Under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Nepali citizens can enter, live and work in India without a visa. What you do need is acceptable identification — and the rules are stricter for flying than for crossing by road.
At a glance
Visa needed: No — freedom of movement under the 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty
Length of stay: No visa-imposed limit
Travelling by air: Passport or an accepted photo identity document is required
Travelling by land: Accepted identity documents are checked at the border
Cost: Nothing
Fees
There is no visa and no visa fee for Nepali citizens travelling to India. Any charge you are quoted is an agent's service fee, not a government one.
Visa types
Tourism and family visits — No visa limit. No visa or permit is needed. Carry acceptable identification.
Employment — No visa limit. Nepali citizens may work in India without a work permit under the treaty, with some restricted categories.
Study — Course length. No student visa is required, but the institution will have its own admission requirements.
Medical treatment — No visa limit. No visa needed. Hospitals will ask for identification and referral paperwork.
Documents required
Nepali passport — the simplest and most widely accepted document, and required for air travel
Or a Nepali citizenship certificate, accepted at land borders
For children travelling without a passport, a photo identity issued by the school along with a parent's documents
Confirmed onward travel and accommodation details for your own planning
Sufficient funds for the trip
Before you apply
Flying is stricter than driving
Airlines will ask for a passport or another accepted photo identity document. A citizenship certificate that works at a land border may not be enough at the airport — check before you book.
Third-country travel is different
Freedom of movement covers India only. If you are transiting India to a third country, the destination's visa rules and any Indian transit requirements still apply.
About India
India is the easiest country in the world for a Nepali passport holder to visit — no visa, no permit, no fee, under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship — and that ease is exactly why people under-plan it. The country is enormous and the distances are real: Delhi to Kerala is further than Kathmandu to Bangkok. Pick a region rather than a country. The Golden Triangle for first-timers, Varanasi and Bodh Gaya for pilgrimage, Kerala or Goa when you want the pace to drop, and the hill stations when Kathmandu gets hot.
Highlights
See the Taj Mahal at sunrise, before the heat and the coach parties arrive
Watch the evening Ganga aarti from a boat at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi
Sit under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya where the Buddha reached enlightenment
Take the Golden Triangle through Delhi, Agra and Jaipur at an unhurried pace
Drift the Kerala backwaters overnight on a converted rice barge from Alleppey
Eat langar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, served to anyone who sits down
Ride the toy train up to Darjeeling and see Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill
Trek the Char Dham circuit in Uttarakhand in the May to October season
Spend a beach week in Goa in December when the weather is at its best
See tigers at Ranthambore or Jim Corbett on an early-morning safari drive
Packages from Kathmandu
Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra & Jaipur — 6D/5N, NPR 45,000