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About this tool
Work out Bhutan's Sustainable Development Fee for your party, test the permit or visa route and passport validity, and build the document checklist.
Bhutan prices a visit by law rather than by tour package: the Sustainable Development Fee is levied under the Tourism Levy Act of Bhutan, 2022 on every night halted in the country, currently USD 100 per person per night for international visitors and Nu. 1,200 for Indian nationals, with half rate for children aged 6 to 11 and nothing for under-sixes. This checklist multiplies the levy across your party and nights, adds the USD 40 visa application fee where one is due, tests your passport against the six-month rule, and lists the permit, insurance, itinerary and guide documents the application actually asks for.
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Applies the full, half and zero rates by age band across chargeable nights.
Shows the SDF and visa fee on their own so you can judge an operator's quote.
Handles the visa route and the India, Bangladesh and Maldives permit route separately.
USD 100 per person per night for international visitors, the reduced rate in force since 1 September 2023 in place of the USD 200 set by the Tourism Levy Act of Bhutan, 2022. Indian nationals pay Nu. 1,200 per person per night. Children aged 6 to 11 pay half, and children under 6 pay nothing.
No. Indian nationals, along with Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals, are visa-exempt, but they still need an entry permit from the Department of Immigration and still pay the Sustainable Development Fee. Indians may travel on a passport valid six months or on a Voter Identity Card issued by the Election Commission of India — an Aadhaar card or driving licence is not accepted.
A licensed Bhutanese guide is compulsory once you travel outside Thimphu and Paro. Inside those two districts you can move around independently. Trekking routes and restricted areas need the guide plus their own route clearance arranged through a licensed operator.
The visa application fee is USD 40 per person, one-time and non-refundable, on top of the Sustainable Development Fee. Applications are made online through the official Department of Immigration system, either directly or through a licensed Bhutanese operator, and the visa clearance is only issued once the SDF and the fee have been paid. Travel insurance covering the whole stay is part of the application.