{"id":1028,"date":"2026-03-06T08:18:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/?page_id=1028"},"modified":"2026-03-06T08:18:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:18:54","slug":"bhutan-travel-policy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/bhutan-travel-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Bhutan Travel Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>1. Mandatory Fees (As of 2026)&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sustainable Development Fee (SDF):<\/strong>\u00a0A daily levy used to fund national healthcare, education, and conservation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>International Adults:<\/strong>\u00a0USD 100 per person, per night (discounted rate valid through August 31, 2027).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Children (6\u201312 years):<\/strong>\u00a0USD 50 per night.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Children (Under 6):<\/strong>\u00a0Exempt from the SDF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Nationals:<\/strong>\u00a0INR 1,200 per person, per night.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Visa Fee:<\/strong>\u00a0A non-refundable, one-off fee of\u00a0<strong>USD 40<\/strong>\u00a0for all nationalities except Indian, Bangladeshi, and Maldivian citizens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New 5% GST:<\/strong>\u00a0Starting\u00a0<strong>January 1, 2026<\/strong>, a 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) apply to tourism services (hotels, transport, guides), though the SDF itself is exempt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Visa &amp; Entry Requirements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Advance Visa:<\/strong>\u00a0All foreign nationals except those from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives must obtain a visa before arrival.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Application Process:<\/strong>\u00a0You can apply\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.doi.gov.bt\/?page_id=1334&amp;lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online via the Department of Immigration<\/a>\u00a0or through a licensed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bhutan.travel\/faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bhutanese tour operator<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Passport Validity:<\/strong>\u00a0Your passport must be valid for at least\u00a0<strong>6 months<\/strong>\u00a0beyond your intended departure date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Nationals:<\/strong>\u00a0Require either a valid Indian passport or a Voter ID card to obtain an entry permit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Travel Regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Guided Travel:<\/strong>\u00a0While visitors can now customize itineraries, a\u00a0<strong>licensed guide<\/strong>\u00a0is still mandatory for travel beyond Paro and Thimphu and for visiting certain cultural sites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Permits:<\/strong>\u00a0Specific\u00a0<strong>Route Permits<\/strong>\u00a0are required for travel outside Thimphu and Paro, and\u00a0<strong>Trekking Permits<\/strong>\u00a0are mandatory for mountaineering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>24-Hour Waiver:<\/strong>\u00a0The SDF is waived for casual visitors staying less than 24 hours in designated border towns (e.g., Phuentsholing, Gelephu).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. Mandatory Fees (As of 2026)&nbsp; 2. Visa &amp; Entry Requirements 3. Travel Regulations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1028","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1029,"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1028\/revisions\/1029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukhotels.com\/thimphu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}