Business Visa in Nepal 2026: Fees, Documents & Process (2082/83)

A business visa in Nepal is the non-tourist visa a foreign investor needs to live in Nepal and run an approved investment. The Department of Immigration issues it, but only after the Department of Industry (or Investment Board Nepal, for large projects) has approved the investment and recommended the visa. Doing business on a tourist visa breaches the Immigration Act 2049 and can lead to fines, deportation or blacklisting.

This guide is written for foreign investors, company directors and their representatives. It covers eligibility, the minimum investment, the full process, documents, fees, renewal and the mistakes that cause delay. It was last updated in October 2026.

Quick answer: business visa in Nepal at a glance

• Who qualifies: foreign investors with FITTA-approved investment, their authorised representatives, qualifying export traders, and dependants (spouse, parents, minor children).
• Minimum investment: NPR 20 million for most sectors. Some IT-sector businesses are exempt.
• Government fee: set by investment size. For NPR 100 million or less: USD 35 per month, USD 400 per year or USD 1,000 for five years.
• Timeline: about 1 to 4 weeks for the recommendation, then 1 to 5 working days at Immigration, if your file is complete.
• Validity: 1 month to 5 years under the rules, but recent filings show shorter initial periods in some cases. Confirm the period at filing.
• Indian nationals: no visa needed to enter or stay in Nepal.

What is a business visa in Nepal, and who is eligible?

A business visa is a non-immigrant visa that lets a foreign national stay in Nepal to run or represent an approved investment or trade. It is different from a tourist visa, a non-tourist visa (work, study, research) and a residential visa.

Under Rule 9 of the Immigration Rules 2051, three groups are eligible:

1. Foreigners permitted to invest in a trade or industrial enterprise in Nepal, and the authorised representative of that enterprise.
2. Foreigners permitted to invest in export trade from Nepal.
3. Foreigners who come from third countries to buy Nepali-made goods for export, or to place purchase orders for export.

Section 30(2) of the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act (FITTA) 2075 extends the visa to the investor's or representative's spouse, parents and minor children. The Single Point Service Centre processes recommendations for representatives and family members within two working days when the requirements are met.

Indian nationals do not need a visa to enter or reside in Nepal under the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950.

How much must you invest to qualify?

The general minimum foreign investment under FITTA is NPR 20 million, and the investment must be approved and brought in through banking channels. Some IT-sector businesses, such as software development, data centres and BPO or KPO operations listed in the government gazette, are exempt from this minimum.

Two structuring decisions are worth settling before you file:

• Wholly owned company or joint venture. Some sectors on the negative list cap foreign ownership, which forces a joint venture.
• Final shareholding. Changing the shareholding after FDI approval can mean re-filing, which restarts the visa timeline.

If you are still choosing a structure, see our guides to company registration in Nepal and the FDI process in Nepal.

Laws and authorities behind the business visa

The visa sits where immigration law meets investment law, so two sets of offices are involved. The process is always two-staged: recommendation first, visa second.

Step-by-step process to get a business visa in Nepal

Complete each stage before starting the next. An incomplete file at any stage causes delay.

1. Settle the structure. Confirm the sector is open to foreign investment, check the NPR 20 million minimum (or the IT exemption) and decide between a wholly owned company and a joint venture.
2. Get foreign investment approval from the Department of Industry or Investment Board Nepal, depending on project size. No approval means no visa recommendation.
3. Register the company with the Office of the Company Registrar, then complete industry registration, PAN and VAT. Open a company bank account, bring in the investment through banking channels and have it recorded.
4. Secure the registered office address. The same address appears in your company records and your visa application. Registration does not strictly require a lease, but changing the address later means amending company documents. A lease of at least one year avoids mid-process updates.
5. Obtain the recommendation letter from the Department of Industry or the relevant line agency. An industry inspection or monitoring report may be required first.
6. File with the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu or through the online portal, with the recommendation letter, passport and supporting documents.
7. Attend the verification, if called. The Department of Immigration generally expects the applicant in person. Officers typically check the source of the invested funds, ask about the business and confirm your stated role matches the company records.
8. Pay the fee and receive the visa. Investors in companies with NPR 100 million or more in investment are typically issued the visa within about one working day of submission.

The most common cause of delay is a mismatch between what the FDI file says and what the applicant says at verification. Prepare the person, not only the paperwork. For help with the whole sequence, see our Immigration in Nepal guides or contact Corporate Np.

Documents required for a business visa in Nepal

Both the Department of Industry and the Department of Immigration check documents closely. Prepare the following.

Company and investment

• Recommendation letter from the Department of Industry or line agency
• Foreign investment approval letter
• Company registration certificate and Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Industry registration certificate
• PAN and VAT certificates, and the latest tax clearance certificate
• Certified share register copy from the OCR
• Evidence of investment injection, such as a bank credit advice, and the company bank account details
• Registered office lease or ownership document
• Audit report with balance sheet, or a progress report, and the industry monitoring report

Applicant

• Passport copy, valid for at least six months
• Completed visa application form and bio-data or CV (first-time applicants)
• Evidence of appointment as authorised representative (representatives only)

Dependants and renewals

• Proof of family relationship, validated by the competent authority or the Nepali embassy (dependants)
• Company progress report and updated tax clearance (renewals)

Foreign-language documents need certified Nepali or English translations. Check the current list with the office before filing, because forms and requirements change.

Business visa fee in Nepal and how long it lasts

The government fee depends on the amount of foreign investment brought into the company.

All business visas are multiple entry. Dependants and authorised agents pay the same fee structure. Foreign experts and their dependants entering under an approved technology transfer agreement pay no fee. Fees are payable in US dollars or Nepali rupees at the official rate.

Budget separately for translation, notarisation and professional charges, which typically run between NPR 30,000 and NPR 100,000 depending on the case.

Validity: the rules allow a business visa from one month up to five years. In practice, recent filings reported by practitioners in Kathmandu show initial visas being issued for shorter periods, in some cases six months. Confirm the period and whether the fee is charged per period before you budget.

Renewal and stay rules

Renew before the visa expires. Renewal needs an updated tax clearance certificate, the company's progress report and proof that the foreign investment is still in the company. If the investment is withdrawn or the company stops operating, the visa is not renewed.

Export traders who visit from third countries can receive a five-year multiple-entry visa, but each stay is limited to 90 days, so it does not support long-term residence.

Business visa vs working visa vs other visa types

A business visa is for the investor and the people who represent the investment. It does not cover hired staff. A foreign employee needs a labour permit and a separate working (non-tourist) visa. Pick the right category before you file, because changing category later needs extra documents.

Map out which people need which visa before you file anything. A founder, a foreign manager and a family member often fall into three different categories.

Can you convert a tourist visa to a business visa?

In many cases, yes. Once your investment approval, company registration and recommendation letter are in place, you can generally apply for the business visa from inside Nepal instead of leaving the country first. Confirm this with the Department of Immigration for your case.

The key rule is timing. A tourist visa never authorises business activity or running an investment, so do not start operating the company until the business visa is issued. Apply before your tourist visa expires, because staying beyond it triggers overstay fines. Even early activities such as inspecting premises or meeting partners should be checked against your visa conditions.

If you are already overstaying, read our posts on converting a tourist visa to a business visa and overstay in Nepal before you file.

Common mistakes and penalties

These errors cause most rejections and delays:

• Filing without the Department of Industry recommendation letter. The application is returned unprocessed.
• Evidence of investment that bank records do not support.
• An expired tax clearance certificate on a renewal.
• Applying after the tourist visa period has ended, which attracts overstay fines.
• Family applications without validated proof of relationship.
• Declaring a lower investment than the real figure, which can put you in a higher fee category.
• Company compliance failures, such as a missed annual return, which can block the recommendation letter.
• Registering the company before securing a suitable office address, then amending records mid-process.
• Answers at the Immigration verification that differ from the FDI file or company records.
• Assuming a business visa covers hired foreign staff.

Under the Immigration Act 2049, a foreigner who stays without a valid visa, or who works outside the scope of the visa held, may be fined, deported or blacklisted. A company that facilitates an unauthorised stay can also face administrative action. Obtain the visa before business activity begins and track its expiry date.