Aether Bhutan Tours and Travel
Thimphu, Bhutan | +975 77391059 | sonamnamdrel000@gmail.com
Aether Bhutan Tours and Travel
Bhutan does not issue visas on arrival, and you cannot apply as an individual. Here is exactly how it works — and what it costs.
Indian nationals require a permit, while Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals require visas, although their process differs and visas may be arranged under special provisions — Indian nationals travel on a permit rather than a visa. Everyone else needs a visa arranged in advance, and it must be applied for through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator.
That is not a formality we have invented to sell you a tour. It is how the country’s entry system is built: there is no independent visa channel, and there is no visa desk at Paro that will help you if you arrive without one.
We handle the application as part of arranging your journey. There is nothing for you to file yourself.
Four steps, and we do three of them.
Dates settled, itinerary agreed, deposit received. Nothing is submitted before this — the visa is tied to specific dates.
Through the online system of the Department of Immigration, with your documents and your paid Sustainable Development Fee.
You receive a visa clearance letter by email. Carry a copy; the airline will ask for it before they let you board.
Immigration at Paro stamps the visa into your passport when you land. Your guide will be waiting on the other side.
The SDF is a per-person, per-night charge paid to the government of Bhutan. It is not our fee, and it is separate from the cost of your hotels, guide, driver and meals.
It funds free healthcare and education for Bhutanese citizens, forest and wildlife conservation, and the offsetting of tourism’s carbon footprint. It is also, deliberately, a brake — Bhutan has chosen low-volume, high-value tourism over the alternative, and this is the mechanism.
Current rate: $100 per adult, per night.
Children aged 6–11: USD 50/night
Children under 6: No SDF
Indian nationals: Nu./INR 1,200/night
Reduced rates normally apply to children, and there are concessions for some nationalities and longer stays.
The government has revised this figure more than once in recent years. We confirm the rate that applies to you, in writing, before you commit to anything.
The single most common misunderstanding we correct.
If any of these apply to you, tell us early — a few change the process.
Entry rules are set by the Department of Immigration and do change. Everything on this page is confirmed with you in writing before you pay anything.
Tell us your dates and nationality and we will confirm exactly what applies to you — current fees included — before you commit to anything.
