Where and how to obtain your TIMS card in Kathmandu

Navigating your trek paperwork in the capital

Obtaining your Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card in Kathmandu is a mandatory step before heading out to trails like the Khumbu or Annapurna. Our lead guides always advise sorting this out at least one day before your departure to avoid morning queues at the counter. When our team escorts guests through the capital, we head directly to the Nepal Tourism Board headquarters in Pradarshani Marg. The process involves filling out detailed personal information, presenting your passport with a valid Nepal visa, and submitting physical photographs.

Ever since independent trekking rules shifted across several conservation regions, the solo blue TIMS card has been largely phased out in favor of agency-managed green cards or localized permit systems. If you are comparing routes such as the everest base camp vs annapurna circuit difficulty, note that the paperwork requirements and check-post checkpoints differ significantly between the Sagarmatha National Park and the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

Step-by-step process at the Nepal Tourism Board

Preparing your documents

Before stepping into the bustling tourism board hall in Kathmandu, our logistics team ensures all paperwork is complete. Queuing without the right copies wastes hours. You must bring your original passport, two recent passport-sized photos, and precise details of your trekking itinerary including entry and exit dates, expected route villages, and emergency contact numbers.

1. Walk to the Nepal Tourism Board building located on Pradarshani Marg in central Kathmandu, open Sunday through Friday from 10:00 to 17:00.
2. Queue at the registration counter to collect the official TIMS application form.
3. Fill in your personal details, insurance policy number, emergency contact, and exact daily route plan.
4. Present your passport, completed form, and photos to the data entry officer for verification.
5. Proceed to the bank counter inside the hall to pay the required fee and collect your stamped card.

If you are planning an extended journey, you might also want to review our insights on offbeat trails and quiet corners around kathmandu valley for acclimatization walks before your main trek starts.

Required documents and checklist

Our field staff frequently inspects traveler backpacks at our choosing where to stay in thamel before your trek briefings to verify that permit folders contain every necessary slip. Missing a single photocopy can force you to walk back into the commercial district to find a stationary shop.

• Original passport with at least 6 months validity remaining.
• Valid Nepal tourist visa sticker or electronic visa receipt.
• Two hard-copy passport-sized photographs (digital copies on phones are not accepted at the counter).
• Comprehensive travel insurance policy details covering high-altitude mountain rescue up to 6,000 m.
• Detailed day-by-day itinerary listing overnight stops in teahouses.
• Exact cash in Nepalese Rupees (NPR) for fee settlements if card machines experience connectivity drops.

For those organizing independent logistics or calculating overall trip expenses, our guide on everest base camp trek permit cost and official fees breaks down local municipal taxes and national park entry charges that apply alongside your standard registration.

TIMS card types and fee structures

Understanding current category breakdowns

Fees vary depending on whether you trek through an authorized Kathmandu agency or register as an independent hiker where permitted. Below is an overview of the structural differences our operations team encounters at various checkpoints like Monjo or Bhulbhule.

Whenever our guides check permits at the Dudh Koshi riverbank checkpoint, having your documents arranged in a waterproof plastic sleeve prevents mountain mist and rain from blurring ink stamps.