Upper Mustang Permit

Upper Mustang is a restricted trekking area, so every foreign trekker needs a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) plus the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) before setting foot past Kagbeni (Day 2). Two things changed the maths on this in the past year. First, the government replaced the old flat USD 500-for-10-days RAP fee with a straight USD 50 per person, per day — effective December 22, 2025. Second, on March 22, 2026, the Department of Immigration removed the rule that restricted-area permits needed at least two foreign trekkers, so a solo traveler can now hold a Upper Mustang RAP in their own name. A licensed guide arranged through a registered Nepali trekking agency is still required either way.

That's the short version. Below, we go through exactly how the daily fee is calculated, what solo permit really does and doesn't mean, which permits you actually need, where the online information gets confusing (and why), and the full step-by-step of how the permit is arranged. We process these permits from our Kathmandu office for every Upper Mustang trekker we take, so this is written from that operational side, not lifted from a government press release and left unchecked.

Upper Mustang Permit 2026 at a Glance

What Actually Changed in 2026

It's worth separating these clearly, because most of the confusion online comes from people mixing the two together.

Reform 1 — the fee structure (December 22, 2025). The Government of Nepal gazetted a new fee schedule for Upper Mustang, amending Schedule 12 of the Immigration Regulation, enacted at a Cabinet meeting and announced by the then Communications Minister. It scrapped the flat USD 500-for-10-days charge and replaced it with a straight USD 50 per person, per day, applying from the very first day inside the restricted zone. This applies to trekkers, jeep tour clients, motorbike riders, and helicopter visitors alike — the fee is tied to entering the restricted area, not to the mode of transport.

Reform 2 — who can hold a permit (March 22, 2026). The Department of Immigration issued a notice removing the requirement that a Restricted Area Permit needed at least two foreign trekkers. This followed a formal proposal from the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) and applies across all of Nepal's restricted districts — Upper Mustang, Manaslu, Upper and Lower Dolpo, Tsum Valley, Nar Phu, Kanchenjunga, and the rest — not just Mustang. The same notice introduced a maximum ratio of one licensed guide per seven trekkers. Neither reform touched the guide requirement or the requirement to book through a registered Nepali agency.

If you've read anything describing Upper Mustang as "$500 for 10 days" or as a trek you can't do without a second paying trekker, that information predates one or both of these changes.

How Much Is the Upper Mustang Permit?

The RAP costs US$50 per person for every day you're inside the restricted zone — nothing more, nothing less, and no minimum block. That's the current rate published by the Nepal Tourism Board and reflected in the trekking industry's 2026 pricing, replacing the old flat 10-day charge.

Here's what that looks like across typical itinerary lengths:

The number that matters is the days you're actually inside the restricted zone — not the total length of your Nepal trip, and not your Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu package duration. Our own 14-day Upper Mustang trek itinerary, for example, includes travel days to and from Pokhara and Jomsom that fall outside the restricted zone. The RAP only becomes active once you clear the checkpoint north of Kagbeni and closes again when you pass back through it — on our standard itinerary that's exactly 10 calendar days, from the morning you leave Kagbeni to the afternoon you return to it. So a 14-day Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu doesn't automatically mean 14 RAP days.

Old $500 Rule vs Current Daily Rule

A short visit is the clearest winner here. A 5-day Lo Manthang visit that used to cost $500 in RAP fees regardless of length now costs $250. A trek that genuinely runs 10 or more restricted-zone days ends up paying roughly the same or slightly more than under the old flat rate — the change mainly rewards shorter, faster itineraries like jeep tours and quick fly-in trips.

Why Does Online Permit Information Look So Inconsistent?

If you've searched around and found three different numbers for the same permit, you're not imagining it. Two genuine policy changes landed four months apart — the fee reform in December 2025 and the solo-trekking reform in March 2026 — and a lot of pages published before either date, or written once and never revisited, still show the old $500/10-day figure and the two-trekker rule as current fact.

Need to confirm the latest permit requirements? Contact our Places Nepal team on WhatsApp for current permit updates and requirements.

What Is the Upper Mustang Restricted Area?

Upper Mustang covers the area north of Kagbeni, administratively made up of Lomanthang Rural Municipality (wards 1–5), Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality (wards 1–5), and part of Baragung Muktichetra Rural Municipality (ward 3 and Satang village in ward 5). It was closed to foreign visitors entirely until 1992 and has been managed as a restricted, permit-controlled zone ever since — both for its position on the Tibetan border and to protect the Tibetan Buddhist culture and fragile high-desert environment that have survived largely intact because of that isolation. On the ground, the practical dividing line is Kagbeni: everything from its northern checkpoint up to Lo Manthang and the Chhoser valley falls inside the restricted zone.

What Permits Do You Need for Upper Mustang?

For an Upper Mustang trek, the Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) are the key permits. TIMS is not currently being strictly enforced as a separate entry requirement for Upper Mustang, but we include your TIMS card in our package as part of the overall trekking documentation.

1. Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit (RAP)

This is the permit that allows you to enter the restricted Upper Mustang area beyond Kagbeni. The fee is US$50 per person per day, calculated according to the number of days you spend inside the restricted area.

The RAP must be arranged through a registered trekking agency and cannot be obtained independently by individual trekkers.

2. Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP)

Upper Mustang lies within the Annapurna Conservation Area, so an ACAP is also required. It is a single-entry permit, rather than a daily charge, and is normally arranged by your trekking agency together with the RAP.

You can learn more about our Upper Mustang Trek and what is included in the package.

3. TIMS Card

TIMS is a little different. It is not currently being strictly enforced as a separate requirement for Upper Mustang in the same way as the RAP and ACAP. However, at Places Nepal, we include your TIMS card as part of our package along with the other trekking permits and documentation.

This means you don't need to worry about arranging it separately when booking your trek with us. We handle the required permit and registration process through our registered trekking agency.

In practical terms: your Upper Mustang package with Places Nepal includes the RAP, ACAP and TIMS card, so the permit process is handled for you before you enter the restricted area.

Can You Trek Upper Mustang Solo?

Yes. The rule that required a minimum of two foreign trekkers on any Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit (RAP) was removed by the Department of Immigration on March 22, 2026. A solo foreign trekker can now hold the RAP in their own name.

What actually changed

Before March 22, 2026, a solo traveler wanting to trek Upper Mustang had genuinely limited options: find a real trekking partner, join an agency's fixed departure, or — as happened often enough that it became a known workaround in the industry — pay an agency for a second, unused "permit-only" trekker just to satisfy the paperwork. None of that is necessary anymore. The Department of Immigration's notice dropped the two-trekker minimum across all 13 of Nepal's restricted districts, Upper Mustang included, following a formal request from TAAN.

What did not change: solo permit does not mean independent trekking

This is the point most worth being precise about, because it's easy to misread the headline.

• Solo permit holder — yes. You can be the only trekker named on your RAP.
• Unguided, agency-free trek through Upper Mustang — no. That was never legal and still isn't.

A licensed guide, arranged through a registered Nepali trekking agency, remains mandatory for every foreign trekker in Upper Mustang, whether you're one person or fifteen. The March 2026 reform changed who can hold a permit; it did not touch the guide requirement, the agency requirement, or the rule that you follow an approved route. "Solo travel is now allowed" and "you can now trek Upper Mustang completely on your own" are two different statements, and only the first one is true.

Does trekking solo cost more?

The RAP itself doesn't cost more per person for a solo traveler — it's the same $50/day rate whichever group size you're in. What does change is that a solo trekker no longer needs to fund a fictitious second permit holder to satisfy the old minimum, which is a genuine saving compared to before March 2026.

Total trip cost is a different question. A solo traveler pays more per person than someone splitting a group departure, because guide fees, private jeep or flight transfers, and some accommodation costs get divided across fewer people. Our own Upper Mustang trek pricing reflects that directly: the published per-person rate for a solo booking runs higher than the 2–6 person group rate, which in turn runs slightly higher than the 7–15 person rate. That's normal cost-sharing economics, not a permit surcharge — the permit reform removed a bureaucratic obstacle, not the underlying cost of private guiding and transport.

The new guide-to-trekker ratio

The same March 2026 notice introduced a cap of one licensed guide per seven trekkers in restricted areas. A group of eight or more needs a second guide. This sits alongside, not instead of, the removed two-trekker minimum — the government's logic being that while a single trekker can now travel with just one guide, larger groups still need proper guide coverage on remote terrain.

Solo vs Group — Where You Stand in 2026

Do You Need a Guide? Do You Need a Registered Agency?

Yes to both, and neither requirement changed in 2026. A licensed trekking guide arranged through a registered Nepali trekking operator is mandatory for every foreign trekker entering Upper Mustang. 

How to Apply for an Upper Mustang Permit in 2026

You won't be filling out Department of Immigration forms yourself. Here's how the process runs in practice.

1. Finalize your itinerary with us, including the exact number of days you'll spend inside the restricted zone — this is what your RAP cost is based on.
2. Send us a passport copy and your Nepal visa details. If you already have a valid Nepali visa number before you travel, your agency can begin the RAP application before you land.
3. If you're applying from abroad without a visa number yet, the 2026 digital system allows applications to start using an Application Submission ID, with advance payment, ahead of your arrival — this was part of the March 2026 process overhaul.
4. Provide your original passport and passport photos in Kathmandu (or Pokhara) once you arrive — this is a physical requirement, not something that can be done entirely by email.
5. Places Nepal submits the full application package — passport details, visa information, itinerary, insurance documentation, and agency-side paperwork — to the Department of Immigration.
6. The permit is processed and issued, and your guide carries it through the checkpoints for the duration of the trek.

Documents you need to provide

• Passport, valid for at least six months from your entry date
• Passport-sized photographs (bring a few spares — Mustang permit processing and monastery entry tickets both use them)
• Your Nepal visa details or visa number
• Your finalized trek itinerary and dates
• Proof of travel insurance, including high-altitude and evacuation cover
• Basic personal details for the application form

What your Places Nepal handles

The agency side of a Restricted Area Permit application is considerably heavier than the traveler side — trekking-license documentation, foreign-currency exchange authorization, the formal trekker name list, agency guarantee and application forms, tax clearance, and payment processing through the Department of Immigration all sit with the agency, not with you. As a trekker, you don't need to understand every line item of that paperwork; you need to know that a legitimate registered agency is the only route through which any of it gets submitted.

Where the permit is issued

The RAP is issued by the Department of Immigration through its offices in Kathmandu or Pokhara, submitted by the Places Nepal team. 

Processing time

Historically, restricted-area permit applications submitted in person with complete documents before early afternoon have been processed the same working day. Advance applications made from abroad using the newer digital submission route have been take several working days rather than being instant. We'd rather be straightforward here than promise a guarantee we can't back: build in at least one full working day's buffer in Kathmandu before your trek start date, and treat same-day processing as the best case rather than the plan.

Permit Duration, Extensions, and What Happens If You Overstay

Your RAP is valid for exactly the dates on your approved itinerary — it isn't a flexible window. You're expected to exit the restricted zone by the final day on your permit; there's no official grace period built in. If your plans change mid-trek and you want to add days inside the restricted area, that needs to go through your Places Nepal team as a formal extension, and it isn't something you can sort out on the spot at a trail checkpoint — plan for it in advance if there's any chance you'll want extra time in Lo Manthang or the Chhoser valley. Overstaying or trekking outside your approved dates or route is a genuine violation of Nepali immigration law, with financial penalties that vary by circumstance — if you think you might need more time, raise it with our team before you depart rather than after.

Where Does the Restricted Area Start? Checkpoints and Route Rules

For trekkers on the standard Upper Mustang route, your guide handles the permits and checkpoint formalities. At checkpoints, there is normally nothing you need to process yourself. Just keep your passport accessible in case officials need to see it.

Your guide carries the required permits and takes care of the procedures at the checkpoints. Inside the restricted area, follow the approved route and itinerary stated on your permit. If you want to make a side trip or change the planned route, check with your guide and our team first rather than assuming it is permitted.

Do Jeep Tours Need the Same Permit?

Yes. The $50-a-day RAP applies based on entering the restricted area, not on whether you're walking, riding in a jeep, on a motorbike, or arriving by helicopter. If you're doing an Upper Mustang jeep tour rather than trekking, you still need the same Restricted Area Permit and ACAP, calculated the same way — by the number of days you're inside the zone. This is actually where the 2025 fee reform makes the biggest practical difference: a fast 5-day jeep loop to Lo Manthang that used to cost the same $500 as a slow 14-day trek now costs $250, because you're only paying for the days you actually use.

Permit Cost vs Total Trek Cost

The RAP and ACAP are two line items in a bigger budget, not the whole picture. Beyond permits, a full Upper Mustang trip also involves your guide's fee, porter costs if you hire one, teahouse accommodation and meals, domestic flights or jeep transport between Pokhara and Jomsom, travel insurance, and personal spending on the trail. Permit fees typically make up a meaningful but not dominant share of the total — for a specific breakdown of what a full Upper Mustang package costs beyond the government fees, talk to our team directly, since package pricing depends on group size, season, and route choices that a permit article like this one isn't the right place to estimate.

Upper Mustang Permit Information That Is Now Outdated

If you've read any of the following recently, treat it as superseded:

• "The permit is $500 for 10 days." This was accurate through late 2025. Since December 22, 2025, it's a flat $50 per day with no minimum block.
• "You need at least two trekkers to get a permit." This was accurate through March 21, 2026. Since March 22, 2026, a solo traveler can hold the RAP alone.
• "Solo trekking in Upper Mustang isn't allowed." Also no longer accurate as a blanket statement — a solo permit holder is allowed; trekking without a guide is what remains not allowed.
• "You can trek independently once you have the permit." This has never been accurate and still isn't. The permit gets you access to the restricted zone; a licensed guide and registered agency are separately mandatory regardless of group size.

Trekking Upper Mustang With Places Nepal

We’re a Kathmandu-based, locally run trekking company, and we handle the full Upper Mustang permit process for our clients, including the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), ACAP, and the current TIMS requirements. Our team coordinates the paperwork and checkpoint formalities, so you don’t have to navigate the changing 2026 rules yourself. Your guide carries the permits during the trek; you simply need to keep your passport accessible when required.

If you’re planning to trek solo, our Upper Mustang Trek page shows the current solo rate alongside group pricing. A private solo trek is now a straightforward option under the current rules, without needing to join another group.

For a shorter overland experience, our Upper Mustang Jeep Tour follows the same restricted-area permit requirements, with fewer days inside the restricted zone.

Planning Upper Mustang for 2026? Check the current permit rules first, then see our Upper Mustang Trek itinerary, pricing, and inclusions. You can also message us directly on WhatsApp with your dates

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Upper Mustang permit cost in 2026? US$50 per person, per day inside the restricted zone, plus the ACAP fee of NPR 3,000 (~US$22–25) per foreign trekker, paid once.

Is the Upper Mustang permit really $50 per day? Yes, as of December 22, 2025, replacing the old flat $500-for-10-days system. Some older or slower-updated pages, including government-adjacent ones, may still show the previous figure — confirm with your agency for your specific dates.

What happened to the old $500 permit? It was abolished. The government amended the fee schedule to charge a flat $50 per person, per day instead, with no minimum block and no separate "after 10 days" surcharge.

Can solo travelers now trek Upper Mustang? Yes. Since March 22, 2026, a solo foreign trekker can hold the Restricted Area Permit alone — the previous two-trekker minimum was removed.

When did the solo trekking rule change? March 22, 2026, by Department of Immigration notice, following a request from the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal.

Do I still need a licensed guide? Yes. This did not change with either 2026 reform and applies to solo trekkers and groups alike.

Do I need to book through a registered agency? Yes. The RAP cannot be applied for independently by a foreign trekker under any circumstance — only a registered Nepali trekking agency can submit the application.

Do I need two trekkers? No, not since March 22, 2026. You can hold a Restricted Area Permit as a solo traveler.

What permits do I need for Upper Mustang? The Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) are both required. Whether a TIMS card also applies is currently unresolved across official and industry sources — confirm with your agency.

Is ACAP required? Yes, because Upper Mustang sits inside the Annapurna Conservation Area. The current fee is NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals.

Is TIMS required? This is genuinely unclear at the moment — some sources say the RAP supersedes the need for a separate TIMS card in Upper Mustang, others still list it as part of the standard permit package. Confirm directly with your agency before departure.

What documents do I need? A passport valid 6+ months, passport photos, your Nepal visa details, your finalized itinerary, and proof of travel insurance. Your agency handles a much longer list of agency-side documentation on their end.

Can I apply for the permit before arriving in Nepal? Partially. If you already have a Nepali visa number, your agency can start the RAP application ahead of your arrival. The 2026 digital process also allows advance applications using an Application Submission ID for travelers without a visa number yet.

Can the permit be applied for online? Parts of the process have moved onto a digital system following the March 2026 reform, but it still runs through your registered agency, not a public self-service portal, and your original passport is still needed in Nepal.

How long does the permit take? Same working day is achievable if complete documents are submitted in person before early afternoon; advance applications from abroad have been reported to take several working days. Build in buffer time rather than assuming same-day processing.

Where is the permit issued? Through the Department of Immigration's offices in Kathmandu or Pokhara, submitted by your registered agency.

How long is the RAP valid? For exactly the dates on your approved itinerary — it isn't an open window, and there's no official grace period past your listed exit date.

What happens if I stay longer than planned? You need to request a formal extension through your agency in advance. Overstaying your approved dates is a violation of immigration rules and can bring financial penalties.

Where does the Upper Mustang permit start? Practically, at the checkpoint on the northern edge of Kagbeni — your RAP becomes active once you pass it and closes again when you return through it.

Do jeep travelers need the RAP? Yes. The permit applies based on entering the restricted area, regardless of whether you're walking, in a jeep, on a motorbike, or arriving by helicopter.

Can I change my route after getting the permit? No, not without approval. Your RAP specifies an approved route, and trekking outside it is treated as a violation.

Are there permit checkpoints? Yes — Kagbeni is the main entry and exit checkpoint on the standard route. Carry your permits and passport throughout the trek in case of further checks.

Do I need to carry my permit? Yes, at all times inside the restricted zone, along with your passport.

How much does a solo Upper Mustang trek cost? More per person than a group departure, since guide and transport costs are shared across fewer people — but the permit fee itself is the same $50/day rate regardless of group size. Check current solo pricing on our Upper Mustang Trek page.

Does the March 2026 rule change reduce the total trek price? It removes the old workaround cost of funding a second "permit-only" trekker, which is a real saving for solo travelers. It doesn't reduce guide, transport, or accommodation costs, which still scale with group size.

Is the permit included in Places Nepal's Upper Mustang package? Yes — the RAP and ACAP are both arranged and included as part of our Upper Mustang Trek package.