Permit - It is issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau and is a must for foreigners entering Tibet;
3. PSB Permit - It is required when you are planning to travel to the closed areas in Tibet,which you can obtain it after you arrive in Tibet;
4. Military Permit - you have to obtain if you are planning to travel to some military sensitive areas.

As a licensed travel agency, ChinaTrainTickets.Net is able to assist you to process all of those above documents if you book a Tibet Tour with us.

Passport & Visas

All individuals entering Tibet must hold a passport valid for at least six months. If you are entering Tibet from China, your Chinese visa must be valid. Only travelers with tourist visas (not business, resident or student visas) are permitted. Entering Tibet from Nepal, either by friendship highway or by air requires a separate visa valid for Tibet from the Chinese embassy in Katmandu (30-60 day visas are the normal and it normally takes 2 weeks to obtain it.). You may apply for a group visa from us (minimum of two people in a group and you must leave China with this person unless you can change the visa inside China).

Tibet Travel Permit

Customers whose travel arrangements are made by ChinaTrainTickets.Net will receive their Tibet Travel Permit from our local office in the city where they depart for Tibet e.g. Chengdu if by air, Golmud if by Qinghai-Tibet Highway. You are required to present this document when boarding the flight to Tibet. ChinaTrainTickets.Net will make all necessary arrangements to obtain the correct documentation for you if you book a tour with us.

How to apply for a Tibet Travel Permit -
Tibet Travel Permit is not available by independent travelers at the moment(at least before the Olympics). Travelers have to travel in tour group and ask their travel agent to apply it for you. Please prepare the following documents before asking your travel agent to apply permit.
1. a copy of your Passport;
2. a copy of your China visa (tourist visa);
3. Full names, gender, Date of Birth, Passport number, nationality, occupation;
Additional Requirements for F visa customers
If you are F visa (business visa) holders, you are required to provide additional information to Tibet Tourism Bureau to get a Tibet Travel Permit:
1. If you are working in China, a certification in Chinese by your company in China is required;
2. If you are invited to China for business, research, lecture, scientific-technological and culture exchanges, short-term advanced studies or inter practice for a period of no more than six months, a certification by your Chinese travel agency is required.

As for the certification, you are required to provide your full names, nationality, passport number, dates of entry and exit China, and the stamps of your company or your travel agency.

PSB Permit - Alien's Travel Permit

If you want to go further to the "unopened" areas, you need an Alien's travel permit issued by Foreign Affairs Section of the Local Public Security Bureau (PSB). It is called "Alien's Travel Permit" (ATP) or "PSB permit". The Law on the Control of Entry and Exit of Foreigners (Order of the President of the People's Republic of China (No.31), 22.11.1985, Chapter 4), says:
Article 20: Foreigners who hold valid visas or residence certificates may travel to places declared open to foreigners by the Chinese Government.
Article 21: Foreigners who desire to travel to places closed to foreigners shall apply for travel permits from local public security organs [i.e., the police].
This can be arranged by any tour agency in Tibet.


How to apply for it -
We will assist you in applying for it after you entering Tibet. Our guide will ask you for your passport and the Tibet Travel Permit and submit it to the Foreign Affairs Section of PSB. It normally takes several hours and the cost is 50 yuan/person.
Which parts of Tibet are listed as the closed areas -
At the present, you have to apply for a Travel Permit if you are planning to visit the following places:
1.Tsetang: Samye Monastery, Tomb of Tibetan King, Changdruk Temple, Yumbulakhang
2.Shigatse: Sakya Monastery, The Mt. Everest, Rongbuk Monastery
3.Gyangtse: Pelkor Chode Monastery & Kubum Stupa
4.Nqari Region
5.Basumtso lake in Nyingchi Region
6.Chamdo Region
Lhasa and Nagqu regions are open to foreign travelers and no need for Travel Permit.

Military Permit

Military Permit is required if you are planning to travel to Ngari, Nyingchi, and Nagqu which are regard as the military sensitive areas in Tibet. It is issued by the Military office in Lhasa and we will need you to provide your passport, Tibet permit to apply for it. It normally takes 1-2 week days and the cost is 100 yuan/person.

DISCLAIMER: ChinaTrainTickets.Net will try our best to arrange a Tibet permits for our customers who booked tours with us. But we are not 100% sure that you can get the permit from Tibet Tourism Bureau even you provide all of the information they need. ChinaTrainTickets.Net is not responsible for any cancellation of your Tibet tours if you are refused to get a Tibet permit by the Tibet Tourism Bureau.