SANOG XVI
15-23 July, 2010 Paro, Bhutan

Special Visa and Airline Information

Before a ticket for Thimphu is issued, your visa must be cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you are not able to purchase the tickets locally through your travel agent, you can purchase your ticket through two sources. DrukAir is the only carrier flying to Bhutan.

a) You can co-ordinate with the SANOG XVI secretariat at visa@sanog.org.bt. Druknet will assist in the purchase of the tickets. After successful booking of the ticket, you'll have to wire transfer the money to Druknet's Bank with a USD5 surcharge.

b) You can co-ordinate with Mr. J. Baral (baral_janardhan@hotmail.com) Sojo Travels in Kathmandu, and pay by credit card. You have to authorize credit card payment with a faxed document.

c) You can also book/buy tickets through your travel agents, once the visa has been processed and approved.

In both cases, the tickets will be made available at the DrukAir ticket counter at the Airport before your first flight. You'll be advised of the exact procedure by DrukAir.

For residents of Nepal, India and Bangladesh, you can purchase tickets locally. In case of confusion, please write to info @ sanog. org.

Visa / Immigration

Royal Government of Bhutan adheres strongly to a policy of low volume, high value people entering Bhutan. Valid passports and an entry visa are very much essential. Everyone who enters Bhutan needs to have received approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thimphu. So make sure you register early. Upon receiving your filled up form, we will process and send you the result over email. We will process your visa. Visa clearances are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thimphu and must be obtained before departing for Bhutan. Druk Air tickets cannot be purchased without visa clearance.

Please download the visa form and send it to visa@sanog.org.bt, along with a scanned copy of the photo and details page of your passport

At your port of entry your visa will be stamped in your passport on payment of US$ 20, you will also require two passport photos. Extension of visas, for up to 6 months, can be obtained in Thimphu at a cost of Nu.510

(Visa information may be revised as per government notices, please check this page before departing on the journey).